The 2020 Labor & Employment Law Forum Lunchtime Webcast Series launches Monday with a case law update and a session on workplace privacy on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Brad Harvey of Miller & Martin and Gordon Jackson and Russ Bryant of Jackson, Shields, Yeiser, Holt, Owen & Bryant will have an interactive discussion about recent Fair Labor Standards Act developments and challenges facing plaintiff and defense wage and hour practitioners. Join your colleagues for this third installment of the series from noon to 1 p.m. CDT. Registration is per webcast and each program provides one hour of general credit CLE.

Memphis attorney Lewis K. Garrison Sr. died on Sept. 2 at 88. Garrison served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War and afterwards went on to earn his law degree from the University of Memphis School of Law. He practiced law in Memphis for 59 years trying many cases throughout his career, most notably the 1999 conspiracy trial involving the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Garrison was a member of the TBA, American Bar Association, Trial Lawyers Association and Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association. Visitation will be held Thursday from 1 to 2 p.m. CDT at the chapel at Memphis Funeral Home in Bartlett on N. Germantown Rd. with funeral services immediately following at 2 p.m. The family asks that all visitors and attendees wear a mask and practice social distancing. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Memphis attorney Curtis S. Person Jr. has died at the age of 85, the Commercial Appeal reports. Person served as a state representative for Shelby County from 1966 to 1968, before switching from the Democratic to Republican party and winning a state senate seat in 1968. He stayed in the senate until 2006 — the longest uninterrupted term in the Tennessee legislature. During his tenure, Person served as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee for 20 years and authored the Tennessee law mandating jail time for drunken drivers. He was elected as Shelby County Juvenile Court Judge after leaving the legislature and served in that position until 2014. Visitation will be held Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. CDT at the Memorial Park Funeral Home & Cemetery, 5668 Poplar Ave, Memphis, TN 38119. Funeral services will follow in the same location from 1 to 2 p.m. CDT. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Judge Curtis S. Person Jr. to the Memphis Humane Society.

Thomas Tansil Jr., former assistant district attorney general for the 24th Judicial District, was this month indicted by a Carroll County grand jury in connection with a financial misconduct case, the Tennessean reports. The state comptroller said Tansil is accused of wrongfully obtaining salary and travel payment dating back to 2017 and was indicted on one count each of theft over $10,000, official misconduct, tampering with governmental records and computer offenses. Investigators determined Tansil wrongfully obtained nearly $23,000 in state salary and travel expense reimbursements between Aug. 1, 2017, and Jan. 31, 2020. They allege Tansil was paid for 22 days of military leave when he was not on military orders, took at least 141 hours of annual and sick leave he did not have and falsified travel claims. Authorities said Tansil admitted he did not work 25% of the time he claimed between July 2018 to January 2020, and they are also questioning nearly $136,000 in salary and travel reimbursements he was paid.

The Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services today announced its 2020 Access to Justice award winners. Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Cornelia A. Clark is the 2020 Janice M. Holder Access to Justice Award recipient; Spring Miller of Vanderbilt Law School and Emily Stotts of the Community Legal Center’s Immigrant Justice are the 2020 B. Riney Green honorees; and Danielle Woods, Managing Attorney for Pro Bono Programs at Memphis Area Legal Services is the 2020 New Advocate of the Year. TALS’ annual Equal Justice University conference kicks off virtually tomorrow. This year’s theme, “Resilient Justice: Building Resilience & Ensuring Justice,” reflects a focus on equipping participants to advance justice during these unprecedented times. Each ATJ award will be presented virtually during this event. View the conference agenda here.  

The University of Tennessee has awarded Federal District Court Judge Pamela L. Reeves with its Distinguished Alumna Award—the university’s highest honor for alumni. The award recognizes a University of Tennessee graduate who has attained extraordinary distinction and success in their field and whose achievements have brought credit to university and benefit to the community. Reeves was nominated to serve as a district judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee by President Barack Obama in 2013. She was named chief judge of the U.S. Eastern District of Tennessee in April 2019, making her the first female chief judge in the court’s history. Reeves was also the first female president of the Tennessee Bar Association, serving from 1998-1999. “Judge Reeves is remarkable and inspiring,” said College of Law Interim Dean Doug Blaze. “Her history of accomplishment speaks for itself, but aside from that impressive list of achievements, she’s someone we all look up to.” Read more on the College of Law’s website.  

YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee will host Stand Against Racism: Healthcare in a Time of Crisis on Sept. 24 from noon until 1 p.m. CDT. The event will examine the devastating effects of COVID-19 on communities of color. Kinika Young, senior director of health policy and advocacy for the Tennessee Justice Center will be among the panelists of healthcare experts. The event is virtual and free for all those who register.  

Fifty two inmates at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, the Tennessean reports. The outbreak was discovered after the Tennessee Department of Correction ordered another wave of mass testing across all state prisons. This round of testing was prompted by a mass outbreak at South Central Correctional facility last week, where 1,144 cases were ultimately reported as of Sept. 1. Data compiled by the New York Times shows that South Central’s outbreak is among the top 15 largest COVID-19 clusters in the country’s prisons. Trousdale Turner Correctional Center in Hartsville is also on that list for an outbreak earlier this year that has since subsided.

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands will host a phone clinic this Saturday from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. CDT for members of the public with questions about housing and renters’ rights, bankruptcy, medical bills, debt collection, domestic violence, SNAP benefits and unemployment benefits. To volunteer, contact Andrae Crismon or Kendra Cheek or call 615-780-7131. See the full list of clinics for September.

Judge Sam Coleman has been elected to serve as presiding judge over the Davidson County General Sessions Court, the Tennessee Tribune reports. Coleman was elected by the Metropolitan Nashville-Davidson County General Session Court Judges and will succeed Judge Lynda Jones. Coleman was appointed to General Sessions Court, Division 10 in 2017. Prior to his appointment, he was a practicing attorney specializing in criminal, civil, probate, landlord and tenant law. He served as a member of the Metro Council serving Districts 32 and 33 for over 10 years before his appointment to the court.