Legal Services Corporation (LSC) President James J. Sandman said today he will step down from his position after more than nine years of service, Bob Ambrogi reports in his Lawsites Blog. During his tenure, Sandman championed innovation in the delivery of legal services and the use of technology to enhance access to justice, delivering several widely cited reports, including 2017’s The Justice Gap: Measuring the Unmet Civil Legal Needs of Low-Income Americans. In an email to executive directors of LSC grantee organizations, Sandman wrote of wanting to speak, write and teach before his retirement. “I don’t know exactly what I will be doing,” he wrote, “but I am certain that I will continue to be actively involved in, and a voice for, improving access to justice.” The LSC’s current vice president for legal affairs, general counsel and corporate secretary will step in as interim president after Sandman’s departure on Feb. 19.

As part of Gov. Bill Lee’s broader push for criminal justice reform, his administration has made a series of small changes to the state’s clemency process, the Tennessean reports. Changes were made to all three forms of executive clemency — pardons, commutations and exonerations — in an effort to make the clemency checklist less burdensome for defendants. Lee’s chief counsel Lang Wiseman says the changes may not necessarily lead to more clemency grants, but would give the parole board more leeway to send cases to the governor for consideration.

The General Assembly is back in session and so are TBA’s Legislative Updates! Hosted by Berkley Schwarz, TBA’s director of public policy and government affairs, and Adams and Reese attorney and TBA lobbyist Brad Lampley, the Legislative Updates podcast provides a weekly breakdown of what’s going on at the state legislature. The show livestreams on the TBA’s Facebook page every Thursday and is run in podcast form each Friday. The Legislative Updates podcast is available on the TBA’s website and anywhere you listen to podcasts. Don't miss the first episode featuring special guest Sen. John Stevens, R-Huntingdon, who talks about life as a lawyer legislator and the future of the professional privilege tax. 

Legal Aid of East Tennessee will host a new client intake clinic tomorrow in Madisonville. Members of the public may qualify for free legal assistance if they are having legal problems in the following areas: housing, mortgage or foreclosure; consumer; health, benefits or food stamps; family; unemployment; senior. Applicants must meet federal poverty and LAET priority guidelines. The clinic will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Monroe County Courthouse, 105 College St. in Madisonville. For more information, please call 423-303-2266.

Disability Rights Tennessee (DRT) is currently recruiting volunteers to conduct poll site accessibility surveys for its Voting Access Program. This survey is important for helping DRT work with counties to assess and resolve voting accessibility issues. This year, surveys will be conducted during the primaries on March 3 and presidential election on Nov. 3. DRT is actively recruiting volunteers, including firms and legal aid societies, to help gather this data. Those interested in helping with this project can go online and fill out an interest form.

The Knoxville Bar Association Barristers Law School Mentor Committee is looking for volunteers for its upcoming series of mock interviews. The first round of interviews will take place at the Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law on Jan. 20-22 and the second round will be at the University of Tennessee College of Law on Jan. 23-29. Each interview time slot runs for approximately 25 minutes. Please contact Katie O'Neal or Patrick O'Neal if you are interested in volunteering.

In the first episode of the TBA YLD Presents: War Stories podcast, Memphis attorney and former TBA and YLD president Danny Van Horn recounts an odd tale of repossessing a dog and other compelling stories from his years of practice. Part of the TBA Podcast Network, each episode of War Stories is hosted by different YLD members from across the state and highlights memorable stories from some of Tennessee’s most revered lawyers. Tune in on the TBA’s website, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play and more by searching the show’s title or “Tennessee Bar Association.”

The Legal Aid Society is hosting its monthly clinic in collaboration with Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) this Saturday from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the MNPS Center, 615 Fessey Park Rd., Nashville 37204. For details contact Kendra Cheek, 615-780-7131.

The Nashville Business Journal has named its 40 Under 40. Among the group are four lawyers: Michelle Gaskin Brown with Amazon; Jeff Gibson with Bass, Berry and Sims; Jenny Howard with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation; and Che Mock with the ESQ Agency. A ceremony honoring award recipients will be held March 27 at the Omni Nashville Hotel.

Rep. Glen Casada, R-Franklin, is considering a run for a House Republican Caucus leadership position, five months after resigning as House Speaker amid scandal, the Daily Memphian reports. Casada says he is thinking about running for the caucus whip position, which became vacant after Rep. Rick Tillis, R-Lewisburg, resigned for posting information about the controversy within the Legislature surrounding Casada’s actions. Casada resigned as House Speaker after becoming involved in a racist and sexist texting scandal last year. The position will be filled in a Jan. 20 vote.