Join the TBA International Law & Practice Section for its annual forum to be held in-person on March 17. This program will offer attendees four hours of general CLE credit and will feature topics like foreign direct investment, economic sanctions, import and export control laws and cybersecurity issues. Register now and check back for more details.

The Tennessee Supreme Court yesterday suspended Ryan Bodiford Feeney from the practice of law for six months, with the first 30 days as active suspension and the remainder served on probation. Feeney executed a conditional guilty plea to a complaint that claimed he failed to communicate reasonably with his clients regarding prior suspensions, failed to withdraw from representation during his prior suspensions, and knowingly practiced law on multiple occasions during his prior suspensions.

The TBA’s Estate Planning & Probate Section will host its annual forum later this month, offering the insight you need to stay on top of key developments in the practice area. The program will feature the annual clerk & master’s panel and presentations on legislative updates, ethics, real estate in probate court, estate administration and more. Lunch will be provided during this in-person event. Join the program on Feb. 24 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST at the Embassy Suites Cool Springs in Franklin. Get more information and register here.

Franklin-based legal services firm Latitude is expanding to Charlotte, North Carolina, marking its fifth new office in the last year, the Nashville Post reports. Latitude has opened offices in Minneapolis, Philadelphia, San Francisco and St. Louis since early last year. Led by CEO Ross Booher, the company provides attorneys on an as-needed basis to both law firms and businesses. “We continue to see increased demand from legal department and law firm leaders for the peer-level contract attorneys we specialize in providing,” Booher said in a release. The new office will be led by Clark Goodman, previously managing partner of Womble Bond Dickinson’s Charlotte office.

The Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands will host its 5th Annual Breakfast of Champions on April 5 from 8-9 a.m. CDT at the City Winery in Nashville. The breakfast, LAS’ signature fundraising event, brings together Middle Tennessee’s legal community and business leaders in support of the organization. Funds raised at this event will directly impact the low-income and vulnerable communities of Middle Tennessee by providing free community education and legal representation against illegal evictions, domestic violence, predatory lending and elder abuse. Registration will open on Feb. 15. Information on the event and sponsorship opportunities can be found on the LAS website.

A group of lawyers and law students have established the Knoxville Latino Bar Association (KLBA). The organization’s inaugural board consists of president Christina Magráns-Tillery, vice-president Esperanza Yañez, secretary Eric Amarante, and treasurer Arléne Amarante. Sherley Cruz will serve as community legal education coordinator while Willie Santana will serve as membership director. Lincoln Memorial University School of Law and University of Tennessee College of Law students Talton Dunn and Kevin Ross will represent their respective student organizations on the board. Finally, law students Sonsirez Robles will serve as special events coordinator and Ryan Valdez as sergeant at arms. KLBA will launch with a celebration honoring Knox County Criminal Court Judge Hector Sanchez on March 10 at 5:30 p.m. EST at the Foundry on the Fair Site. Tickets for the event are available, as are table sponsorships. For more information, contact Sonsirez Robles. Read more about the KLBA.

Memphis City Council member Frank Colvett has announced he will run for mayor of Memphis, making him the 10th person to join the race, the Daily Memphian reports. Additional candidates include: Daniel Abston; Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr.; retired Criminal Court Judge Joe Brown; state Rep. Karen Camper, D-Memphis; J.W. Gibson; Michelle McKissack; Hastina Robinson; attorney and Memphis Branch NAACP president Van Turner Jr.; and Downtown Memphis Commission President Paul Young. Candidates in the city elections can begin pulling and filing qualifying petitions to get on the nonpartisan ballot in May. Early voting begins in mid-September. Election Day is Oct. 5.

Gov. Bill Lee today announced he has appointed Jackson attorney Matthew Wilson to the Court of Criminal Appeals, Western Section. Jackson is an assistant U.S. attorney in the Western District of Tennessee with nearly 20 years of legal experience at both the state and federal levels. He earned his law degree from Florida State University College of Law and was a 2016 member of the TBA Leadership Law (TBALL) program. “Matt’s extensive background in criminal prosecution has prepared him well to serve Tennesseans on the Court of Criminal Appeals,” Lee said. “I am confident he will bring valuable expertise to the bench, and I appreciate his service.” Wilson was nominated to fill a vacancy created by the death of Judge John Everette Williams. Read the announcement. The nomination is subject to legislative confirmation, according to the Nashville Post.

Gov. Bill Lee today appointed Knoxville attorney Dwight E. Tarwater to the Tennessee Supreme Court. Tarwater, a partner at Paine, Tarwater, Bickers LLP, has more than 40 years of legal experience, including decades of trial and appellate practice and service as chief legal counsel to former Gov. Bill Haslam. Lee said Tarwater’s “understanding of the judiciary’s appropriate role and commitment to the conservative principles of judicial restraint make him well-suited for the state’s highest court, and I am proud to appoint him to this position.” Tarwater is a graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law. He is nominated to fill the vacancy that will be created when Justice Sharon Lee retires on Aug. 31. Read the announcement. The nomination is subject to legislative confirmation, according to the Nashville Post.

Shelby County has launched a pilot program that will offer free bus passes for those in need of a ride to their court appearance, the Commercial Appeal reports. With the goal of making it easier for people to get to court, the program has started with 200 bus passes, costing the county $400 and the cost of posters. If the program works, there will also be a cost savings to the government in not having to jail people who miss their court dates. Every bus pass will be logged, with the county tracking whether the program helps people show up for court. The passes are "day passes" for the Memphis Area Transit Authority. After the pilot, the county will discuss whether data warrants expansion of the program, just as they did with the successful texting program, which sent defendants court date reminders via text.