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Former Rutherford Sheriff Pleads Guilty to 3 Charges

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Jan 18, 2017
Former Rutherford County Sheriff Robert Arnold pleaded guilty today to three counts of the 14-count federal grand jury indictment in the JailCigs case, in which Arnold was accused of illegally profiting from inmates in the Rutherford County Jail. According to the Daily News Journal, Arnold pleaded guilty to wire fraud, honest services fraud and extortion. Joe Russell, the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office chief of accounting and a co-defendant in the case, is scheduled to appear for a guilty plea on Friday.

YLD Election Petitions Due Feb. 15

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Jan 11, 2017
Young lawyers interested in running for leadership positions within the Young Lawyers Division (YLD) have until February 15, 2017 to file a nominating petition with YLD Secretary Joshua B. Dougan. Positions open for the 2017-2018 bar year include the following:
 
• Vice President (must be from the Eastern Grand Division; ascends to presidency in 2019-2020)
• East Tennessee Governor
• Middle Tennessee Governor
• West Tennessee Governor
• Secretary
• Treasurer
• Odd-numbered District Representatives:
District 1: Carter, Greene, Hamblen, Hancock, Hawkins, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi and Washington counties
District 3: Knox County
District 5: Hamilton County
District 7: Cannon, Coffee, Franklin, Grundy, Marion, Rutherford and Sequatchie counties
District 9: Davidson County
District 11: Bedford, Giles, Hickman, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln, Marshall, Maury, Moore, Perry, Wayne and Williamson counties
District 13: Chester, Decatur, Fayette, Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, Henderson, Lauderdale, McNairy, Madison and Tipton counties
 
Those individuals who may be interested in seeking to serve as either a YLD delegate to the TBA House of Delegates or a TBA YLD delegate to the ABA House of Delegates are reminded that they must express such interest to the TBA Executive Director, via either a signed petition or declaration of candidacy, in accordance with TBA bylaws.
 
Be reminded that candidates for Executive Committee positions must complete a nominating petition signed by at least 25 TBA members in good standing. These positions include: vice president, secretary, treasurer, and the three grand division governors. Candidates for district representative seats may file the standard nomination petition.
 
Ballots will be submitted electronically. Guidelines adopted by the YLD Board of Governors dictate that all YLD members will be presumed to have opted for voting via electronic ballot unless a members expresses a desire for paper ballot in either a separate writing or by selecting this option in the member profile section in the TBA membership database. Such preference must be designated by February 1, 2017. For more details about the electronic voting process instituted last year, see the TBA website.
 
For all YLD positions, candidates must be members of the division at the time of their nomination. Petitions should be submitted to Dougan by email no later than February 15, 2017. Questions about the election should be directed to Dougan by email or phone, (731) 300-0932 
 
Read the full election notice and download nominating petitions or visit the YLD’s election webpage for details about length of term and qualifications for office.

YLD Leadership Considering Bylaw Amendment

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Jan 4, 2017

The Tennessee Bar Association Young Lawyers Division Board is considering adopting the below amendment to the bylaws of the Division.

Please review at your convenience and respond with any comments to Long Range Planning committee member Troy Weston at tweston@eblaw.us before January 14, 2017.

The proposed amendment is as follows:

Article IX. Public Policy
 
Section 1. The Division, through the voting members of the Board, as defined in Article VI, Section 2 of these Bylaws, shall consider, debate, and make policy recommendations on matters of interest and concern to the legal profession and young lawyers.
 
Section 2. All recommendations shall be in the form of a resolution, and must be approved by a majority vote of a quorum of the voting members of the Board. Voting may occur in-person, electronically, or telephonically, provided that all resolutions must have first been submitted for discussion at a meeting of the Board prior to the vote.
 
A quorum shall be one-third of the Board’s voting members, consistent with Article VI, Section 6 of these Bylaws. When voting takes place in-person, members who are unable to be present in person shall be deemed present for the purposes of voting on any motion so long as the member is available by teleconference during the entire discussion regarding the motion and for the vote.
 
Voting may also take place telephonically via a teleconference of voting members of the Board. A quorum shall be one-third of the Board’s voting members.
 
Electronic voting is also permitted, and shall require a majority vote of all voting members of the Board.
 
Telephonic and electronic voting shall only be utilized after a resolution has been discussed at a Board meeting.
 
Section 3. Any member of the Board may, by written notice to the Division’s secretary, introduce a resolution for the Division to consider.
 
