West Tennessee Legal Service will host a Military Monday legal clinic on Dec. 9 at the Starbucks located at 2034 N. Highland Ave. in Jackson from 9 to 11 a.m. The clinic provides general civil legal advice for U.S. veterans, military members and their families. For more information, call 800-372-8346.

Can’t make it to Nashville for the year-end CLE Blast? The TBA has one remote location planned this year for Johnson City. Join us at Baker Donelson office anytime from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. to take as many or as few hours as you need. Sessions will offer general and dual credit programs in a live format. Learn more and us know if you plan to attend. 

Catch up on bar news, upcoming events and attorney shout outs with the TBA’s BarBuzz podcast, a monthly show from the TBA Podcast Network. Other shows on the network include Sidebar, a podcast featuring human interest stories from Tennessee attorneys and HealthyBar, which focuses on attorney well-being. Tune in to these programs on the TBA’s website, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher or anywhere you listen to podcasts by searching the show title or “Tennessee Bar Association”.

TeamHealth, a firm that runs emergency rooms around the nation, has made a pledge to offer more discounts to uninsured patients and to stop suing those who cannot pay, WPLN reports. The company, based in Knoxville with corporate offices in Nashville, implemented the changes after a ProPublica article reported on its aggressive billing practices. In a company-wide memo, TeamHealth blamed insurance companies for refusing to “pay the full cost of medical care” and raising deductibles and co-pays beyond what even insured patients can pay. The subsidiary of the company has filed more than 4,800 lawsuits since 2017 in Shelby County alone. It is unclear if TeamHealth will continue seeking judgements already in progress.

The U.S. Department of Justice on Monday asked the Supreme Court for permission to resume federal executions after a 16-year hiatus, NBC News repots. In July, Attorney General William Barr announced plans to proceed with federal executions, scheduling the first for Dec. 9, but those plans were temporarily halted late last month by a federal judge in Washington, D.C. A federal appeals court on Monday upheld the lower court’s decision, prompting Solicitor General Noel Francisco to ask the Supreme Court to vacate the order. 

Lisa Cole, president and managing shareholder at Lewis Thomason, has been named one of “100 Women Who Inspire Us” by the American Bar Association Section of Litigation. The Nashville attorney was honored in November at the 2019 Women in Litigation Joint CLE Conference which kicked off a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment. Cole’s practice focuses on representing medical providers in health care liability cases and employers in state and federal court. The ABA’s website has a full list of winners and more on the event.

The state Supreme Court has issued an order asking for comments on adopting an amendment to Rule 8, RPC 1.15 after a petition to do so was filed by the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility and the Tennessee Lawyers’ Fund for Client Protection. The amendment concerns efforts that must be made after a lawyer learns of unidentified funds in an IOLTA account. The deadline to submit a written comment is Feb. 3, 2020. Comments may be emailed to appellatecourtclerk@tncourts.gov or mailed to: James M. Hivner, Clerk, Re: Tenn. Sup. Ct. R. 8, RPC 1.15(f), Tennessee Appellate Courts, 100 Supreme Court Building, 401 7th Ave. North, Nashville, TN 37219-1407.

J. William “Bill” Coley has been appointed by the state Supreme Court to serve as the next chair of the Access to Justice Commission. Coley joined the Commission in 2016 and has led the Faith-Based Initiatives Committee for four years, successfully growing the Tennessee Faith and Justice Alliance into one of the Commission’s most impactful initiatives. Coley is a member of Knoxville firm Hodges, Doughty & Carson PLLC and is a Past-president of the TBA Young Lawyers Division and the Knoxville Bar Association. He also chaired the Legal Aid of East Tennessee’s Campaign for Equal Justice from 2006 to 2007. Justice Cornelia Clark said “Bill demonstrates his commitment to pro bono work and helping his fellow Tennesseans daily, and the Commission will thrive under his leadership.” Coley will serve a two-year term beginning April 1, 2020.

Six attorneys have applied to be considered for the circuit court judge vacancy in the 15th district, which covers Jackson, Macon, Smith, Trousdale and Wilson counties. Jack Brandon Bellar, Michael Wayne Collins, Javin R. Cripps, Robert Neland Hibbett, Shawn McBrien and Jonathan H. Wardle will interview with the Trial Court Vacancy Commission at a time and location to be announced soon. The commission will vote immediately after that meeting, which will include a public hearing. The names of three applicants will then be forwarded to Gov. Bill Lee for his consideration. This vacancy was created by the retirement of the Hon. John D. Wootten Jr. 

Disability Rights Tennessee, a non-profit protecting the rights of Tennesseans with disabilities, is looking to hire a new legal director. Duties of the legal director include advising the agency on legal decisions, providing day-to-day leadership and oversight of legal team members, representing clients in the area of disability discrimination and more. Eligible candidates will have an active law license and a minimum of five year’s experience handling disability rights litigation, including multiparty or class litigation. To apply, submit resume, cover letter, and legal writing sample to Lisa Primm by Friday, Jan. 17.