The Tennessee Supreme Court temporarily suspended Shelby County lawyer Johnny Q. Rasberry Jr. on Dec. 2 after Rasberry failed to respond to the board regarding a complaint of misconduct. Rasberry is immediately precluded from accepting any new cases and must cease representing any existing clients by Jan. 1. Read the BPR release.

The state court also temporarily suspended Sullivan County lawyer Don W. Cooper on Dec. 4 upon finding he misappropriated funds and poses a risk of substantial harm to the public. Cooper is immediately precluded from accepting new cases and must cease representing existing clients by Jan. 3. He is also required to notify all clients he represents of his suspension. Read the BPR release.

The American Bar Association is accepting third-party comments related to law schools undergoing accreditation site visits in spring 2016. The University of Memphis School of Law and Appalachian School of Law are scheduled to undergo upcoming site visits. Written and signed comments related to current compliance standards should be submitted by Jan. 15 to William Adams of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar.

The Williamson County Bar Association will host its Annual Christmas Party with an “Ugly Sweater” theme this Thursday at Puckett's Boathouse located at 94 E Main St. in Franklin. The party will begin at 5:45 p.m. Attorney Alison Prestwood will perform at the party with her band. Tickets are $30 and can purchased at the door.

Travis Randall McDonough was confirmed 89-0 today by the U.S. Senate as U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Tennessee. McDonough was nominated to fill the vacancy created by Judge Curtis Collier, who took senior status on Oct. 31, 2014. He previously served as counselor and chief of staff for Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke. Two other Tennessee District Court nominees – Edward Stanton III and Waverly Crenshaw Jr. – have won Judiciary Committee approval for the West and Middle Districts, respectively, but are still awaiting a Senate vote.

Two House Republicans are asking Tennessee candidates to demonstrate their budgeting abilites through a new piece of legislation that would require all candidates to publicly release their credit scores. The "Voter Accountability and Transparency Act," sponsored by Rep. Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, and Sen. Paul Bailey, R-Sparta, would change state law to require financial statements filed by candidates to include credit scores. "Before an election, candidates constantly say how they are going to balance the budget and make sure government lives within its means," Sexton said. "How do voters verify whether the candidate means what they say? The only accurate answer is to know the person’s credit score." Read more from The Tennesean.

The Tennessee Defense Lawyers Association (TDLA) announced its 2015-16 Board at its Annual Fall Meeting held in Chattanooga. Catherine “Cate” C. Dugan, with AIG in Nashville, will serve as president and Barret S. Albritton with Spears, Moore, Rebman and Williams in Chattanooga, will serve as president-elect. In addition, Mary W. Gadd has been named TDLA’s new executive director; she is located in Lookout Mountain. View the complete list of 2015-2016 Board Members.

The YLD Mock Trial Committee is looking for volunteers to become mock trial coordinators in their area, especially for District 4, which includes Bledsoe, Blount, Bradley, Loudon, McMinn, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Polk, Rhea and Roane counties. The coordinator(s) will help organize and run their local district mock trial competition. For more information, contact Kristen Corn.

The U.S. Supreme court today announced it will not hear a challenge to an assault weapons ban in a Chicago suburb, The New York Times reports. “The court’s action will encourage gun control advocates to push for bans on assault weapons,” said Adam Winkler, a law professor at the University of California. “This is one of the items at the top of the gun control agenda. Now advocates have less to fear from the courts on this issue.”

The Tennessee Supreme Court disbarred Auston Wortman III from the practice of law on Dec 4. Wortman, who practiced in Collierville, was sentenced to 30 years on Nov. 9 after he admitted to attempting to kill his wife. The Court took its action after it found Wortman could not successfully defend himself against the charges alleged in three complaints of misconduct. Read the BPR release.

The Washington County Bar is seeking an attorney to coach a mock trial team at Science Hill High School in Johnson City. Contact the Washington County Bar at 423-631-0326 to volunteer.