Hamilton County General Sessions Judge Alexander McVeagh has been recognized with the American Bar Association’s 2021 On the Rise Award. Each year, the ABA recognizes 40 of the nation’s young lawyers who exemplify a broad range of high achievement, innovation, vision, leadership and legal and community service. McVeagh was first appointed as general sessions judge in 2017. One of the youngest judges in Tennessee history, McVeagh founded Hamilton County’s first misdemeanor drug recovery court in 2019. He previously practiced with Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel, the Tennessee Public Defenders Conference and the Tennessee Senate Judiciary Committee. He currently serves on the Tennessee Supreme Court’s Access to Justice Commission, Technology Oversight Committee and on the Governor’s Criminal Justice Reform Task Force. McVeagh also serves as the president of the Chattanooga Bar Association Young Lawyer Division, as the East Tennessee governor on the TBA YLD Board, and as the state's Young Lawyer Delegate to the American Bar Association House of Delegates. 

On June 8, the Lawyers Association for Women Marion Griffin Chapter kicked off its new year with the 2021-2022 Board Retreat for executive board members and committee co-chairs. The new leadership made introductions and discussed ideas and events for the year. 

On June 15, the chapter held its first post-pandemic in-person event at the Nashville City Club with an overview of legislation brought before and passed by the 2020 and 2021 Tennessee General Assemblies. On July 20 at noon CDT, the chapter will hold its Annual Membership Meeting by Zoom. Register here or get more information. The chapter also asks members and guests to save the date for two upcoming events:

• On Sept. 23 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., the chapter will host the Virtual 2021 Marion Griffin Women's Symposium. The theme for this year's symposium is "What Have We Learned from the Past Year and How We Can Grow." The symposium will kick off with an outdoor reception on Sept. 22 at the Home of Meera Ballal.
• On Nov. 2, the chapter will hold its annual New Admittees' Breakfast for new lawyers sworn in to practice before the Tennessee Supreme Court.

Watch for more details on both of these events coming soon.

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands will hold an in-person legal clinic this week for members of the public with questions about housing and renters’ rights, bankruptcy, medical bills, debt collection, domestic violence, SNAP benefits and unemployment benefits. The clinic will take place tomorrow from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. CDT at Operation Stand Down Nashville, 1125 12th Avenue South, Nashville, Tennessee 37203.  To volunteer contact Kendra Cheek. 

July 14th Barristers Meeting - The next meeting of the Knoxville Barristers will be held July 14 at 5 p.m. EDT. Register for the meeting here.

July 14th Virtual Veterans Legal Advice Clinic - The Veterans Legal Advice Clinic is a joint project of the Knoxville Barristers, the Young Lawyers Division of the Knoxville Bar Association (KBA), KBA/Barristers Access to Justice Committees, Legal Aid of East Tennessee, Knox County Public Defender’s Community Law Office, the University of Tennessee College of Law, Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law and the local VA office. This is a general advice and referral clinic that serves between 20 and 30 veterans in the community each month with a wide variety of legal issues, including family law, landlord/tenant, bankruptcy, criminal defense, consumer protection, contract disputes, child support and personal injury, among other issues. Any veteran looking to set up an appointment should call Legal Aid of East Tennessee at 865-637-0484. Lawyers are needed to help field calls. Sign up to volunteer here.
 

The ABA On The Rise Award provides national recognition for ABA young lawyer members who exemplify a broad range of high achievement, innovation, vision, leadership and legal and community service. We are thrilled that our very own Judge Alexander McVeagh has been recognized as an On The Rise Award recipient this year!  

McVeagh was appointed as a general sessions court judge in Chattanooga by Gov. Bill Haslam in 2017. One of the youngest judges in Tennessee history, McVeagh founded Hamilton County’s first misdemeanor drug recovery court in 2019.  He obtained his undergraduate and law degrees from Vanderbilt University and practiced civil and criminal law at Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel prior to his appointment. McVeagh previously served as the head research analyst and law clerk for the Tennessee Senate Judiciary Committee and as legislative liaison for the Tennessee District Public Defenders Conference. He currently serves on the Tennessee Supreme Court’s Access to Justice Commission, Technology Oversight Committee and on the Governor’s Criminal Justice Reform Task Force.