Section 4. Each resolution shall be in writing and consist of a written report that supports the recommendation. The report shall state the relevant facts, authority, and argument with candor and reasonable objectivity. The report shall not imply a policy that is not evident from the recommendation. The secretary of the Division shall be responsible for promulgating a concise form for resolutions and accompanying reports.
 
All resolutions shall conclude with a paragraph stating, “The Young Lawyers Division of the Tennessee Bar Association urges the Board of Governors to,” and shall be followed by a concise statement of the action sought in the resolution.
 
If the resolution is for the Division to join another entity in sponsoring a resolution in the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division Assembly (“ABA Assembly”), the written report shall set forth the text of the proposed resolution and identify all proposed co-sponsors of the resolution.
 
Section 5. All resolutions must be submitted to the secretary of the Division in such a time as to allow publication in E-DICT prior to the meeting at which the resolution is to be discussed. In the event that a resolution is not submitted in time for publication in E-DICT, the Division president, in his/her sole discretion, may (1) delay discussion of the resolution until the next Board meeting, (2) seek publication of the resolution in TBAToday, (3) authorize electronic communication of the resolution and accompanying report to members of the Division, or (4) make the text of the resolution and accompanying report available on the Division’s website. If the president chooses to make the resolution and report available on the Division’s website, the TBA staff person responsible for assisting the Division shall alert members of the Division to this proposed resolution through notices posted on all the Division’s social media accounts.
 
In no event shall a resolution be considered for a vote unless notice has been provided to members of the Division at least five days prior to the Board’s meeting in a manner described in the preceding paragraph.
 
Section 6. Immediately upon receipt of a resolution, the secretary shall determine whether it complies with the form mandated in these Bylaws. If the resolution or report does not comply with the Bylaws, the secretary shall notify the proponent seeking introduction of the resolution of the deficiency in writing, and provide a copy of the communication to the Division’s president. If the resolution does comply with the Bylaws, the secretary shall docket the resolution and provide it to the Division’s Executive Committee and to the TBA staff person responsible for assisting the Division.
 
Upon receipt of a compliant resolution, the secretary of the Division shall assign the resolution a number. The assigned number shall follow the form of the year in which the resolution is introduced followed by the sequential number of the resolution for that year; e.g., the first compliant resolution proposed in 2017 would be docketed as “Resolution 17-1.”
 
All compliant resolutions shall be added to the agenda of the next Board meeting occurring after the notice mandated in Article IX, Section 5 has been provided to the members of the Division.
 
Section 7. The secretary of the Division shall oversee all discussion of resolutions, except that the president may delegate another member of the Board to oversee discussion if the secretary wishes to speak about a resolution or is one of the sponsors of the resolution. The secretary shall ensure that the discussion of any resolution is as fully informed as possible, and that each opposing viewpoint is fairly considered. Rules appertaining to the discussion of resolutions shall follow the most recent edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised, unless inconsistent with these Bylaws.
 
All Board members, whether voting or nonvoting, shall be permitted to participate in discussion relating to a proposed resolution. Additionally, the secretary may recognize any member of the Division to speak about the proposed resolution. The secretary may also recognize any TBA staff member, TBA officer, or TBA committee or section chair as an invited guest who may speak about the proposed resolution.
 
All discussion must be germane to the issues raised by the proposed resolution.
 
Section 8. All resolutions shall recommend action to the Tennessee Bar Association Board of Governors. Resolutions may seek the adoption of public policy by the Tennessee Bar Association, recommend positions regarding pending or potential legislation, or seek authority to propose or join in the proposal of a resolution to the ABA Assembly.
 
Section 9. All resolutions adopted by the Division shall be presented to the Tennessee Bar Association Board of Governors by the president or president-elect of the Division, except that, in a manner consistent with the Board of Governors’ bylaws, the president or president-elect may delegate the responsibility for presenting a successfully adopted resolution to another member of the Division.

The Gift of Time & Expertise

Posted by: Liz Slagle Todaro, Suzanne Craig Robertson & Katharine Heriges on Jan 1, 2017

Tennessee Bar Association Public Service Awards

Each year the Tennessee Bar Association recognizes outstanding service by attorneys and law students who have dedicated their time to helping others. The awards given are the Harris Gilbert Pro Bono Volunteer of the Year, the Ashley T. Wiltshire Public Service Attorney of the Year and the Law Student Volunteer of the Year. Read the stories of those recognized here.

