From an initial client interview to completing a representation, a lawyer’s duty of communication with a client creates on-going potential for ethics missteps and legal malpractice liability. The Lawyer’s Duty of Communication webcast, worth three hours of dual credit CLE, will teach you how to effectively meet this important attorney-client duty. Use the prepaid CLE credits that come with your TBA Complete Membership and save on this course. Not a TBA member? Join now to start saving.

The Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands will hold a veterans clinic next Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. CDT at Operation Stand Down, 1125 12th Ave. S., Nashville 37203. To volunteer for the clinic, contact Kendra Cheek, 615-780-7131. See all December clinics.

An investigation by the Department of Health and Human Services’s Office of Inspector General has found that the Tennessee Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence unlawfully retaliated against and then forced out an employee who blew the whistle about potential misuse of federal funding. Employee Veronica Quinonez was “constructively discharged” in 2019 after raising concerns about being forced to answer phone calls from victims, some who were in crisis. She said answering the calls violated the strict rules of the Centers for Disease Control grant that paid her salary. The investigation found she was also made to keep two timesheets – one for work she was supposed to be doing under the grant and the other reflecting what she was actually doing, which included handling calls from abuse survivors. A joint report from WPLN and the Tennessee Lookout details the investigation and prior troubling findings about the nonprofit.  

The Tennessee Supreme Court today suspended Brian Kirk Kelsey from the practice of law until further orders. Kelsey pleaded guilty to two felonies involving conspiracy to defraud the United States and aiding and abetting the acceptance of excessive contributions. The matter has been referred to the Board of Professional Responsibility to institute formal proceedings to determine the extent of the final discipline to be imposed upon Kelsey as a result of his plea of guilty to conduct constituting a serious crime.

An assistant district attorney in the Shelby County District Attorney's Office was last night charged with a DUI, the Commercial Appeal reports. According to the responding officers, Timmerman allegedly hit and knocked over a utility pole near Overton Park. The affidavit claims Timmerman’s speech was “very slurred” and she told officers she had previously been drinking at a restaurant. Timmerman was sworn in as an ADA in mid-November and was previously a defense attorney.

The Tennessee Textbook and Instructional Materials Quality Commission is again asking lawmakers for more support as it tries to navigate the implementation of a new state law, the Tennessean reports. The commission is tasked with issuing statewide guidance on the library materials law, including what is age-appropriate, which is not settled in state law, in addition to establishing an appeals process for local decisions on contested materials. The guidance is still in draft form despite a Dec. 1 due date. Commission members yesterday voted in favor of requesting a review from Tennessee's attorney general or the Department of Education's legal team. "We have gotten zero guidance from any attorneys, and we're just out here as volunteers doing this," said commission member and Tipton County Schools superintendent John Combs.

WNBA star Brittney Griner was today released from a Russian prison as part of a high-profile prisoner exchange in which the U.S. released notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, the Associated Press reports.  “She’s safe, she’s on a plane, she’s on her way home,” President Joe Biden said from the White House. He added that Griner would be back in the U.S. within 24 hours. Bout, a felon once nicknamed “the Merchant of Death,” is a former Soviet Army lieutenant colonel whom the Justice Department once described as one of the world’s most prolific arms dealers. Griner is a two-time Olympic gold medalist, Baylor University All-American and Phoenix Mercury pro basketball star who was arrested in Russia in February for bringing less than a gram of cannabis oil in vape cartridges into the country. The U.S. failed to secure the release of Michigan corporate security executive Paul Whelan who has been jailed in Russia since 2018. Whelan was arrested on espionage charges that his family and the U.S. government have said are baseless.

A bill to codify recognition of same-sex and interracial marriages today cleared the U.S. House, the Associated Press reports. The measure will require all states to recognize same-sex marriages and will also protect interracial unions by requiring states to recognize legal marriages regardless of “sex, race, ethnicity, or national origin.” The legislation, known as the Respect for Marriage Act, passed through the House on a 258-169 vote. Despite bipartisan support, the Nashville Post reports Tennessee Republicans, including new U.S. Reps. Mark Green, R-Clarksville, and John Rose, R-Crossville, voted against the measure. It was approved by the Senate last week after months of negotiations. President Joe Biden said he will promptly sign the measure.

The TBA’s Tort & Insurance Law Section will present a CLE webcast next week that will provide an overview of comparative fault in Tennessee, including both a historical review and also an in-depth discussion of recent decisions and developments that every practitioner simply must know. The webcast will run from 11 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. CST and is worth 1.5 hours of general CLE credit. Learn more and register here. Members of the Tort & Insurance Law Section will receive a special discount on the program. Not a member? Join today.

The City of Hendersonville is seeking to hire a part-time city judge who will arbitrate disputes, advise counsel, jury, litigants or court personnel and administer the municipal judicial system. Applicants must have been licensed in the state of Tennessee for at least three years and be a resident of Hendersonville for at least three years and be at least 30 years of age. Previous experience as a judge is preferred. The full job description and instructions on how to apply can be found on the TBA’s JobLink site.