The Tennessee Supreme Court yesterday suspended Shelby County lawyer John Louis Dolan from the practice of law for one year, with 30 days on active suspension and 11 months on probation under supervision of a practice monitor. The Board of Professional Responsibility found that Dolan failed to reasonably respond to his client’s request for information about the status of his criminal case and failed to diligently represent his client over a period of approximately two years. In a second matter, the board found that Dolan failed to properly communicate with his client and failed to submit various pleadings.

The Tennessee Supreme Court today suspended John Ryan Poole from the practice of law for six years, with four on active suspension and the remaining two years served on probation upon the appointment of a practice monitor. The Board of Professional Responsibility filed seven complaints alleging Poole failed to reasonably communicate with his clients regarding the status of their case, failed to act in a diligent manner and expedite the clients’ litigation, failed to comply with court orders, failed to protect client funds, failed to provide proper notice following temporary suspension and failed to reply with lawful demands for information from disciplinary counsel.

The 2022 Intellectual Property CLE Blast is an all-day event that allows attendees to create their own schedule and earn as many, or as few, CLE hours as they need. Topics will range from Name, Image and Likeness, to ethics, patents and much more. The event runs from 10 a.m. until 3:45 p.m. CDT on April 8 at Operation Stand Down in Nashville. Up to five hours of CLE are available and TBA IntellectualProperty Section members will receive a special discount. Make sure to stick around after the programming for a blind bourbon and whiskey tasting Happy Hour. RSVP today!

Lawyers at firms from across the country are preparing to help Ukrainians living in the U.S. obtain temporary deportation relief and work permits, Reuters reports. The volunteer effort is organized by law firm Kirkland & Ellis and the non-profit Lawyers for Good Government. Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Biden administration earlier this month said Ukrainians in the U.S. would be able to apply for Temporary Protected Status, allowing them to stay in the country. An estimated 75,000 Ukrainians will be available for the program and while they can apply on their own, a lawyer can help them navigate the process and advise on other immigration relief that may be available. The number of volunteer attorneys had swelled to 1,958 from 76 law firms and 38 companies as of yesterday.  

The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee today heard from the American Bar Association and other witnesses during the final day of confirmation hearings for U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, the Associated Press reports. The ABA’s Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary told lawmakers that its review of Jackson found she has a “sterling” reputation, “exceptional” competence and is well qualified to sit on the Supreme Court. The four-hour hearing Thursday featured not only legal experts but government officials and civil rights groups who supported Jackson and conservative advocates who opposed her. Hours after the hearing concluded Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell announced that he “cannot and will not” support Jackson. However, Democrats can still confirm Jackson without any GOP support in a 50-50 Senate where Vice President Kamala Harris can cast the tiebreaking vote.

Join TBA Director of Public Policy & Government Affairs Berkley Schwarz and Adams and Reese attorney and TBA lobbyist Brad Lampley for a new episode of Legislative Updates. This episode, hear about the TBA Family Law Section’s legislation regarding the allocation of marital debt, HB2357/SB2385, which is on its way to Gov. Bill Lee to be signed into law, plus more news from the state legislature. To see a list of all of TBA’s bills, visit our online bill tracker. Legislative Updates airs every Thursday on the TBA’s Facebook page. It is also released as a podcast on the same day and can be found on the TBA’s website or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Three Republicans are seeking to fill the vacant House District 26 seat. Hamilton County Commissioner Greg Martin of Hixson, Shannon Stephenson of Harrison and David Swinford of Rivermont are all seeking appointment from the Hamilton County Commission, which will make a decision on March 30. Martin, who noted he’d been elected to serve the county as commissioner three times, said he will run for the seat even if he is not appointed. Stephenson is the CEO of Cempa Community Care. She says her experience helping with legislation at the state level to eliminate health disparities in the region makes her the most qualified candidate. Swinford owns a cattle farm and, alongside his wife, sells lesson plans and teaching materials to teachers. He said he has picked up paperwork to run for the seat, and is “90 % committed” to run. The seat was vacated by former Rep. Robin Smith after she pleaded guilty to federal wire fraud. Yahoo News has the story from Times Free Press.

Attorney Lee Brooks has announced he is running for judge in the 22nd Judicial District’s Circuit Court, Division III, Main Street Clarksville reports. Before earning his law degree, Lee served four years active duty in the U.S. Marine Corps, served in law enforcement for 14 years and as a teacher for eight years. He went into private practice before taking a position as assistant public defender. Lee currently serves as an assistant district attorney in a neighboring district. Read more from him campaign website.

The Tennessee Court of Appeals yesterday upheld a lower court ruling that Graceland doesn’t have standing to challenge a contract between Memphis and Shelby County governments and the FedExForum, the Daily Memphian reports. The long-running legal dispute began in 2014 after Graceland expanded its Whitehaven campus using a tax increment financing district. Three years later, Graceland sought an increased draw on the increment to finance a 6,200-seat arena as part of the campus. City and county leaders rejected the funding, citing the Memphis Grizzlies’ agreement with city and county governments to operate FedExForum. That deal included a noncompete clause barring the city and county from funding an arena with more than 5,000 fixed seats. The appeals court upheld Chancellor Jim Kyle’s dismissal of the case because Graceland was not a party to the arena agreement. 

TBA CLE will present The Credentialed Court, Diversity and Legal Ethics webcast on April 7 from noon until 1 p.m. CDT. Inspired by the book “The Credentialed Court,” authored by University of Tennessee College of Law Professor Ben Barton, this program will cover diversity on the U.S. Supreme Court and in the legal profession and our ethical obligation to seek diversity in all of its forms. The book establishes just how different today’s justices are from their predecessors by combining two massive empirical studies of every justice’s background with short bios of past greats to demonstrate that today’s justices arrive on the high court with much narrower experiences than they once did.