The Knoxville Bar Association and the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, in partnership with Legal Aid of East Tennessee (LAET), will hold a Debt Relief Clinic on June 28 to provide pro bono legal services to income-eligible consumer debtors. The clinic will begin at 9 a.m. EDT at the Knox County Public Defender's Community Law Office, 1101 Liberty St., Knoxville 37919. Judge Suzanne Bauknight will present a short overview of the bankruptcy system and then volunteer lawyers will conduct initial meetings with the clients to discuss their situations and options. Those interested in helping should register online. Clients seeking advice should call 865-637-0484.

Americans are divided on major issues before the U.S. Supreme Court but most agree on one thing. According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, a majority do not see the nation's top judicial body as politically neutral. Specifically, 58% disagreed that the high court is neutral while only 20% agreed. The rest did not know or did not respond. Among Democrats, only 10% agreed the court was politically neutral while 74% disagreed. Among Republicans, 29% agreed and 54% disagreed. The Supreme Court's popularity has declined since its 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. In 2021, 57% expressed a favorable opinion of the court. By the end of 2022, that figure had fallen to 43%. This year, 44% of respondents expressed a favorable view of the court, including 67% of Republicans and 26% of Democrats. Reuters has more on the poll’s findings.

Nashville lawyer John L. Farringer IV took office as vice president of the Tennessee Bar Association (TBA) last week during the group’s Annual Convention in Franklin. He will advance to the presidency in June 2027. A member of the law firm Sherrard Roe Voigt & Harbison, Farringer has practiced law for over 20 years, focusing on complex business and commercial litigation. He has been active in the TBA for many years, including serving for six years as a member of the Board of Governors and as associate general counsel with a special focus on issues related to indigent representation. He was a member of the 2011 Leadership Law class and received the 2015 President’s Award for his work as chair of the Medical-Legal Partnership Working Group. Farringer has made access to justice a passion of his career, including serving as chair of the TBA’s Access to Justice Committee from 2014-2015. He received the TBA’s Harris Gilbert Pro Bono Award in 2012 for his work on behalf of Juana Villegas, an undocumented woman who was shackled during and after childbirth. Last week, he also received the TBA President’s Award for his efforts in support of a new indigent representation system for the state. Farringer also served on the Tennessee Supreme Court’s Access to Justice Commission from 2018-2024, and chaired the commission from 2022-2024. Read more about his career in the TBA's press release.

TBA’s new executive officers and new Board of Governors members took office Friday at the Annual Convention in Franklin. Officers for the upcoming bar year are: President Heidi Barcus of Knoxville, President-elect Charlotte Knight Griffin of Eads, Vice President John Farringer of Nashville, Secretary Terica Smith of Jackson and Treasurer Mary Beth Maddox of Knoxville. Nashville lawyer Ed Lanquist Jr., who wrapped up his year in office last week, moved into the immediate past president role. New board members taking office were Assistant Treasurer Karin Anderson, East Tennessee Governor Kelly Street, Middle Tennessee Governors Sean Aiello and Rachel Moses, Fourth District Governor Hank Fincher, YLD President Judge Alex McVeagh, YLD President-elect Jennifer Sneed, Judicial Conference President Chancellor Doug Jenkins, Public Defenders Conference President Robert Taswell "Tas" Gardner, General Counsel Kimberly Silvus, Assistant General Counsel Jennifer Pearson Taylor, Associate General Counsel Matthew Evans, Chief Opportunity Officer Deborah Yeomans-Barton, and Assistant Opportunity Officer Amy Bryant, who assumes this new role in addition to her 5th District Governor position. The District Attorneys General Conference will name its representative to the board this month.

Eads attorney Charlotte Knight Griffin took office as president-elect of the Tennessee Bar Association (TBA) last week during the group’s Annual Convention in Franklin. She will advance to the presidency in June 2026. Knight Griffin began her career in private practice in Memphis after earning her law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law (now Winston College of Law). She joined Memphis Light, Gas and Water as a staff attorney in 1978 and retired in April 2023 after 45 years of service. Knight Griffin has been active in the TBA for many years, most recently serving as vice president, speaker of the House of Delegates and a member of the Board of Governors. She is a past chair of the Local Government Practice and Litigation sections, a charter fellow of the Young Lawyers Division (YLD), a past executive officer of the YLD and president of the TBA YLD Fellows. Read more about her career in this press release.

