Perry County General Sessions and Juvenile Court Judge Katerina Vatulina Moore was born in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, home to Europe’s largest power station, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. In a recent article from the Administrative Office of the Courts, Moore details growing up in Ukraine and weighs in on Russia’s invasion of her home country. “When my birth city was hit, it became real that the war was right there,” Moore said. “It makes you feel helpless at times. My heart goes out to the people.” Moore first came to the U.S. in 1996 for 10-months as a high school exchange student. She returned for college in 1999 and upon graduating entered law school at the University of Tennessee College of Law. From there, Moore went to work at the Spitzer Firm in Hohenwald and became a U.S. citizen in 2008. She later opened her own firm and in 2014 was elected to the bench in Perry County. Read more on Moore’s story from the AOC.

The Tennessee General Assembly last week honored outgoing Administrative Office of the Courts Director Deborah Taylor Tate with a Joint House Resolution on the House floor. Rep. Andy Farmer, R-Sevierville, and Rep. William Lamberth, R-Portland, spearheaded the effort to create proclamation 672, which states Tate “is to be commended for her exemplary service as Administrative Director of the Administrative Office of the Courts, and for her many years of honorable and astute service to the citizens of Tennessee.” Tate retired from her role with the AOC in February. “There’s no greater challenge and no greater honor than public service, and you are all truly public servants,” Tate said. The occasion was recorded and can be found on the General Assembly’s website.

The Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law student chapter of the Federalist Society will host a Q&A event with new Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Sarah Campbell on April 14. Topics will include jurisprudence, federal and state courts, the Supreme Court and more. The event will take place from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. EDT in Room 340 of the law school. Read more from the Federalist Society.

Tennessee Comptroller Jason Mumpower has named Nashville attorney Maria Bush as the state’s new open records counsel, the Nashville Post reports. Bush comes to the comptroller’s office from the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance where she served as associate general counsel. Prior to that role, Bush was a law clerk with Taylor, Pigue, Marchetti & Blair. She earned her law degree at Belmont University College of Law. Bush will work with members of the public, media and government bodies on public record and open meetings laws.

The TBA is hitting the road and coming to a city near you! The annual Court Square Series is set to begin this month with a three-hour program in Columbia. Attendees will start the afternoon with a lunch and learn networking session with TBA leadership and an attorney wellness discussion brought to you by TBA's Attorney Well Being Committee. Board of Professional Responsibility Disciplinary Counsel Sandy Garrett also will provide an ethics update. The program will take place on April 21 from noon until 3:15 p.m. CDT at the First Farmers and Merchants Bank, 901 Nashville Highway, Columbia. Designed to provide attorneys with the latest developments in multiple areas of the law, the Court Square Series will also be making stops in Murfreesboro on May 17, Cookeville on May 19, Kingsport on May 26, Chattanooga on June 3 and Jackson on June 7. Read more on each session on the TBA CLE website.

The Tennessee Bar Association’s renewal portal for 2022-2023 is now open! Renew your membership to continue your access to CLE programming with three pre-paid credits, TBA’s Practice Management Center, free online legal research through Fastcase and timely information through TBA Today, TBA Podcasts and the Tennessee Bar Journal. Also now available is access to the TBA’s Group and Solo Health Insurance Plans. Attorneys not participating in the TBA's firm billing program can login and access renewal information through your MyTBA dashboard.

TBA Legislative Updates podcast is now streaming with TBA Public Policy & Government Affairs Director Berkley Schwarz and Adams and Reese attorneys and TBA lobbyists Brad Lampley and Ashley Harbin. This week, lawmakers and the Tennessee Supreme Court bid farewell to outgoing Administrative Office of the Courts Director Deborah Taylor Tate, Gov. Bill Lee made three new judicial appointments and Brad gives an update on the professional privilege tax. To see a list of all of TBA’s bills, visit our online bill tracker. Legislative Updates airs every Thursday on the TBA’s Facebook page. It is also released as a podcast on the same day and can be found on the TBA’s website or wherever you listen to podcasts.

In honor of Women’s History Month, the TBA has again rallied its past, current and future female presidents for a one-hour conversation on their experiences, influences and the impact women have made on the legal profession. The virtual panel will take place this Wednesday from 3 to 4 p.m. CDT. Attorney Julie Bhattacharya Peak will moderate the panel, which will include former TBA presidents Cindy Wyrick, Jackie Dixon, Marcy Eason, Sarah Sheppeard and Michelle Greenway Sellers, as well as current TBA President Sherie Edwards and President-elect Tasha Blakney. RSVP for the event and submit questions for the panelists here.

The 2022 Tennessee State High School Mock Trial Competition kicked off today in Nashville. Hosted by the TBA’s Young Lawyers Division, 14 teams from across the state will compete for the title of champion. This year’s qualifying teams are Unicoi County High School, Farragut High School, Knoxville Catholic High School, two teams from Girls Prepatory School, Signal Mountain High School, Warren County High School, Clarksville High School, two teams from Montgomery Bell Academy, two teams from Agathos Classical School, Memphis University School and St. Mary’s Episcopal School. The final round will take place tomorrow afternoon, with new Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Sarah Campbell presiding. Winners of the competition will qualify for the National High School Mock Trial Championship.

Legal tech company Clio announced this week it is offering three months of free legal practice management software to legal professionals, firms, non-profits and legal clinics financially impacted or displaced by the conflict in Ukraine, as well as lawyers offering pro bono assistance to Ukrainian refugees and asylum seekers. You do not need to be a Clio customer to take advantage of this offer. If you are a legal professional who could benefit from this offer please complete the Assistance Application. If you have any issues accessing or completing the form, please contact affinity.partners@clio.com.