YLD Invited Guest News for December 2016

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Dec 30, 2016
The TBA YLD Board invites specialty and minority bars in the state to name a representative to serve as an unfunded and non-voting member of the board. The goal of the invited guest program is to increase diversity among the board and provide an opportunity for young lawyers involved in other legal organizations to have a voice in the state bar association. Here are those organizations.
 
Association for Women Attorneys (AWA) – The AWA recently had a judicial reception and will be hosting its annual banquet on January 17, 2017 at the Tower Room in Memphis.
 
For more information about the AWA, or if you have any questions, please visit our website at www.awamemphis.org, reach out to us at memphisawa@gmail.com or contact Megan Warden, (901) 848-8725.
 
East Tennessee Lawyers Association for Women (ETLAW) – On December 14th, ETLAW held its Annual Meeting and YWCA Toiletry Drive at the Foundry.  At the event, ETLAW stuffed over 400 welcome bags for the residents of the YWCA.  Two representatives from the YWCA attended and spoke about the mission of the YWCA, the services provided to their residents and the impact the welcome bags have on the residents.
 
Also at the Annual Meeting, the membership elected the directors for 2017.  In 2017, ETLAW will be led by the following people: Alyssa Y. Minge - President; Loretta Cravens - President-Elect; Crista Cuccaro - Secretary; Heather Ferguson - Treasurer; Alicia Teubert - Corporate Compliance Chair; Kati Goodner - Membership Chair (with Katie Waldrop on the committee); Andi Anderson - Community Outreach Chair (with Elizabeth Carroll on the committee); Rachel Hurt - Programming Chair (with Elizabeth Carroll, Lindy Harris, John Rice, &  Anna Swift on the committee) and Stephanie Coleman - Historian.
 
For more information about the group, contact Alicia Teubert.
 
Lawyers Association for Women, Anne Schneider Chapter – For information about the group and its activities, contact Ronda Webb-Stewart, (731) 426-1337.
 
Lawyers Association for Women, Marion Griffin Chapter – For information about the group and its activities, contact Christen Blackburn, (615) 255-7722.
 
National Bar Association, Ballard Taylor Chapter – For information about the group and its activities, contact Terica Smith Anderson, (731) 423-5805.
 
National Bar Association, Ben F. Jones Chapter – For more information about the National Bar Association, Ben F. Jones Chapter, please contact Angelica Fortney, (901) 543-5725.
 
National Bar Association, Napier Looby Chapter - For information about the group and its activities, contact Cyle Catlett, (708) 845-7469.
 
National Bar Association, S.L. Hutchins Chapter – For information about the group and its activities, contact Ariel Anthony, (432) 755-2661.
 
Southeast Tennessee Lawyers’ Association for Women (SETLAW) –  SETLAW will be hosting a lunch and learn with Grant, Konvalinka & Harrison, P.C. on January 26, 2016 at 11:30. The topic will be “Tips that Apply Across Diverse Practice Areas.” A catered lunch from Il Primo will be served. Attendance is free for members and $10 for non-members.
 
For more information about SETLAW, email the chapter directly.
 
Tennessee Asian Pacific American Bar Association – For information about TAPABA and its activities, contact Lanta Wang, (615) 850-8194.
 
Tennessee Lawyers Association for Women (TLAW) – For information about TLAW and its activities, contact Heather Ferguson, (865) 546-0500.
 
Tennessee Stonewall Bar Association – For information about the group and its activities, contact Judd Taback, (615) 507-6810.

YLD Affiliate News for December 2016

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Dec 30, 2016
American Bar Association YLD – The next ABA event will be the group’s ABA Midyear Meeting in Miami on February 5-7, 2017. More information on that meeting can be found here. The ABA House of Delegates has released the executive summaries of the resolutions which will be considered at the Midyear Meeting in February. The summaries can be found here.
 
To learn more about the ABA YLD visit the group online, follow them on Facebook and Twitter or connect on Linkedin. 
 
Blount County Bar Association YLD –  For more information contact Stephanie Jernigan, (865) 523-7731.
 
Chattanooga Bar Association YLD – The Chattanooga Bar Association YLD will continue to have monthly social happy hours and quarterly Coffee Talks with local judges throughout the year.
 
The Chattanooga YLD will be hosting its annual meeting on January 11, 2016 at the Chattanooga Country Club where the members will vote and appoint two remaining board positions. Additionally, the following individuals have been elected to serve on the Board for this upcoming year: Brittany T.  Faith - President; Drew Reynolds – Vice President/President Elect; Kirby Yost – Secretary/Treasurer; Justin Faith, Lauren Sherrell, Rob Carden, Stephanie Rogers, Emma Flynn – Board Members; and Corrin Fulton – Immediate Past President.
 