Knoxville attorney Heidi Barcus took office as president of the Tennessee Bar Association (TBA) during the group’s Annual Convention in Franklin last week. Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Dwight Tarwater administered the oath of office at the annual Lawyers Luncheon. Barcus has been active in the TBA for many years, serving most recently as TBA president-elect, Second District representative on the TBA Board of Governors and as a member of the TBA’s Law Office Technology & Management Section and Tort and Insurance Practice Section. She also has been active in the Knoxville Bar Association and American Bar Association. She handles health care, litigation, product liability and professional liability matters as a shareholder with Lewis Thomason. Read more about her career in this press release.

The American Bar Association (ABA) has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government and more than two dozen federal departments and agencies asking a federal court to declare unconstitutional what it called the Trump administration’s "ongoing unlawful policy of intimidation against lawyers and law firms." The group argues these attacks have had a chilling effect across the legal profession “causing harm to the justice system at large and limiting access to representation for individuals and organizations whose positions the administration disfavors.” Read more about the suit in a press release. According to Bloomberg Law, the group is being represented by Susman Godfrey, one of four law firms that sued the administration over an executive order that targeted its work.

Thank you to the 21 sponsors who helped underwrite the costs of this year's TBA Convention! Thank you to Diamond Presenting Sponsor Baker Donelson; Platinum Sponsor TriStar Court Reporting; Silver Sponsors Bookkeeping Done Virtually, JAMS and Miles Mediation & Arbitration; Bronze Sponsors Consultwebs, SoFi, TBA Member Insurance Solutions and The Bar Plan; Copper Sponsors Ai Pro, Conservatorship Association of Tennessee, Husch Blackwell, Iconographics, IT Solutions, LexisNexis, Richards Bespoke, Scipio Technologies, Time Miner and vLex Fastcase; and Event Partners Covert Results Investigations & Security and Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program (TLAP) . Check out our sponsor page for more information on these companies and law firms.

The 2025 William M. Leech Jr. Public Service Award was presented to 21st Judicial District Circuit Court Judge and Chancellor David Veile at the TBA’s Annual Convention by the Fellows of the Tennessee Bar Association (TBA) Young Lawyers Division (YLD). Named for former Attorney General William M. Leech Jr., the award is given each year to a Tennessee lawyer who has been of outstanding service to the profession, the legal system and their community. In announcing the award, Fellows President and Jackson lawyer Michelle Greenway Sellers said, "Judge Veile truly exemplifies the values embodied in the Leech Award. He is a past president of the TBA YLD, a TBA Board of Governors member, an extremely supportive TBA YLD volunteer and a devoted community leader. Judge Veile generously gives of his time as a mentor to young lawyers, speaks at legal and community events, and volunteers at TBA YLD events such as the TBA YLD Mock Trial competition. He has spent his entire career giving back to the Tennessee legal community and to the Middle Tennessee communities he serves. The Fellows are honored to award Judge David Veile the 2025 TBA YLD Fellows William M. Leech Jr. Public Service Award." Veile was elected circuit court judge and chancellor in Williamson County's 21st Judicial District in 2024. He previously practiced criminal defense law in Franklin. The award was presented on June 13 at the Lawyers Luncheon. Read more about Veile's selection in the TBA's press release.

At the 2025 Lawyers Luncheon, outgoing TBA President Ed Lanquist Jr. presented a number of awards. Nashville lawyer Laura Kidwell received the Justice Joseph W. Henry Award for Outstanding Legal Writing for her article "It Is So Ordered: A Primer on Tennessee’s Final Judgment Rule." Federal Public Defender Dumaka Shabazz received the Claudia Jack Award for his work mentoring other lawyers. The Fourth Estate Award was presented to the Nashville Banner for a series of stories last year designed to bring transparency and accountability to the Davidson County Criminal Court. The William M. Leech Jr. Public Service Award from the TBA Young Lawyers Division Fellows went to 21st Judicial District Circuit Court Judge and Chancellor David Veile. Lanquist also presented his President’s Awards. Representatives from the executive and judicial branch, including Supreme Court Chief Justice Holly Kirby, were recognized for their work securing funding for a new indigent representation system. TBA's legislative team also received awards for their efforts. In her remarks, Kirby thanked the TBA for its strong support on the issue and presented it the "Chief Justice Partnership for Justice Award." Finally, Lanquist honored the members of the TBA Building Committee, which worked to secure a new permanent home for the association. See photos from the event.