Dickinson Wright PLLC is accepting resumes for a mid to senior level associate with three or more years of litigation experience to join an active and diverse federal and state court litigation practice in Nashville. Candidates must have excellent legal writing and advocacy skills, experience taking and defending depositions, conducting discovery and engaging in motion practice. Trial experience preferred. The TBA’s JobLink site has more information on how to apply.

Anderson County attorney Joe Richard Judkins was today censured by the Tennessee Supreme Court. Following a disagreement with a client, Judkins refused to immediately transfer the client file to his client’s new counsel and asserted a valid attorney’s lien in the litigation and over the file materials Additionally, Judkins failed to adequately communicate with his client about the terms of the fees to be paid, failed to provide updates as to the accrual of fees at regular intervals during the representation and did not notify his client as to the amount of fees owed until after his representation was terminated. Finally, in an effort to defend his valid attorney’s lien for fees, Judkins received permission from the court to intervene in the litigation, but attempted to participate in the litigation beyond the extent the court deemed necessary.

Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Sharon G. Lee has announced she will retire on Aug. 31, 2023. Lee is currently the high court’s longest-serving member, having been appointed in 2008 and serving as Chief Justice from 2014 until 2016. Prior to her time with the Supreme Court, she spent four years on the Court of Appeals. “Serving in the Tennessee Judiciary for the past 19 years has been the greatest honor of my professional life,” Lee said. During her time on the court, Lee advocated for access to justice and spearheaded a variety of innovative projects, including the Business Court pilot project, e-filing implementation, a review of the state’s indigent representation system and a statewide docket cleanup initiative. Chief Justice Roger Page said Lee, the court's only East Tennessee justice, “has never forgotten where she came from and the people she serves.” Read more from the Administrative Office of the Courts.

Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp has introduced a resolution that would prevent high-level employees from using county resources for unofficial business and prohibit outside work that interferes with their day-to-day responsibilities, the Times Free Press reports. The change comes after a report that County Attorney Rheubin Taylor used his county email address and phone number as he worked on 80 cases while being employed full time by the county. Wamp attempted to fire Taylor last month, citing Taylor’s private work on county time. Commissioners then passed a series of resolutions reaffirming Taylor’s four-year contract and unanimously overrode Wamp’s subsequent veto of those resolutions. Officials have noted Taylor's contract allows him to conduct private work.

Five former Methodist Hospital employees have been indicted by a grand jury for conspiring to unlawfully disclose patient information in violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA). According to the indictment, between November 2017 and December 2020, Kirby Dandridge, Sylvia Taylor, Kara Thompson, Melanie Russell and Adrianna Taber were paid by Roderick Harvey to provide him with names and numbers of patients who had been in vehicle accidents. Harvey then sold that information to third parties, including personal injury attorneys and chiropractors. Read the press release from the U.S. Attorney, Western District’s office.

The Memphis Bar Association last week held its annual Access to Justice CLE & Pro Bono Awards program. MBA’s Access to Justice Committee holds the event each year to recognize judges, attorneys, law firms, legal departments and law students who have displayed a commitment to pro bono service and the pursuit of ATJ. Recipients of the 2022 Champion of Justice Awards were: Judge Deborah Henderson, Judiciary Category; Robin Warren, Public Interest Category; Dominique Defreece, Law Student Category; Memphis Area Legal Services, Law Firm Category; International Paper, Legal Department Category. Attorney Danielle Woods was honored with the Melanie R. Yelder Champion of Justice Award. See pictures from the event on the MBA’s Facebook page.

Thirteenth District Criminal Court Judge Gary McKenzie, a former Judge Advocate General (JAG) officer, presides over the district’s Veterans Treatment Court. After being elected to the bench in 2014, McKenzie established the VTC program with the help of Judge Seth Norman. The program provides treatment, counseling and therapy for substance abuse as an alternative to incarceration. McKenzie credits the program’s success to a structure similar to that of the military. He also believes being a veteran himself is beneficial for the program. “I can communicate with them in a similar language, if you will,” McKenzie said. To date, the program has experienced success with only a 3% recidivism rate versus the average of 33% for other programs. Read the story from the Administrative Office of the Courts.

Memphis attorney Varonica Cooper was this week elected Division 2 Judge of the Memphis Municipal Court for an eight-year term, the Daily Memphian reports. Cooper faced off against eight candidates to replace Judge Tarik Sugarmon, who resigned after being elected to the Shelby County Juvenile Court. Cooper is an attorney at the Cooper Law Firm. She has been in private practice for 25 years. Prior to moving to Memphis, she worked as an entertainment attorney. She is a former professor at the Borough of Manhattan Community College.

Following scrutiny over the slow turnaround of sexual assault kit testing, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has asked for a $45.3 million budget increase, the Daily Memphian reports. TBI Director David Rausch asked Gov. Bill Lee for the increase yesterday during the fist day of the state government’s fiscal year 2024 budget process. Much of the increase would be spent on enabling faster processing times for the kits as well as funding 71 positions. Rausch asked for $5.8 million to fund 25 forensic scientists and 14 support personnel and another $27.6 million for “salary modernization.” Lee pushed Rausch for more details on how much faster turnaround times would be, but Rausch was unable to answer.

Tennessee state government offices and state courts will be closed tomorrow in observance of Veterans Day. See a full list of holiday office closure on that state’s website.