For more information about the group contact President Brittany Faith, (423) 756-8400, or follow the group on Facebook.
 
Jackson Madison County Bar Association YLD – For more information about the group contact President Gayra Hall or follow news on the group's Facebook page.
 
Knoxville Bar Association Barristers – The Barristers Volunteer Breakfast is a recurring event on the fourth Thursday of each month at 6:15 a.m. The Barristers Volunteer Breakfast Committee always needs volunteers to serve food or sponsor. Sign up here. The Barristers recently hosted a Welcome Reception for New Bar Admittees.
 
The Barristers Annual Meeting, Elections and Holiday Party was held on Wednesday, December 7th. The following were elected: Vice President - Mitchell Panter; Secretary/Treasurer - Mikel Towe; Members-at-Large - Daniel Ellis and Sarah Watson. Samantha Parris became Barristers President at the end of the meeting. The 2016 Presidents Award was presented to Mikel and Elizabeth Towe for their outstanding efforts as Chairs of the Membership Committee.
 
Check out the Barristers online or on Facebook, or contact Mitchell Painter for more information. 
 
Maury County Bar Association YLD – The Maury County YLD continues to hold social gatherings on the first Tuesday of the month. For more information contact President Thomas Hutto, (931) 388-2822.
 
Memphis Bar Association YLD –  The MBA YLD will be putting together the High School Mock Trial Competition from February 13 – February 22, 2017.  Rounds begin at 6:00 p.m. each night.  Attorneys are needed to act as judges/jurors on most nights, so please contact Julia Kavanagh or Sam Fargotstein if you’d like to volunteer. The students do an amazing job as attorneys and witnesses, so it’s well worth the time.
 
For more information about the MBA YLD, or if you would like to get involved with the MBA YLD, please contact President Adam Johnson or visit the group’s Facebook page.
 
Montgomery County Bar Association YLD – For information about the Montgomery County YLD contact Jamie Durrett or Justin Sensing, (931) 552-5670.
 
Nashville Bar Association YLD –  The group had a successful “Holiday Get-Up Get Down” party at Santa’s Pub this past month. For more information about the NBA YLD contact Justin McNaughton, (615) 782-2215, or follow the group on Facebook.
 
Northeast Tennessee Young Lawyers Association – For more information, please contact Sunny Sandos, (423) 439-4641. Follow news from the group on Facebook.
 
Upper Cumberland Young Lawyers Association – For more information about the group, please contact President Russell C. Tribble or Secretary Ruth Bunn. Follow news from the group on Facebook.
 
Williamson County Bar Association YLD –The WCBA YLD will be hosting a Happy Hour at the Boathouse in downtown Franklin beginning at 5:00 pm on January 12. For information about the group contact President Jason Talley, (615) 591-4002 or follow news from the group on Facebook.
 

TBA Staff Changes for 2017; Hopper Lee Named YLD Coordinator

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Dec 30, 2016

The Tennessee Bar Association will see some staff changes in the new year, but most of the changes will be among familiar faces.

Lauren Hopper Lee, who has worked with the TBA as CLE Coordinator for three years, will be moving up to take on the role of Young Lawyers Division and Public Education Coordinator. For most of her tenure at the TBA, she was in charge of YLD Continuing Legal Education, so she is well suited to the transition.

She holds both a bachelors and a masters degree in Social Work from Tennessee State University. Most recently she worked at St. Luke’s Community House, serving seniors and families in West Nashville. She has also interned at the Tennessee General Assembly.

Outgoing YLD and Public Education Coordinator Katharine Heriges will be moving internally as well, to fill the vacant Communications Coordinator position. Heriges's professional background is in political communications and print news reporting, which should serve her well in the new role.

Turn Your Expertise into a Magazine Article

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Dec 30, 2016

Submit to the Tennessee Bar Journal

Have you considered turning your expertise and experience into an article for the Tennessee Bar Journal? Sharing your knowledge with colleagues is one of the best ways to help the profession while also getting your name out there.

How can you become a Journal author? Think of and refine your topic. It should be of interest to Tennessee lawyers, which is a broad criteria.

This could mean you might explain a new state law, explain a complicated area of law, or take a larger issue and connect it to what it means for Tennessee attorneys and the justice system. Find a global issue within your particular experience or knowledge and tell about it and how it affects Tennessee law. 

