The TBA’s Dispute Resolution Section has produced a three-part series covering non-monetary issues that arise in family law disputes, business and commercial disputes and employment disputes. Coming up tomorrow from 1 to 2 p.m. CST, don’t miss Non-Monetary Issues in Family Law Disputes, which will walk attendees through a fact scenario, highlighting litigation tactics and strategy and discussing the process of negotiating a resolution. Then, on Dec. 14 from noon until 1 p.m. CST, catch Non-Monetary Issues in Employment Disputes, which will talk about settlement blockers and how a mediator can be prepared to handle them. Finally, Non-Monetary Issues in Business and Commercial Disputes is now available online and covers strategies a mediator could use to give a recalcitrant party closure. All three courses are virtual and worth one hour each of CLE and Continuing Mediation Education (CME) credit.

The Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals has overruled the sentence reduction of Abu-Ali Abdur’Rahman after finding that a Nashville trial court judge improperly vacated the death penalty case last year, the Tennessean reports. Criminal Court Judge Monte Watkins vacated Abdur’Rahman’s death sentence last year after a deal was made with Davidson County District Attorney Glenn Funk to reduce the execution to three life sentences. Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery appealed this decision, arguing that Watkins accepted the deal without following the full process required for such a ruling. Appeals court judges sided with the AG’s office, saying Watkins had erred in approving the deal without first completing the necessary steps to find a basis for post-conviction relief. The order essentially resets the case, voiding the deal and sending it back to Watkins’ court for his consideration.

Sixty five years ago, Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, igniting the civil rights movement and the yearlong Montgomery Bus Boycott. The 42-year-old seamstress from Tuskegee was charged with “ignoring a bus driver who directed her to sit in the rear of the bus” under Jim Crow laws on Dec. 1, 1955. Parks made a five-minute court appearance, represented by attorneys Fred Gray and Charles Langford, where she was fined $14 for violating state segregation law. The arrest sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott, intended to last for only a day, but instead lasting for more than a year until the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed segregation on city buses. Read the full story on Parks’ legacy from the Tennessean.

Vice President Mike Pence will be in Memphis Thursday to discuss the federal government’s COVID-19 vaccine development and distribution program, Operation Warp Speed, the Commercial Appeal reports. The White House did not say why Pence would visit Memphis in particular, but said he will participate in a roundtable discussion of the state’s plan to “operationalize vaccinations once approved.”

The Tennessee Department of Correction is suspending visits at four state prisons due to the COVID-19 virus, the Tennessean reports. Until further notice, visits are no longer allowed at the following prisons: Morgan County Correction Complex in Wartburg, Bledsoe County Correctional Complex in Pikeville, Turney Center Industrial Complex in Only and Mark Luttrell Transition Center in Memphis. TDOC reported 72 active COVID-19 cases as of Monday, but was awaiting 287 test results. Twenty seven people incarcerated in state facilities have died after being diagnosed with the coronavirus.

Clarksville lawyer Alex Whitefield Darnell died Nov. 24. He was 91. Darnell attended Vanderbilt University Law School and was coach of the Vanderbilt freshman football team while earning his law degree. After graduation, he served two years in Germany with the U.S. Army and returned to Clarksville where he was in private practice until he was appointed clerk and master of Montgomery County Chancery Court. Darnell was appointed chancellor of what was then the 6th Chancery District and served more than 20 years on the bench. There will be a graveside service at Greenwood Cemetery Dec. 5 at 2 p.m. CST. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate gifts to the Sarah Howser Darnell History Scholarship Endowment at Austin Peay State University, P.O. Box 4417, Clarksville, TN 37044, or Urban Ministries Safe House, 217 South 3rd Street, Clarksville, TN 37040.

Shelbyville attorney John Richardson White died unexpectedly on Nov. 24 at 75. White, a native of Hopkinsville, Kentucky, earned his undergraduate degree at the University of the South in 1967 and his law degree from Vanderbilt University Law School in 1971. He was a U. S. Army veteran and worked for First American Trust Department, Associated Milk Producers Inc., Barnett & Alazia and was a partner with the Shelbyville law firm Bobo Hunt & White, for almost 30 years. A private graveside service was held Sunday. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN  38105 or Second Harvest Food Bank, 331 Great Circle Road, Nashville, TN  37228.

The TBA Mentoring Committee recently announced the re-launch of its Mentoring Program — a 6-month experience designed to foster mutually beneficial relationships between attorneys, no matter their age or years of practice. To participate as a mentor, you must be a TBA member and be available to talk with your mentee match two times per month via phone, email or text. Complete the online form to be matched up ahead of the program’s January launch date.

The new Dickson County Justice Center, a 70,000-square-foot, three-story building in Charlotte, opened its doors yesterday, much to the excitement of judges in the 23rd Judicial District. Located just blocks away from the historic Dickson County Courthouse, the Justice Center will house all of the county’s courts and offer a number of security and technological upgrades to judges and court users. Circuit Court Judge Susan Lockert-Mash told the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) that she was most looking forward to the new technology she hopes will improve the court’s functionality. Circuit Court Judge David Dee Wolfe sees enhanced security as one of the Justice Center’s greatest assets, with law enforcement officials now able to focus their attention on one building instead of several buildings spread out across the county. Read more on the Justice Center’s state-of-the-art design and reactions from local judges on the AOC’s website.

The TBA’s Corporate Counsel Section will host a Virtual Happy Hour for its members on Thursday at 4 p.m. CST. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet members of the section executive council, discuss ideas for the section and enjoy some entertainments as colleagues share the most unusual experiences they have had on a Zoom call. Grab a glass of your favorite beverage and connect with fellow section members. Not a member of the Corporate Counsel section? It’s never too late to sign up!