Memphis-area lawyers, judges, law professors and others came together on Monday night to memorialize the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg who died Friday, the Daily Memphians reports. Memphis lawyer Jessica L. Indingaro organized the event that celebrated Ginsburg’s wit, courage and her dedication to equal treatment of women under the law. Thirtieth Circuit Court Judge Gina C. Higgins, 4th Division, spoke to roughly 100 attendees from the steps of the Judge D’Army Bailey Courthouse. “We do not accept that your death is the death of an era,” she said. “Instead, it is the birth of … those who will make their voices known.” Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Camille R. McMullen, the first African American woman to serve on a state appellate court and Katharine Schaffzin, dean of the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law were also among those who spoke. The Ben F. Jones Chapter of the National Bar Association, the Memphis Bar Association, AAUW-Memphis and the National Council of Negro Women (Memphis Chapter) sponsored the event.

The Administrative Office of the Courts today released a statement from the family of Tennessee Court of Appeals Judge Richard Dinkins regarding the status of his health. According to the statement, Dinkins suffered a stroke in late July while undergoing a successful heart valve replacement. “While his mind is clear, he has had some difficulty breathing,” the statement says. “The recovery process may take weeks, but we are all very hopeful.” Read the full statement on the AOC’s website.

Details on memorial services have been announced for Memphis attorney and Baker Donelson Senior Counsel Leo M. Bearman Jr., who died yesterday afternoon at 85. According to the Daily Memphian, out of safety concerns, funeral services will be held tomorrow at 10 a.m. for immediate family only. Baker Donelson issued a statement on Bearman’s passing today, noting the high regard held for him within the legal community and detailing several high profile cases in his distinguished legal career that spanned more than 50 years. Bearman discusses his career with law partner Jill M. Steinberg in a 2010 interview found on the Tennessee Bar Foundation’s YouTube page.  

TBA CLE will host Elder Law Basics 2020 on Oct. 22 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. CDT. This virtual program is designed for attorneys new to the practice, or those looking to brush up on their knowledge in the area. Programming includes an overview for the intangibles of Elder Law, including powers of attorney, estate recovery, reverse mortgages, how clients can find and afford health care in retirement, ethics and more. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from seasoned practitioners providing the information you need to stay on top of developments and changes in the field. Course material and instructions on how to connect to the program via Zoom Webinar will be sent to registrants the week of the program.

The Ben F. Jones Chapter of the National Bar Association is partnering with the Law Offices of the Shelby County Public Defender to help restore the rights of would-be voters in advance of the Oct. 5 registration deadline for the November presidential election. More than 40 Memphians have already signed up for assistance and volunteer attorneys are needed to represent those who have had their voting rights revoked due to a conviction. Volunteers should be local to the Memphis area and will need to file and present a motion to allow the movant to pursue voter restoration without being required to pay all court costs in full beforehand. An attorney volunteer training will be held Sept. 21 at 5:30 p.m. Sign up for the training here and email any questions or concerns to Amber Floyd.

Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Thomas Woodall has announced that he will officially retire from the court on Dec. 31 after 24 years of service. Woodall has been with the Court of Criminal Appeals since 1996, after having spent two years with a Memphis firm and six years as an assistant district attorney in the 24th judicial district. Woodall heard his last oral arguments on Sept. 15. “I have loved oral arguments and engaging with the attorneys. It has been a pleasure and a privilege,” he said. The Administrative Office of the Courts has more on Woodall’s legal career, including his role in creating a judicial assistance program under the Tennessee Lawyer’s Assistance Program and his take on how technology has changed the court’s process.

The Trial Court Vacancy Commission is accepting applications for a chancellor in the Sixth Judicial District, which covers Knox County. This vacancy was created by the retirement of Judge Michael W. Moyers, effective Jan. 23 of next year. Qualified applicants must be licensed attorneys who are at least 30 years of age, have been residents of the state for five years and are residents of the Sixth Judicial District. Those interested should submit the Trial Court Vacancy Commission Application to the Administrative Office of the Courts by noon CDT on Sept. 30. The commission will hold a hearing virtually via Zoom on Oct. 29 at 10 a.m. EDT. It will be live streamed for the public on the AOC’s YouTube page. Those who wish to address the commission to express their objection or support concerning an applicant must email Ceesha Lofton or call 615-741-2687 by 4 p.m. CDT on Oct. 14. Read more about the vacancy on the AOC’s website.  

The Tennessee Defense Lawyers Association announced its annual award winners and its 2020- 2021 Board of Directors during the organization’s Annual Meeting on Sept. 3. Kay Anderson of Baker Donelson in Memphis was chosen as TDLA’s Defense Lawyer of the Year Award, Devin Lyon with Arnett, Draper and Hagood in Knoxville received the TDLA Rising Star award and Cate Dugan of Peterson White in Nashville was the recipient of the TDLA Outstanding Service Award. Read more on all the award winners here. The TDLA 2020-2021 Board of Directors was also installed during the Annual Meeting. Members now include: Heather Douglas of Nashville, president; Dawn Davis of Memphis, president-elect; Hannah Lowe of Knoxville, secretary/treasurer; Rocky King of Knoxville, immediate past president.  

Colleges and organizations across Tennessee today are celebrating Constitution Day, a holiday to commemorate the signing of the U.S. Constitution on Sept. 17, 1787. The Administrative Office of the Courts has assembled a list of online observations each of which affords an opportunity to reflect on what the Constitution and citizenship have meant throughout our country’s history. If you miss the live versions, most of the events have instructions on how you can watch them after the fact, including Born into Sin: Slavery and the Creation of Tennessee from Blount Mansion and the Knoxville History Project, the National Constitution Center’s Student Town Hall with U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch and the 2020 Liberty Medal Ceremony, which this year will be presented to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The TBA has also compiled a list of Constitution Day resources to mark the day. 

Husch Blackwell attorney Ariel Anthony spoke with the Hamilton County Herald this month to discuss her work with the TBA’s new Diversity Task Force — a 19-member group assembled to take on diversity challenges within the legal profession. When asked about her role within the task force, Anthony said she’ll be “helping to evaluate the current legal climate and the TBA’s policies and practices related to diversity and inclusion,” ultimately making recommendations to the TBA Board of Governors for immediate and long-term strategies. Anthony earned her law degree from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, where in her 3L year, she was chosen to participate in the TBA Young Lawyers Division Diversity Leadership Institute. After law school, she landed in the Chattanooga office of Husch Blackwell and is now a board member of the TBA YLD where she co-chairs DLI. Read more about Anthony’s role on the task force, the hiring process challenges she and colleagues have faced and how she thinks diversity can be increased in Chattanooga’s legal community.