Court of Criminal Appeals Presiding Judge John Everett Williams died on Friday. He was 68. In 1998, Williams was appointed to the court by former Gov. Don Sundquist and was retained in elections in 2000, 2006, 2014 and 2022. He was named presiding judge of the Court of Criminal Appeals in 2018, making him the first judge from West Tennessee to hold that position in 25 years. Williams practiced law in Huntingdon for 17 years before his appointment to the court. He served as chairperson of the Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program for several years and was a strong advocate for the organization. Williams was known for his colorful dress and bowties as well as summer seersucker suits. He was a longtime member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians. He was also an established thespian, dazzling audiences at the Dixie Carter Performing Arts and Academic Enrichment Center just last month. Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced. Condolences may be left here.

The Tennessee Supreme Court will hear two cases in Knoxville for its September docket. State of Tennessee v. Johnny Summers Cavin will begin at 9 a.m. EDT and will be followed by State of Tennessee v. Joseph Gevedon. Both cases will be livestreamed on the Administrative Office of the Courts YouTube page. More information on both cases can be found on the AOC’s website.  

Judges from the 15th Judicial District were last week sworn-in by Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Sarah Campbell. Included in the swearing-in were: Juvenile Court Judge Barry Tatum, Circuit Court Judge Michael Collins, Chancellor C.K. Smith, Circuit Court Judge Clara Byrd, Criminal Court Judge Brody Kane, General Sessions Judge Jimmy Lea, Magistrate David Kennedy and General Sessions Judge Ensley Hagan. The 15th Judicial District includes Jackson, Macon, Smith, Trousdale and Wilson counties. See more pictures from the event here.

The TBA has added Laura J. Labenberg, Ed.D, as its new Young Lawyers Division & Law Student Development Coordinator. In her new role, Labenberg will work with the YLD to plan programs, meetings and special projects like pro bono clinics, the annual Tennessee High School Mock Trial Competition and the award-winning Diversity Leadership Institute. Prior to joining the TBA, Labenberg served as a professor of rhetoric at Hofstra University and the executive director of an educational nonprofit in New York. Earlier in her career in higher education, she served as a grants coordinator and conference coordinator. Labenberg earned her doctorate in educational leadership and policy studies at Hofstra University.

The man accused of abducting and murdering Memphis school teacher Eliza Fletcher previously served more than 20 years for kidnapping a prominent Memphis attorney, the Commercial Appeal reports. Fletcher was jogging before dawn on Friday morning when police say she was violently forced into an SUV and later killed. Cleotha Abston, 38, faces multiple charges relating to the crime, including kidnapping and first-degree murder. When he was 16, Abston and another man kidnapped Memphis-based lawyer Kemper Durand at gunpoint, forcing him into the trunk of his car and driving to gas stations to withdraw money from ATMs. Durand was able to escape while at one station. Abston was sentenced to 24 years in prison for the crime and was released in November 2020. Durand died in 2013. In an obituary, Lewis Thomason attorney Bill Haltom wrote of Durand’s response to the kidnapping.

The Legal Aid Society has an immediate opening for a staff attorney in its Clarksville office. The attorney will provide legal representation to income-eligible clients with a focus on home retention including landlord-tenant issues and homeowner issues, federal income tax issues and fair housing discrimination issues. The position is grant-funded and subsequent renewal may result in modification of job duties and responsibilities. Read more on the opening and how to apply or view a full list of available positions on the TBA’s JobLink site.

The City of Franklin’s Board of Mayor and Alderman has appointed Jessica Borne as its new Municipal Court judge, Williamson Source reports. In her new role, Borne will preside over city ordinance, building code and traffic violations at the court, which is held every second and fourth Tuesday and second Thursday at City Hall. Nineteen applied for municipal judge, with Borne advancing to the final five applicants based on scores from her interviews and a writing assignment. Borne is an attorney at Fort, Holloway & Rogers and previously spent 12 years with the Tennessee Office of the District Attorney General 21st Judicial District. She has dedicated the last 10 years of her career working with domestic abuse victims and their families by prosecuting and trying criminal cases involving domestic partners.

TBA CLE will present “Dispute Resolution 2022: Recent Developments in the Law of Arbitration” on Oct. 26 from 11 a.m. until noon CDT. The webcast program will cover recent federal legislation affecting arbitration, as well as selected cases from the past year, with emphasis on the U.S. Supreme Court, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals and the Tennessee state courts. Presenters will discuss strategies for litigators and drafters in response to these decisions. Learn more and register for the course here.

Jonathan Skrmetti was sworn in as Tennessee’s 28th Attorney General at a private ceremony this morning. Skrmetti was appointed attorney general by the Tennessee Supreme Court last month. He will serve an eight-year term. Prior to his appointment, Attorney General Skrmetti served as Chief Counsel to Gov. Bill Lee and as Chief Deputy Attorney General. Prior to his time with the state, Skrmetti was a partner at Butler Snow LLP in Memphis and served as a federal prosecutor for almost a decade, first at the Civil Rights Division and then as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Memphis. He also taught cyberlaw as an adjunct professor at the University of Memphis. Skrmetti earned his law degree from Harvard Law School and afterward clerked for Judge Steven Colloton on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division will present “You’re a Lawyer, Right?” Estate Planning and Probate 101 to Avoid Committing Malpractice on Sept. 15 from 4 to 5 p.m. EDT at The Liberty Room, 605 Chestnut St., 3rd Floor, Chattanooga. This CLE will cover the fundamentals of estate planning, including wills, powers of attorney and advance directives, as well as common questions that lawyers — and their family members and friends — may have to be better prepared to address basic estate planning questions and avoid committing malpractice. The program will be followed by a networking reception co-sponsored by the Chattanooga Bar Association Young Lawyers Division from 5 to 6 p.m. EDT.