The University of Tennessee College of Law today announced the death of Micki Fox, business manager of the Tennessee Law Review and continuing legal education (CLE) coordinator. Fox had been with the college for 50-plus years and had become known affectionately as the “mother of the Law Review.” Fox began working with the publication in 1971 as a manuscript typist. Within the decade, she was promoted to senior bookkeeper and eventually business manager. Almost 20 years ago, Fox took on an additional role at the college, becoming the CLE coordinator. In 2015, she answered questions about her time at the school. Dean Lonnie T. Brown Jr. said in an email today said that Fox — “an institution” at the college of law — died yesterday evening. Funeral arrangements are pending.

The Board of Judicial Conduct last week suspended 13th Judicial District Circuit Court Judge Jonathan Lee Young for 30 days. The board found that Young made improper comments about an opioid case and although the comments were made outside of court, they were serious enough to void a ruling he entered against an opioid company. The board also cited comments Young made to a woman in an adoption case filed in his court. In that case, the board found that Young requested explicit photos of the woman and met her multiple times outside of court, including at a hotel, and that he gave her advice on an unrelated custody matter in another court, including how to get the judge disqualified. According to reporting by the Tennessean, Young lost his Republican primary election in May and the suspension runs to the end of his term Aug. 31. He had previously been reprimanded in 2020 for sending inappropriate messages to women on social media platforms.

The Tennessee Supreme Court last week issued an order amending Rule 9, section 8.1 to fix a “housekeeping” issue and “ensure consistency” with Rule 8.5(a). The order clarifies that any attorney not admitted to practice in the state, who practices law or renders or offers to render any legal services in the state, is subject to the disciplinary jurisdiction of Tennessee Supreme Court, the Board of Professional Responsibility, including its panels, district committees and hearing panels, and the circuit and chancery courts of the state. The order took effect immediately.

The law license of Arizona attorney David Martin Macaione was transferred to disability inactive status today by the Tennessee Supreme Court. Macaione may not practice law while on inactive status and must comply with the requirements of Supreme Court Rule 9, Section 28. He may return to the practice of law after reinstatement by showing that his disability has been removed.

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee will hold a portrait unveiling and reception for former judge Harry S. Mattice next Friday. The event will take place at on the third floor of the Joel W. Solomon Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse at 3 p.m. EDT.  A reception will follow in the courthouse. Mattice retired from the bench in September 2021 after serving the Eastern District for more than 20 years — first as U. S. attorney and later as district judge. He was appointed to the bench by President George W. Bush in 2005. Before entering federal service, Mattice was a shareholder with Baker Donelson and a partner at Miller & Martin in Chattanooga. He also served as a senior counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs during a special investigation.

The overall employment rate for 2021 law school graduates came in at 91.9% — a 15 year high — according to new data released yesterday by the National Association for Law Placement (NALP). The 2021 figure represents a 3.5% increase from the class of 2020, which stood at 88.4%, according to Reuters. The strong employment rates were driven by the largest law firms' hiring activity, said James Leipold, executive director of NALP. Read more from the association.

The U.S. Justice Department is investigating a cyber breach involving the federal court records management system, Reuters reports. Matt Olsen, head of the Justice Department's National Security Division, told the U.S. House Judiciary Committee that he could not talk about the probe’s specifics, but his division is focused on the risk of attacks from nations like China, Russia, Iran and North Korea. The risk of cyber attacks came to light last year, when the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts said it was adding new security procedures to protect records following an apparent compromise of its electronic case management and filing system. In other concerning news for the federal judiciary, a new report from the Government Accountability Office notes that its biggest tech projects — including a new system to process judges' financial disclosure reports — are facing cost overruns and a lack of oversight.

Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III and a bipartisan group of attorneys general announced an agreement in principle to address the opioid crisis for the second time this week. The proposed settlement would require former opioid maker Allergan to pay up to $2.37 billion to participating states and local governments. If finalized, the Allergan settlement, together with the Teva Pharmaceuticals settlement announced earlier this week, would provide as much as $6.6 billion nationwide. Abbvie, which acquired Allergan in 2020, disclosed the agreement in its earnings released today. Both settlements remain contingent on resolution of details regarding the settlement structure, which is expected to build on the framework developed in prior nationwide opioid settlements. The parties are also negotiating terms requiring business practice changes and transparency.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has received six applications for the state's attorney general and reporter position. The applicants are: Donald Q. Cochran Jr., Jerome Cochran, David Michael Dunavant, R. Culver Schmid, Jonathan Thomas Skrmetti and William Edwin "Bill" Young. Interviews will be held on Aug. 8 and 9 at the Nashville Supreme Court Building and will be livestreamed on the court’s YouTube page. The court said it will announce further details on the interview process early next week. Under the state constitution, the attorney general is appointed by the state Supreme Court and serves an eight-year term. The term for the new attorney general will begin Sept. 1. Learn more about the candidates on the court’s website.

The TBA’s 2022 Court Square Series kicks off Sept. 7 in Greeneville with a three-hour program at the U.S. District Courthouse. The series is designed to provide networking opportunities, developments and updates in multiple areas of the law and much more. In Greeneville, join TBA President Tasha Blakney for a lunch and learn networking session at 11:30 a.m. EDT followed by other substantive law conversations. The day will wrap up at 3:15 p.m. The series will continue with programs in Covington on Sept. 21, Hendersonville/Gallatin on Oct. 12 (new date!), Jamestown on Oct. 26, Clarksville on Nov. 2 and Savannah on Nov. 16. Get details on these locations.