 
Then take a look at the writer’s guidelines, which will tell you about length, notes and other details. Once it’s in the proper format, send it in! It goes to the editor, Suzanne Craig Robertson, who will then get it to the seven members of the Editorial Board for review.
 
If you are published, you may apply for CLE credit for your work under Supreme Court Rule 21 Section 4.07(b). For details on claiming the credit, check with the Commission on CLE & Specialization.

Mock Trial 2017 Accepting Volunteers

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Dec 30, 2016

 

The committee, which plans and executes the Tennessee State High School Mock Trial Competition each year, is seeking volunteer judges, attorneys, paralegals, legal staff and law students to help with the 2017 competition as presiding judges, scorers and bailiffs.

 Volunteers are still needed for the Tennessee High School Mock Trial Competition! This year's competition will be held March 17-18 at the Davidson County Courthouse in Nashville.  Please sign up by March 2 to ensure your spot. 

There are three options for volunteering:

* Sitting judges in Tennessee may volunteer to preside over trial rounds
* Attorneys may volunteer to score teams
* Law students, paralegals and other legal staff may sign up to serve as bailiffs
 
Volunteers who live outside of Davidson County and volunteer for at least one round on Friday & one round on Saturday will have lodging accommodations provided by the TBA. Those who wish to volunteer can now sign up using this form on the TBA website. Be sure to indicate which role you are volunteering for. 
 
Those with questions about the case should contact Mock Trial Committee Chair Kristen Corn, and those with questions about volunteering should contact TBA Staff Coordinator Lauren Hopper Lee. For directions, forms and other volunteer information, please view the TBA Mock Trial website. We look forward to seeing you! 
 
 
 

 

36 Attorneys Selected for Leadership Law Class

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Dec 30, 2016
This month the TBA announced the members of the incoming 2017 Leadership Law class. Among the 36 chosen for the program, many are current young lawyers and two currently serve on the YLD board. They are:
 
•Brandon Bass, Law Offices of John Day, P.C., Brentwood
•Elizabeth Carroll, Harmony Family Center, Inc., Knoxville
•Kay Caudle, STR, Inc., Hendersonville
•Kevin Christopher, Collins Law Firm PLLC, Nashville
•Kasey Culbreath, Law Office of Kasey A. Culbreath, P.C., Atoka
•Abbie DeBlasis, Belmont University College of Law, Nashville
•Ryan Durham, Boston, Holt, Sockwell & Durham, PLLC, Lawrenceburg
•Kathryn Ellis, Legal Aid of East Tennessee, Knoxville
•Taylor Eskridge, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Jackson
•Elizabeth Foy, Office of the District Attorney General, Nashville
•Kyonzte Hughes-Toombs, Tennessee Department of Health, Nashville
•Shanna Singh Hughey, ThinkTennessee, Nashville
•Patricia Jones, Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee & the Cumberlands, Columbia
•Aaron Kandel, Tennessee Department of Human Services, Memphis
•Jennifer Lankford, Thompson Burton PLLC, Franklin
•Matt Lyon, Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law, Knoxville
•John Manson, Manson, Johnson, Conner, PLLC, Nashville
•Bill Mauldin, Pentecost, Glenn, Mauldin & York, PLLC, Jackson
•Melody McAnally, Butler Snow LLP, Memphis
•Andy McCall, Robertson Overbey, Knoxville
•Gabe McGaha, Fisher & Phillips LLP, Memphis
•Rebecca McKelvey Castañeda, Stites & Harbison, PLLC, Nashville
•Joshua Mullen, Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC, Nashville
•Stephanie O’Hara, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
•Tony Orlandi, Branstetter, Stranch & Jennings, PLLC, Nashville
•Samantha Parris, Law Office of Samantha Parris, Knoxville
•Anne Passino, Southern Environmental Law Center, Nashville
•Jared Renfroe, Spicer Rudstrom, PLLC, Memphis
•Mickey Schmitt, Ortale Kelley Law Firm, Nashville
•Kelly Street, London Amburn, P.C., Knoxville
•Lesley Tate-Farmer, Tennessee Department of Human Resources, Nashville
•Alicia Teubert, Elmore, Stone & Caffey, PLLC, Knoxville
•Colleen Hitch Wilson, Federal Express Corporation, Memphis
•Rachel Witherington, Law Office of T.D. Forrester and the City of Covington, Covington
•William Wooten, Wooten Law Office, Covington
•Brian Yoakum, Evans Petree PC, Memphis
 
Congratulations to the entire TBALL class of 2017! See more information here.
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