Chris and Donna Cantrell, a deaf couple from Virginia, are suing Mountain States Health Alliance in Johnson City for allegedly failing to provide a qualified sign language interpreter while their 21-year-old daughter was dying of cancer. The federal suit, filed Wednesday by Disability Rights Tennessee and the National Association of the Deaf, said the hospital provided an unqualified interpreter on fewer than five occasions. "(Donna) Cantrell saw her daughter burst into tears but had no idea why she was crying. Because her daughter was too upset to explain, (she) did not learn that her daughter was dying until much later,” the lawsuit said. Read more from The Times Free Press.

Sen. Brian Kelsey, R-Germantown, is questioning the constitutionality of a recent decision by the Nashville Metropolitan Fair Commissioners Board to ban gun shows from publicly owned fairgrounds. Kelsey, who said the ban also violates Tennessee and Metro laws, requested an opinion on Thursday from Attorney General Herbert Slatery. Read more from The Collierville Independent. 

The Shelby County Mental Health Court, a voluntary program that will attempt to help nonviolent, mentally ill criminals get help instead of jail time, is set to open next month. WREG reports county departments and state agencies met Thursday to discuss plans for the court. "It'll allow us to divert people with mental illnesses from the prison environment, which is very costly," Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell said. Judge Gerald Skahan will preside over the court.

The Tennessee Association of Drug Court Professionals (TADCP) honored Davidson County Criminal Court Judge Seth Norman with its “Making a Difference” award for his significant contributions to Tennessee Recovery Courts. Norman is responsible for creating the Davidson County Residential Drug/Recovery Court and is recognized on the state and national level as a leader in the Recovery Court model. Earlier this year, Norman wrote about the success of the the recovery court system in the Tennessee Bar Journal. Davidson County Drug Court Director Janet Hobson was also honored by TADCP with the Christy Vernon Spirit Award.

Murfreesboro attorney Joe Brandon Jr. died unexpectedly Thursday night from a heart attack, according to the Rutherford and Cannon County Bar Association (RCCBA). Brandon, a criminal defense lawyer, was one of the attorneys who represented plaintiffs in a case seeking to stop construction of the Islamic Center in Murfreesboro. “Joe has been a great part of our legal community for many years and will always be remembered for the enthusiasm and zealousness he brought to the practice of law,” the RCCBA said in an e-mail to members. Read more from the Daily News Journal. 

The ABA offers attorneys advice in a podcast (with transcript) for using blogging to develop a practice area. Hillary Bricken, a Seattle lawyer and one of the authors of Canna Law Blog, said the blog on cannabis laws has come to generate about half of the regulated practice group’s clients. “…The blog has really helped get the message out there that we deal with sophisticated issues,” Bricken said.

Jeffery H. Wicks of Rockwood was appointed by Gov. Bill Haslam as Criminal Court Judge for the Ninth Judicial District, replacing Judge E. Eugene Eblen, who is retiring effective Dec. 31.The Ninth Judicial District serves Loudon, Meigs, Morgan and Roane counties. Wicks has served as General Sessions Court Judge in Roane County since 2006. “I promise to do my very best to uphold the high judicial standards set by Judge Eblen during his distinguished career as our criminal court judge,” Wicks said.

Lipscomb University is seeking attorneys to volunteer at its upcoming legal clinic on Dec. 15 in Nashville. The clinic will be held from 5:30 – 8 p.m. at St. James Mission Baptist Church. Contact Randy Spivey, 615-966-2503 to volunteer or for more information.

Judge Charles D. Susano Jr. announced that he will step down at the end of the year as Chief Judge of the Tennessee Court of Appeals, but said he will remain on the court. Susano, of Knoxville, has been chief judge since Jan. 1, 2013. He was first elected to the Court of Appeals in 1994. “I have enjoyed my time as chief judge,” Susano said. “But now is the time for someone else to assume the administrative functions of the court."

The Memphis Bar Association welcomed Shea Wellford as its new president at the MBA’s annual meeting held on Dec. 3. Earle Schwarz will serve as secretary/treasurer and Megan Arthur, Doug Halijan, Earl Houston, Lisa Overall, Valerie Smith, and Jill Steinberg were elected as board members. International Paper received the W.J. Michael Cody Access to Justice Award presented by Memphis Area Legal Services and Joe Duncan received the Judge Jerome Turner Lawyer's Lawyer Award.