The Tennessee Department of Revenue has added attorney Courtney Swim as its new chief of staff, the Chattanoogan reports. Swim previously served as the department’s director of legislation from 2019 through 2021. She first joined the agency in 2017 as an associate general counsel. In her new role as chief of staff, Swim will oversee the department’s offices of Legislation, Communications, Research and Tax Policy. Prior to rejoining the Department of Revenue, Swim was an associate counsel for the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, where she researched and advised on federal, state and local laws impacting the beverage alcohol industry.

Sumner County General Sessions Judge Mike Carter died yesterday. He was 64. Carter was appointed to the bench in 2015 after a third General Sessions judge position was created in the county. He won re-election in 2016 to a six-year term. Carter played a pivotal role in the creation of the Sumner County Mental Health Court in 2018. He earned his law degree from the Nashville School of Law and was in private practice until his appointment to the bench in 2015. Carter was diagnosed with ALS in 2020. The Administrative Office of the Courts will update its story as more information becomes available.

The Tennessee Department of Health is now accepting applications for a litigation attorney to serve as a senior associate counsel in its Office of General Counsel. In this role, an attorney will provide legal advice and drafting services to healthcare licensure boards, analyze proposed legislation affecting public health, review and revise contracts involving the maintenance and sharing of data and more. Salary will be based on experience with a starting rate of $7,087 per month. To apply, email TDH.TalentManagement@tn.gov or complete the application process on www.tn.gov/careers. View this listing or browse all job listings on the TBA’s JobLink page.

Meet the new editor of the Tennessee Bar Journal, Julia Wilburn! Julia works with the Editorial Board to decide what will be published in each bimonthly issue, and with the publications coordinator on design and production. She is part of the communications team and she also helps edit section Connect e-newsletters and produce the TBA Today newsletter. Julia’s special talents include untangling any kind of knot and her most irrational fear is going to debtor’s prison for messing up her taxes, even though she hires an accountant and knows debtor’s prison isn’t a real thing!

The #TeamTBA series offers members a behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of the TBA and how each staff members makes the association run. Check back every Wednesday for a new staff profile in TBA Today and on the TBA's Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.

The TBA’s Tennessee FastTrack program is coming to Knoxville on Sept. 23. Fulfill all your annual CLE requirements with this program, which will provide attendees with tips and updates in a wide range of practice areas. The program will offer a combination of 15 hours of live credit and prepaid credits to complete online anytime — at home or on your mobile device — allowing you to customize your learning to your schedule. The Knoxville program will run from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. EDT at the University of Tennessee Conference Center. The series also will hold sessions in Memphis on Aug. 26 and Nashville on Sept. 16.

The New York Times recently ran an article on the 50th anniversary of Title IX – legislation signed by former President Richard Nixon in 1972 that prohibits sex-based discrimination in schools or education programs that receive federal funding. Featured in the article is Cookeville attorney Sam Schiller of the Schiller Law Firm, whose practice is dedicated to cases involving sex discrimination of high school or middle school athletes. According to the article, Schiller has filed Title IX lawsuits against school districts in more than 30 states and has never lost a case. “We’re now at the point where women who were high school athletes are raising families, and they definitely know their daughters are supposed to have what the men have had all along. It’s Title IX 2.0,” Schiller told the Times. Read the full article.

Early voting for the Aug. 4 election begins Friday and runs through July 30. This year’s ballot will be longer than usual, featuring four constitutional amendments, as well as judicial and other court races. The Secretary of State’s office in a statement urged people to take advantage of the early voting period. Tennesseans can find early voting and Election Day polling locations and sample ballots through the GoVoteTN app or online at GoVoteTN.gov. Learn more from WPLN.  

The Nashville Business Journal has announced Davidson County Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle as its Lifetime Achievement honoree for 2022. According to NBJ, Lyle was a partner at local law firm Trabue, Sturdivant & Dewitt from 1984 until 1995 and has served Davidson County as a judge for more than 20 years. The publication also announced its 2022 Best of the Bar list. Read more on Lyle’s award and the full Best of the Bar list from the Nashville Business Journal.  

The Tennessee Supreme Court will begin accepting applications for the position of State Attorney General and Reporter on Friday. Interested candidates must submit an application by noon CDT on July 29. The Supreme Court will interview all candidates at public hearings on Aug. 8 and 9 at the Nashville Supreme Court Building. The hearings will be livestreamed on the TN Courts YouTube page. Per Tennessee’s constitution, the attorney general is appointed by the Supreme Court and serves an eight-year term. The new attorney general will begin their term on Sept. 1. Attorney General Herbert Slatery announced in May he would not seek a second term.

Three attorneys have applied for a vacancy on the 11th Judicial District Criminal Court, which covers Hamilton County. Robert Davis, Amanda B. Dunn and Alexander K. McVeagh will be interviewed by the Trial Court Vacancy Commission during a public hearing on Aug. 5 at 9 a.m. EDT. The commission will vote immediately after the interviews and forward the names of qualified candidates to Gov. Bill Lee for his consideration. The Administrative Office of the Courts has more on each candidate.