The TBA’s Business Law Section will host a two-day forum May 20 - 21 from 9 a.m. until 12:15 p.m. both days. Join this virtual program for an examination of the critical aspects of valuation rules and guidelines in the context of M&A deals. Forum faculty includes certified valuation experts, business law professors, M&A attorneys, investment bankers and venture capital firms focusing on early-stage investments. Register now for the forum worth one dual and five general CLE credits.

TBA Member Carla Lovell has been added to the management committee of Nashville law firm Sherrard Roe Voigt & Harbison, the Nashville Post reports. Lovell has been with the firm since 1995 and was elevated to member in 2005. Her practice includes tax and estate planning, charitable planning and business succession. Firm member and former TBA President Bill Harbison calls Lovell a “critical member” of Sherrard Roe and says they “look forward to her leadership in this role.” Lovell is also a member of the TBA’s Estate Planning & Probate Section and the Tax Law Section.

Six attorneys have applied to fill a circuit court vacancy in the 19th Judicial District. That district includes Montgomery and Robertson counties. The applicants include: Carl Daniel Brollier Jr.; Nathaniel Ray Flinchbaugh; Adrienne Gilliam Fry; Gregory D. Smith; M. Joel Wallace; Joseph P. Weyant. The Trial Court Vacancy Commission will hold a public hearing June 2 at 9 a.m. CDT at the Montgomery County Historic Courthouse, located at One Millennium Plaza, Clarksville, TN 37040. The Commission will vote after the hearing and forward three names to Gov. Bill Lee for consideration. The Administrative Office of the Courts has more on each applicant.

The TBA’s Legislative Updates podcast is brand new today featuring a detailed status report and explanation of SB868/HB1130, the legislation that would create a statewide chancery court made up of one chancellor from each grand division. The new court would hear any civil cause of action that challenges the constitutionality of a statute, regulation or executive order. Tune in to hear more from the TBA's Director of Public Policy and Government Affairs Berkley Schwarz and TBA lobbyist Brad Lampley of Adams and Reese. Legislative Updates is part of the TBA Podcast Network and can be found on the TBA’s Facebook page, website or anywhere you listen to podcasts.

The Davidson County Election Commission will vote this week on a whether to have a citywide referendum election that would allow voters to decide the fate of last year’s 34% property tax increase, WPLN reports. This is the second attempt to roll back the tax hike by the group 4 Good Government, led by Nashville lawyer Jim Roberts. The first attempt was killed in court after several of its efforts were deemed illegal. The commission delayed a final vote over the weekend, opting instead to conduct another review of whether the referendum’s backers collected enough signatures to trigger an election. Attorneys for the city have raised more legal questions about the referendum. They’re urging the election commission to delay a vote until those can be resolved. But it could go before Nashville residents as soon as this summer.  

Former Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin was today found guilty on all counts in the murder of George Floyd last May, the Tennessean reports. After he was found guilty of second- and third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, Chauvin’s bail was revoked and he was handcuffed and taken into custody. Chauvin, who is white, last year pinned Floyd, who was Black, to the ground with his knee for more than nine minutes after police responded to a report that Floyd used a counterfeit $20 bill. Cell phone video of the incident went viral, sparking months of protest throughout the country and abroad condemning police brutality and calling for racial justice. Chauvin faces 12 ½ years or 150 months in prison, but the prosecution argues there are aggravating factors that require a longer term. He must return to court in eight weeks for sentencing.  

Tennessee Bar Association Executive Director Joycelyn Stevenson has been chosen to serve as vice president of the National Association of Bar Executives (NABE) for 2021-2022. Stevenson, who was previously a director at-large for the organization, will become president elect in 2022-2023 before ascending to NABE president in 2023-2024. NABE is the only organization of its kind providing professional development and networking opportunities to bar associations across the country. Its mission is to enhance the skills and enrich the careers of bar association professionals.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation last week asked the court for access to the full case file and deposition from Nashville Judge Kelvin Jones’ divorce as part of its review of comments he made during those proceedings, the Tennessean reports. A complaint was filed in December with the Board of Judicial Conduct alleging the case showed evidence that Jones committed "multiple criminal acts, unethical acts, and dishonest acts in violation of the Tennessee Code of Judicial Conduct." Seventeenth Judicial District Attorney General Robert Carter, who was assigned to the case as a special prosecutor, requested assistance from the TBI in March. The court yesterday signaled that it would share the deposition.  

The Tennessee Senate, in an act of substantive bipartisanship, yesterday voted unanimously in favor of police use-of-force reforms, the Nashville Post reports. The proposed law would ban chokeholds unless an officer believed deadly force was authorized, require the teaching of chokeholds at training academies, require law enforcement agencies to develop de-escalation policies, require other officers to intervene in cases of excessive force, prohibit firing at moving vehicles unless the officer believes deadly force is authorized and prohibit the issuance of no-knock warrants. Senate Bill 1380/House Bill 1406 sponsored by Sen. Mike Bell, R-Riceville, and co-sponsored by some Democrats, will tomorrow be considered by House Criminal Justice Subcommittee.

Longtime federal district and appellate court Judge Harry Wellford of Memphis died Saturday at 96. Wellford earned his law degree from Vanderbilt Law School before returning to Memphis to practice. He also became an active community leader, serving on the Memphis Community Relations Committee alongside other community leaders like Lucius Burch, Lewis Donelson and Jesse Turner. He managed the 1966 U.S. Senate campaign of Howard Baker, who later recommended Wellford for appointment to the federal district court, and later to the Court of Appeals. A private burial will be held on April 26 and will be followed by a 2:30 p.m. CDT memorial service at the Idlewild Presbyterian Church, 1750 Union Avenue, Memphis. Those wishing to attend the memorial service must pre-register. The service will also be livestreamed. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Idlewild Presbyterian Church, St. Mary's Episcopal School, or a charity of the donor's choice.