On June 14-19, the TBA Young Lawyers Division met in Memphis as part of the 140th Annual TBA Convention. Members attended the Annual YLD Meeting and visited the National Civil Rights Museum. New officers were also installed. They are: President Billy Leslie, President-elect Brittany Faith, Vice President Quinton Thompson, Secretary John Anthony Carreras and Treasurer Justin Faith. At the Lawyers Luncheon on Friday, the YLD Fellows presented the annual William M. Leech Jr. Public Service Award to AC and Ruby Wharton. On Saturday, the YLD Board met to plan for the upcoming bar year. Make sure to follow the TBA YLD page on Facebook, Linkedin and Instagram for information about upcoming events!

June 9, Barristers Meeting - The June Meeting of the Knoxville Barristers will be tomorrow, June 9, at 5 p.m. EDT. Register for the meeting here.

June 9, Virtual Veterans Legal Advice Clinic - The Veterans Legal Advice Clinic is a joint project of the Knoxville Barristers and its Access to Justice Committee, the KBA Young Lawyers Division, Legal Aid of East Tennessee, Knox County Public Defender’s Community Law Office, the University of Tennessee College of Law, Lincoln Memorial University- Duncan School of Law and the local Veterans Affairs office. This is a general advice and referral clinic which will serve between 20 and 30 veterans in the community each month with a wide variety of legal issues, including family law, landlord/tenant, bankruptcy, criminal defense, consumer protection, contract disputes, child support and personal injury, among other issues. As we operate within the pandemic, the monthly clinic remains virtual. Any veteran looking to set up an appointment should call Legal Aid of East Tennessee at 865-637-0484. Sign up here to volunteer.

June 12, Virtual Debt Relief Clinic - Legal groups in East Tennessee will hold a virtual pro bono debt relief clinic on June 12. The clinic is available to qualified individuals who live in counties served by Legal Aid of East Tennessee. Volunteer attorneys will conduct initial meetings with clients to discuss their situations and options. Sponsors of the event include Bankruptcy Judge Suzanne Bauknight, the federal bar associations in the Eastern District of Tennessee, Knoxville Bar Association, TBA Young Lawyers Division, Tennessee Supreme Court’s Access to Justice Commission and Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services. Volunteer here.

June 16, Donate Tablets for Clinics - The Barristers recently received a grant from the ABA Young Lawyers Division to refurbish tablets to use at legal advice clinics, the KBA reports. The clinics, which provide legal advice on a wide variety of issues, are offered in partnership with Legal Aid of East Tennessee. The KBA will serve as a collection center for those who wish to donate. The devices then will sanitized and reconditioned. Tablets may be dropped off at the KBA Office, 505 Main St., Ste 50, Knoxville, TN 37902 until June 16.

1. The Podcask: A podcast about bourbon, whiskey and sometimes scotch. Will and the Greeze learn about the culture, history and enjoyment of various whiskies.

2. Bourbon Pursuit: The Official Podcast of Bourbon! Featuring news, reviews and interviews with people making the bourbon whiskey industry happen.

3. How I Built This with Guy Raz: Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. "How I Built This" weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.

TBA Young Lawyers Division Vice President and Chattanooga attorney Brittany Faith has been recognized by the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) with the 2021 Joseph Minsky Young Lawyer Award. Faith was chosen for the award based on her outstanding contributions to the immigration and nationality law practice areas. Faith leads the Immigration Practice Group at Chattanooga law firm Grant Konvalinka & Harrison PC, where she helps clients from across the world with their immigration needs. Faith will assume the role of president-elect for the TBA YLD this month, before leading the division as president in 2022-2023. Read more about Faith’s accomplishments in immigration law on AILA’s website.

The TBA Mentoring Committee will host a free virtual program on ethics in the mentoring relationship from 11:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. CDT on June 8. The session is open to all current mentors and mentees or anyone interested in joining the Mentoring Program. Guest speakers Brian Faughnan of Lewis Thomason, Sandy Garrett with the Board of Professional Responsibility and Knoxville Law Director Charles Swanson will discuss identifying clear ethical violations in a mentoring relationship and setting and maintaining healthy expectations and boundaries in today’s setting. To RSVP for the event, email Stephanie Vonnahme.