The Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee & the Cumberlands will host its Downtown Free Legal Clinic at the Nashville Public Library on Dec. 4 from 4 to 6 p.m. The clinic is held the first Wednesday of each month at this same time and location. For more information or to volunteer, please contact Kendra Cheek at 615-780-7131.

Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara Zoccola of Memphis today pleaded guilty of stealing more than $6,500 from the federal government by intentionally misreporting her time at work, the Commercial Appeal reports. Zoccola admitted to falsifying her time card on several occasions between 2018 and 2019, including not reporting nine hours of leave time she took in October 2018. The stolen leave time is valued at between $6,500 and $15,000. Zoccola resigned from her position as part of her plea deal and will pay $10,000 in restitution. She potentially faces up to one year in prison with up to one year of supervised release and may be fined up to $100,000. Sentencing will take place on March 5 in Jackson.

The Tennessee Supreme Court today reversed lower court decisions and ruled that evidence obtained in a probation search should not have been suppressed. The ruling comes after a warrantless search of defendant Angela Hamm’s home resulted in the arrest and joint indictment of Hamm and her husband. Officers found pills, glass pipes, methamphetamine and scales in their home. Hamm was on supervised probation after she was convicted of manufacturing a controlled substance, and the search was conducted based on her probation status. A trial court had granted the defendants’ motion to suppress evidence obtained from a warrantless search and dismissed the indictments, a decision later affirmed by the Court of Criminal Appeals. The Supreme Court held that probation search conditions do not require law enforcement to have reasonable suspicion, ruling that the search was constitutionally reasonable and permissible pursuant to the doctrine of common authority. Justice Cornelia A. Clark and Justice Sharon G. Lee filed separate dissenting opinions in the case.

Memphis City Attorney Bruce McMullen and special counsel Alan Crone, among others, have announced they will leave Mayor Jim Strickland’s administration at the end of the year before the second term begins, the Commercial Appeal reports. McMullen will return to Baker Donelson, where he has held a part-time job throughout the last four years. Pending Memphis City Council approval, Jennifer Sink, one of McMullen’s deputies, will take over as the city’s chief legal officer. Crone, who helped usher initiatives through City Council, will also return to private practice. Strickland praised both attorneys in a statement, crediting their work and counsel as having had "an incredible, positive impact on city government, and me personally."  

James Wiseman, a freshman on the University of Memphis men’s basketball team, must sit out 11 additional games (for a total of 12 games) for inducements his family received before he enrolled at Memphis and for competing in three games while ineligible, the NCAA ruled Wednesday. Wiseman also must donate $11,500 to a charity of his choice. The school said it would immediately appeal the decision saying, “We expect a more fair and equitable resolution, and we will exhaust all avenues on James’ behalf.” Read more on the Commercial Appeal.

Hamilton County Criminal Court Judge Don Poole has denied a post-conviction hearing for Leroy Hall Jr. who was sentenced to death in 1992 after he was found guilty of first-degree murder and aggravated arson for the burning death of his ex-girlfriend, Traci Crozier. Earlier this month, attorneys for Hall requested his conviction be vacated after claiming they uncovered evidence that one of the jurors in his original trial was biased. Poole tossed out two of those motions last week and in today’s hearing denied the third and final motion that would have granted Hall a second post-conviction hearing. It is unclear if Hall’s attorneys will appeal this decision and what impact that appeal might have in delaying his Dec. 5 execution date. The Tennessean has the full story. 

A court that emphasizes rehabilitation — the General Sessions Music City Community Court — is opening a second location in north Nashville at the Bordeaux-North Community Justice Center, WPLN reports. The court was launched in 2012 by General Sessions Judge Rachel Bell and is the first of its kind in the state and only one of 40 such courts in the nation. “North Nashville has been plighted with a need to have more resources and more understanding of how the criminal justice system can actually help and not hinder their future and their success,” Bell said at a soft launch of the center. Both courts will handle criminal and civil cases, but also help with expungements and have a special diversionary court for 18 to 30-year-olds who commit minor crimes. The new Bordeaux-North center will also provide case management and other types of assistance through partnerships with local non-profits like the Legal Aid Society.

The Memphis Business Journal’s 2019 “40 Under 40” class was honored during a special ceremony last week in Memphis. The class includes two lawyers — Imad Abdullah, chief legal officer for Regional One Health, and Jay Campbell, partner in charge for Adams and Reese LLP. The annual event was started in 1997 and recognizes the “best and brightest young professionals in the Mid-South.” Several hundred people were nominated for the honor, but the final 40 were chosen based on career achievements and impact on the community. The Memphis Business Journal has more on the event and the 2019 class.

The Trial Court Vacancy Commission is accepting applications for a circuit court judge in the 15th Judicial District, which covers Jackson, Macon, Smith, Trousdale and Wilson counties. The vacancy was created by the retirement of Judge John D. Wootten Jr. Qualified applicants must be licensed attorneys who are at least 30 years of age, have been residents of the state for a minimum of five years and are residents of the 15th Judicial District. Applications must be submitted to the Administrative Office of the Courts by noon on Dec. 3. Candidates must submit the original signed (unbound) as well as a digital copy of the application in order to have their name placed on the list of candidates for the vacancy. Review complete application instructions here. 

Anderson County lawyer Sal William Varsalona was censured by the Supreme Court of Tennessee yesterday. The Board of Professional Responsibility filed a Petition for Discipline on July 9, 2018, after Varsalona represented a client in a divorce action and did not sufficiently communicate with opposing counsel and was not candid with the trial court. Varsalona executed a Conditional Guilty Plea acknowledging his misconduct violated Tennessee Rules of Professional Conduct 3.3, 3.4, 3.5 and 8.4(a), (c) and (d).