The Nashville office of Rainey, Kizer, Reviere & Bell PLC is looking to hire a full time associate attorney. The position requires strong academic credentials and 2-5 years of demonstrated experience in tort and insurance litigation. Salary is commensurate with experience and includes a comprehensive benefits package. Applications may be submitted to resume@raineykizer.com and should include a cover letter, resume, class rank, specific location of desired placement and three professional references. Application materials may also be mailed to Rainey, Kizer, Reviere & Bell, ATTN: Jennifer Howell, 209 East Main Street, Jackson, TN 38301.

The TBA Criminal Justice Section will host Criminal Law Basics 2021 on July 7 from 10 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. CDT. This year’s program will focus on sentencing practices and procedures, including an intro to sentencing, alternative sentencing measures and a diverse panel of judges, prosecutors and defense lawyers discussing different perspectives on these important issues. Among those panelists is Cyntoia Brown, a juvenile offender ordered to serve life in prison for murder before ultimately being granted clemency by former Gov. Bill Haslam. Register for the program here.

Nashville businessman Quincy McKnight has announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District, the Tennessean reports. That seat is currently held by U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper and has been controlled by a Democrat for almost 150 years. McKnight, who is the CEO of a privately held payment processing company, made the announcement Thursday, touting his small business ownership and focusing much of his speech on the issue of jobs and the economy. Cooper also faces competition from fellow Democrat Odessa Kelly, who announced plans to run for the seat in April. The news comes as Cooper’s office undergoes staff changes, with the Nashville Post reporting earlier this week that longtime chief of staff, Lisa Quigley, is departing this summer.

Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III has joined 19 other state AGs in supporting an Arkansas law that would prohibit abortions on the basis of a prenatal Down Syndrome diagnosis. The coalition filed an amicus brief yesterday, arguing that the law advances at least eight compelling state interests, including that it protects the “entire class of persons with Down Syndrome from being targeted for elimination solely because of disability,” and eradicates bias against them. Read more on the Attorney General’s website.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has issued an order to further loosen COVID-19 restrictions on in-person proceedings. Masks are now optional for those coming in-person to court, the order to stay six feet apart has been reduced to three feet and courtroom capacity requirements have been lifted, effective immediately. Judicial districts and judges still have discretion to limit the number of people in a courtroom and compliance with current CDC guidelines is still encouraged. The order also states that courts not already doing so, should begin utilizing technology to avoid in-person proceedings. Read more from the Administrative Office of the Courts.

The TBA’s BarBuzz podcast is new this month with Knoxville attorney and incoming chair of the TBA Disability Law Section, Emma Drozdowski Webb. Drozdowski, the managing attorney at social security disability firm Drozdowski & Rabin PLLC, helps give listeners an overview of top legal news stories from the last month and upcoming events at the bar association. BarBuzz is part of the TBA Podcast Network and can be found online or anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Bruce McMullen has been named the managing shareholder for Baker Donelson's Memphis office. McMullen has been with the firm since 2008. He served as chief legal officer for the City of Memphis from 2016 until late 2019 while simultaneously maintaining his practice. During that time, McMullen oversaw the city’s legal and logistical strategy in the removal of the Confederate statues from Memphis parks in 2017. In his role as managing shareholder, he’ll continue his current practice, which focuses on health care litigation, municipal law, tort liability, commercial litigation and class action defense. 

Nashville Mayor John Cooper has announced that Bob Cooper will resign as the Metro Director of Law in early June, the Tennessean reports. Cooper previously served as Tennessee Attorney General from 2006 until 2014 and was appointed to lead Metro’s Legal Department in 2019. He will now return to his former Nashville law firm, Bass, Berry & Sims. “Nashville has had the benefit of a great legal mind and a committed public servant, working on our behalf at a pivotal time,” the mayor said in the statement. Wally Dietz, the chair of Bass, Berry & Sims’ compliance and government investigations practice group, will take over as legal director.

Nashville attorney Wendy Longmire today announced that she has launched a campaign for First Circuit Court in Davidson County. Longmire previously clerked for Circuit Court Judge Walter Kurtz and has practiced at Nashville’s Ortale Kelley for 35 years. “After 35 years of civil law practice, I know that my experience has been an apprenticeship for this position,” Longmire said in the announcement. “I will put my experience to work for my community and strive to promote public confidence in our judicial system.”

FBI agents conducted interviews with state lawmakers throughout the 2021 legislative session as part of their probe believed to be focused on political vendor Phoenix Solutions, TNJ: On the Hill reports. The interviews were with lawmakers who had political consulting work with former House Speaker Glen Casada, R-Franklin, and Rep. Robin Smith, R-Hixson, who both had their homes and offices raided by the FBI in January. Rep. Jason Zachary, R-Knoxville, spoke with agents as recently as the last day of session, telling the Times Free Press that his interview “centered around” Casada and Smith and a survey he did with Phoenix Solutions. Several lawmakers have said Smith was a vocal advocate for Phoenix, but this is the first time Casada has been publicly linked to the group. Both have declined to say whether they have any ownership stake in the business. Zachary said he didn’t feel he provided any new information to agents “because Glen never pressured me, he didn’t hound me” to use the firm.