Former Memphis City Councilman Brent Taylor today announced that he will run to represent state Senate District 31, a seat that will soon be vacated by Republican Sen. Brian Kelsey, the Commercial Appeal reports. Taylor has previously served on the Shelby County Commission and last week resigned from the Shelby County Election Commission. “My focus will be on fighting violent crime, reducing inflation, helping small businesses and supporting schools,” Taylor said in a statement. Taylor has not yet pulled a nominating petition. Brandon Toney, Nasser Fazlullah and Paul Boyd have also pulled nominating petitions for the seat.

Stanley Daniel Kupiszewski Jr. of Tallahassee, Florida, died on Feb. 16. He was 89. Kupiszewski was drafted into the U.S. Army and served in combat during the Korean War before earning his law degree from the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University. During his career, Kupiszewski served as assistant attorney general for Florida and general counsel for the Florida Department of Education. He appeared before the Supreme Court, was a member of both the The Florida Bar and Tennessee Bar Association, was an adjunct professor at FSU and past president of the National Advocate Society where he was presented as its 1997 Man of the Year. Donations can be made in Kupiszewski’s name to the Kosciuszko Foundation, St. Jude or Blessed Sacrament or a charity of your choice.

The Tennessee Attorney General’s Office Division of Consumer Affairs (DCA) received 5,561 complaints in 2021, a 37% increase compared to 2020. The top three complaints categories include Home Improvements, Home Repairs and Home Warranties, which received 787 complaints; Landlord/Tenant with 466 complaints; and Health Services & Products with 372 complaints. Rounding out the top 10 were: Personal/Professional Services, Motor Vehicle–Used Sales & Advertising, Debtor/Creditor, Internet Sales, Motor Vehicle–Repairs & Warranties, Timeshare/Vacation Clubs and Imposter Scams. The AG’s Office has more on each category.

Rep. Robin Smith, R-Hixson, today resigned from the Tennessee House after she was charged on one federal count of honest services wire fraud, the Tennessean reports. Prosecutors allege Smith, Rep. Glen Casada, R-Franklin, and Casada's former top aide Cade Cothren worked to set up a firm known as Phoenix Solutions, concealing its operator as Cothren engineered kickbacks to Smith and Casada. Smith and Casada allegedly received kickbacks from Cothren in exchange for using their official positions to pressure the House Speaker's Office to approve Phoenix Solutions as an official vendor and disburse state funds to the firm, according to court records. The Tennessee Journal reports that Smith has reached a plea agreement with federal prosecutors. A hearing on the matter is set for tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. CST in Nashville.

The TBA Leadership Law (TBALL) program kicked off the 2022 year last week with a three-day opening retreat at Montgomery Bell State Park. Now in its 19th year, the six-month leadership training program is designed to equip participants with the vision, knowledge and skills necessary to serve as leaders in the profession and in the community as a whole. The select group of 34 lawyers comes from across the state, representing diverse practice areas and backgrounds. During the weekend retreat, class members participated in a variety of leadership exercises and heard from presenters like Nashville attorneys Byron Trauger and Randy Kinnard, TBA President Sherie Edwards and a panel of judges that included Magistrate Jennifer Wade, Judge Mary Wagner and Judge Danielle Mitchell Sims. The group’s next session, titled “Issues in Policy & Politics,” will take place next month in Nashville. Meet the Class of 2022.

In honor of Women’s History Month, for the second year, the TBA has 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 on March 30 from 3 to 4 p.m. CDT. Attorney Julie Bhattacharya Peak will moderate the panel, which will include former TBA presidents Judge 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.

Catch a webcast replay of a program that explores the impact of secondary trauma. Join Cindy Sharp and Becky Howlett from The Legal Burnout Solution on Aug. 10 from noon to 1 p.m. CDT for “How Secondary Trauma Affects Attorney Mental Health." The program will discuss the emotional stories, disturbing evidence and highly charged situations that legal professionals are subjected to and how they can cause secondary or vicarious trauma. Howlett, a Certified Meditation Instructor and attorney, will lead mindfulness practices throughout the session. Purchase the program here. 

Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Page on Friday signed an order appointing Supreme Court Justice Sarah Campbell as liaison for the Commission on Continuing Legal Education and Specialization, effective immediately. Read the order here.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division and Belmont University College of Law hosted an expungement clinic on Feb. 23 in partnership with Legal Aid Society and Doors of Hope in Murfreesboro. Seven attorneys and nine students volunteered their time and helped 12 clients expunge 40 criminal charges. Doors of Hope is a nonprofit that helps to empower women to break the cycle of addiction, homelessness and incarceration.

TBA Director of Public Policy & Government Affairs Berkley Schwarz and Adams and Reese attorneys and TBA lobbyists, Brad Lampley and Ashley Harbin, tackle this week’s news from the General Assembly on the latest episode of the TBA’s Legislative Updates. New this week: a meeting with House Speaker Cameron Sexton regarding elimination of the Professional Privilege Tax and the committee passage of two of TBA’s legislative initiatives, HB2357/SB2385 and HB2070/SB2056. 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.