The Tennessee Innocence Project and its client Joyce Watkins, along with the Davidson County District Attorney’s Conviction Review Unit, were featured on CBS Sunday Morning over the weekend and on CBS News yesterday. The piece looks at a partnership between the two organizations, which led to exoneration of the 74-year-old Watkins and her boyfriend (who died in prison) three decades after being convicted for killing her four-year-old great-niece. Once the district attorney’s office began reviewing the case, it found “so much information” that the fatal injuries to the child happened before she was in Joyce’s custody, said Sunny Eaton with the review unit, who also appeared on the program. Read more about the case or watch the interview.

The Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals ruled last week that Oscar Smith, 71, had “not presented new scientific evidence establishing that he is actually innocent of the murders of the victims,” the Tennessean reports. Smith’s legal team has asked the court to reopen the case after DNA from an unknown person was detected on one of the murder weapons. The trial court previously rejected the request. Smith’s public defender had filed a motion with the Tennessee Supreme Court earlier in the day Thursday seeking a stay of execution so the appellate court could have time to consider the motions. In the opinion, Judge Timothy Easter said that given the other evidence in the case there was not a “reasonable probability that the recently discovered DNA evidence would have prevented ... prosecution or conviction.” Smith is scheduled to die by lethal injection on April 21. He was convicted in 1990 of fatally stabbing and shooting his estranged wife and her two teenage sons.

The Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands will hold two clinics this week. On Wednesday, a clinic for veterans will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. CDT in Nashville at Operation Stand Down, 1125 12th Ave. S., 37203. Then on Saturday, the Belmont Clinic will take place from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. at 2005 12th Ave. South, Nashville 37204. All times are central. Those attending must wear a mask. To volunteer for a clinic, contact Kendra Cheek, 615-780-7131. See all April clinics.

New York lawyer Timothy Charles Cox and Mississippi lawyer Kate Mauldin Embry recently were reinstated to the practice of law after having been on inactive status for more than five years. Cox was reinstated effective March 24 while Embry was reinstated effective March 23. The court issued the orders on April 8.

The Arts & Business Council's Volunteer Lawyers and Professionals for the Arts is joining the law firm of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings in providing free legal services for Black-owned small businesses and nonprofits at a clinic this Thursday. Issues to be covered include questions about business formation, corporate governance, contract review and navigating local ordinances and state regulations. Eligible businesses may receive up to one hour of assistance but must register today. Clients may sign up online. To volunteer, email vlpa@abcnashville.org.

The Tennessee Bar Association (TBA) officially will open new offices at 3310 West End Ave., Ste. 590 in Nashville on May 2. The association is moving from its downtown location to leased space near the Vanderbilt University campus. It will operate there while the TBA Board of Governors evaluates office/event space needs for the bar in the future. TBA staff have been working remotely full-time since March 2020 and now will be transitioning to a hybrid model, rotating between working in the office and working from home. The new office primarily will be used for office support with the potential option of holding small TBA leadership meetings in the future. Please call ahead if you need to meet with someone or drop something off at the office. The main phone number will remain the same but the previous fax number is no longer available. Staff email and direct phone lines are listed online. TBA will retain a lease at its former downtown space through early June while it transitions additional items to storage.

The Washington County Bar Association will hold a summer kickoff event at the TVA Credit Union Ballpark in Johnson City on June 18. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for early game activities and music. The game starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $23 per person and cover the cost of admission, non-alcoholic beverages and food. All area lawyers are invited to attend. Purchase tickets here.

The Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services (TALS) is seeking session proposals for this year's Equal Justice University (EJU), set for Aug. 31 to Sept. 2 at the Embassy Suites in Murfreesboro. Topics of interest include TennCare, conservatorships, employment law, representing clients with mental health or substance abuse issues, introduction to family law, federal nutrition programs, veterans benefits, student loan forgiveness, housing law, immigration and unemployment benefits. Presentations that include ethics and professional development components are also welcome. See the full list of topics here. Submit proposals by May 20.

Make plans now to join colleagues for the 2022 TBA Annual Convention, taking place in person at the downtown Nashville Hilton June 15-18. Don't miss key convention events such as the Better This Year and Legislative Update CLE programs, Bench Bar CLE and Luncheon, and Lawyers Luncheon, where TBA President Sherie Edwards will pass the gavel to incoming president Tasha Blakney. In person law school breakfasts will return for the first time since 2019, as will the Thursday evening Bench/Bar social event, which will include dinner and a live band on the rooftop of Nashville's new 5th & Broad entertainment venue. Register now and be sure to reserve your hotel room by May 24 to take advantage of the TBA group rate.

State Sen. Brenda Gilmore, D-Nashville, yesterday announced her retirement and subsequent endorsement of Keeda Haynes for the District 19 seat she has held for one term. Haynes also announced her bid for the seat yesterday. The announcements fell on the final day to qualify for a state Senate primary race, raising questions of “skulduggery,” the Nashville Post reports. The state’s anti-skulduggery law prevents candidates from withdrawing at the last minute to help out a friend. The last-minute maneuvering could trigger an extended qualifying period for the seat, which represents North Nashville, parts of East Nashville and south to Antioch. Haynes, a former public defender, unsuccessfully challenged U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Nashville, in the Democratic primary for the 5th Congressional seat in 2020.