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Following Federal Court Ruling, Legislature Takes on Driver's License Suspensions

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Jan 24, 2019
Amid appeals by the state to a federal judge's ruling that driver's licenses cannot be suspended due to a person's inability to pay court costs or traffic ticket fines, the Tennessee General Assembly is poised to take up the issue this year during session, The Commercial Appeal reports. Two Memphis Democratic lawmakers have introduced legislation related to the reinstatement of driver's licenses, one to require courts to allow defendants to prove their inability to pay and another to add reinstatement centers in urban areas. Rep. Larry Miller said he filed his bill to change the law to prohibit the state from being able to suspend or revoke licenses for nonpayment, while Sen. Katrina Robinson's bill would allow a county of 900,000 people or more to establish its own driver's license reinstatement center.

Register for the 2019 Adoption Law Forum on March 6

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Jan 24, 2019
Join the Adoption Section on March 6 at the Tennessee Bar Center as they delve into updates on this practice area and explore termination cases and the application of the ICPC on adoption cases. DCS staff will be present to provide tips on the best practices. Register for the 2019 Adoption Law Forum here.

Watch 2019 Public Service Luncheon Online Now

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Jan 23, 2019
Were you not able to attend Saturday's annual Public Service Luncheon? Check out everything you missed in a new video posted to the TBA's YouTube channel. The event honored Angie Bergman with the Harris Gilbert Pro Bono Volunteer of the Year Award, Adrienne Kittos, who was named the Ashley T. Wiltshire Public Service Attorney of the Year Award, and Law Student Volunteer of the Year Amber Vargas. Former American Bar Association President Robert J. Grey, Jr. delivered the keynote address.

2 Suspended for Failing to Meet CLE Requirement

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Jan 23, 2019
Two attorneys, one from Hamilton County and another from New York, have been suspended from the practice of law in Tennessee for failing to comply with mandatory continuing legal education requirements. Download the suspension order here.

Williamson County Lawyer Reinstated

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Jan 23, 2019
Williamson County attorney Stephen Paul Brink has been reinstated to the practice of law in Tennessee following a Supreme Court order filed today. Brink was placed on inactive status on Dec. 17, 2013, and filed for reinstatement on Jan. 4, for which he met all requirements.

Davidson County Lawyer Reinstated

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Jan 23, 2019
On Jan. 23, the Supreme Court of Tennessee reinstated Davidson County lawyer Jamaal L. Boykin to the practice of law. Boykin had been suspended by the Supreme Court of Tennessee on June 19, 2018, for a period of two years, with six months to be served as an active suspension, and the remainder to be served on probation. Boykin filed a petition for reinstatement to the practice of law, and the Board of Professional Responsibility found that the petition was satisfactory.

TSC Holds That Evidence Cannot Be Used To Contradict Written Words In Contract

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Jan 23, 2019
In a case closely watched by the state’s business community, the Tennessee Supreme Court has held that trial courts cannot use evidence outside of the written agreement—called “extrinsic” evidence—to interpret a contract if that evidence is used to contradict the contract’s written terms. The Supreme Court commented that Tennessee judges have long used extrinsic evidence of the circumstances when parties entered into a contract to interpret what they intended the written words to mean. However, the court said, “the written words are the lodestar of contract interpretation.” Tennessee law does not allow the use of extrinsic evidence of pre-contract negotiations to justify an interpretation of the contract that contradicts the contract’s written words. Read the unanimous opinion, authored by Justice Holly Kirby, here.

Haslam Names Juvenile Justice Reform Council Members

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Jan 23, 2019
During his final week in office, former Gov. Bill Haslam appointed members to the Governor’s Juvenile Justice Reform Implementation Council. During the prior legislative session, the Tennessee General Assembly passed reforms to the state’s juvenile justice system based on recommendations from the Joint Ad-hoc Tennessee Blue Ribbon Task Force on Juvenile Justice. The members appointed by Haslam include: Sen. Raumesh Akbari, Kathy Benedetto of Frontier Health, Judge Andy Brigham, Nashville attorney Cindy Chappell, Rep. Michael Curcio, Dr. Jeff Feix of the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, senior advisor to Gov. Bill Lee Brandon Gibson, Rachel Harmon of the Administrative Office of the Courts, Mike Herrmann of the Tennessee Department of Education, Dr. Mary Karpos of the Tennessee Department of Correction, Richard Kennedy of the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth, Charmaine Kromer of Youth Villages, Shelby County Deputy District Attorney General Ray Lepone, Debbie Miller of the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services, deputy counsel in the governor's office Clark Milner, Chattanooga Police Chief David Roddy, Dr. Altha Stewart of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and Julie Warren, State Director of Right on Crime.

Nashville Police Oversight Board Members Selected

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Jan 23, 2019
The Nashville Metro Council voted to approved the 11 individuals who will comprise the city’s first Community Oversight Board, a citizen review panel that will look into complaints against police, The Tennessean reports. Among those selected from the more than 150 nominees include Bob Cooper, former Tennessee Attorney General, Matt Sweeney, a Nashville attorney with Baker Donelson and former circuit court judge, and Phyllis Hildreth, former chief counsel in the Office of the Public Defender for the state of Maryland.

Vandy Law Receives $12.75 Million Gift

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Jan 23, 2019
The Vanderbilt University School of Law has landed a $12.75 million gift that will provide support for its law and business program, The Nashville Post reports. Vandy Law grad and former Board of Trust chairman Mark Dalton and his family are providing the gift. The Law and Business Program offers a certificate to upper-level law students who complete an interdisciplinary curriculum that includes five required courses and nine elective credit hours. Students also can pursue Vanderbilt’s J.D./M.S.F. joint degree program, allowing them to earn in only three years a law degree and a Master of Science degree in finance from the Owen Graduate School of Management. Conversely, they can choose the four-year joint J.D./M.B.A. degree path.
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