Memphis attorney Keisha Moses Richardson was today suspended from the practice of law by the Tennessee Supreme Court. She is suspended for two years retroactive to the date of her 2018 temporary suspension and indefinitely until she complies with a 2017 court order. A hearing panel found that Richardson charged an unreasonable fee, failed to expedite litigation, stopped communicating with her clients, violated a court order concerning custody of her child, engaged in the unauthorized practice of law while administratively suspended and failed to respond to disciplinary counsel. She must pay restitution to three former clients, the Board of Professional Responsibility costs and expenses and court costs within 90 days of the order.

The Tennessee Supreme Court today suspended Kevin William Teets from the practice of law for one year. A hearing panel found that Teets knew a bonding company had refused to remain on his client’s bond after conviction, but he intentionally misled the trial court to believe the bonding company would remain on the bond. The disciplinary complaint was filed in 2019 and, after the hearing panel’s decision, was appealed to the Davidson County Circuit Court, which affirmed the panel’s decision. Teets must reimburse the Board of Professional Responsibility for all proceeding costs and must pay court costs. He cannot return to the practice of law until reinstated by the Supreme Court.

The TBA International Law Section will host a virtual CLE program this Thursday from 9 a.m. to noon CDT. Program topics will include trade promotion, a panel discussion on diversity and inclusion, international investments and more hot topics. International Law Section members will receive a discounted price for the program. Not a member? Sign up today.  

The Nashville Public Library is launching a new community history project that explores the historical conflict over lynching, race and racism between two American Reformers. "Truth-Telling: Ida B. Wells and Frances Willard” will include a film screening and conversation with Michelle Duster, great-granddaughter of Wells and author of “Ida B. the Queen,” and Lori Osborne, director of the Frances Willard House Museum. It will also include a panel discussion on “The Role of Journalism in Documenting the Truth.” The virtual event will take place Oct. 23 at 10:30 a.m. CDT. Find out more about the program and register here.

Join the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands on Oct. 15 at 1 p.m. CDT for a free consumer law webinar. Attorneys Bill Klaudis and Tina Rogers will lead “The ABCs of Consumer Law” and will teach attendees how to settle credit card and personal debt that is in default and will explain how to handle and defend collections lawsuits. The presenters will also cover the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act and the Fair Credit Reporting Act, with an emphasis on how consumers can fix errors on their credit reports. Register here.

Hamilton County commissioners last night voted 5-4 to pull a measure that would have cut funding for the district attorney’s office after DA Neal Pinkston answered questions about the budget, the Chattanoogan reports. Commissioner Tim Boyd sponsored the effort, which sought to withhold funds being used to pay Melydia Clewell, an employee in the DA’s office and Pinkston’s wife. Pinkston told commissioners that, at the time of the original budget question, his relatives were state employees and he later moved them to being county employees after concerns were raised at the DA’s conference. Pinkston also said none of his relatives answer to him, but to an administrator.

The Chattanooga City Council last night voted to suspend Division II of City Court next year, the Chattanoogan reports. The resolution, sponsored by Council Chairman Chip Henderson, was passed with seven votes. Henderson and other members of the council have been in favor of closing Division II, saying the court has been hearing few cases and that its closure could save roughly $500,000 per year. The court will be suspended next year after Division II Judge Russell Bean retires.  

Former Vanderbilt Law School student and VU Board of Trust member Justin Ishbia has given his alma mater $10 million, the Nashville Post reports. Ishbia is founder and managing partner of Shore Capital Partners, a private equity firm with offices in Chicago and Nashville. He also is a member of the Vanderbilt Law School Board of Advisors, which in 2015 established the Justin R. Ishbia Scholarship to provide financial support for VU law school students. Ishbia earned his law degree from the school in 2004. According to law school dean Chris Guthrie, the gift will support “key strategic priorities" within the law school and "strengthen its position as one of the nation’s premier institutions for legal scholarship.”

U.S. District Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw yesterday extended a temporary order blocking Gov. Bill Lee’s executive order that allows parents to opt their children out of school mask mandates, the Tennessean reports. Crenshaw has not yet ruled on the underlying legal issues in the lawsuit but extended the temporary order through Oct. 27 after hearing hours of testimony. The suit against Lee’s opt out order was brought by two Williamson County families under the Americans with Disabilities Act and other disability laws. The extension to Crenshaw’s original temporary order, which was issued last month, allows schools to enforce mask mandates while the case continues. Crenshaw will continue to hear testimony on Oct. 13.

Former Knox County Law Director Richard “Bud” Armstrong last week kicked off his campaign for the county’s Chancery Court Part II, the Knoxville Focus reports.  Armstrong, who served as the county’s law director from 2013 until 2021, is one of two candidates who have challenged incumbent Chancellor Clarence Pridemore for the seat. The publication says Knoxville attorney Deno Cole is in the running as well.