The Southeast Tennessee Lawyers Association for Women (SETLAW) named Baker Donelson attorney Virginia Love their 2015 Lioness of the Bar, the Hamilton County Herald reports. SETLAW president Brittany Thomas said Love’s legal expertise in 36 years of practice and furthering the careers of other female attorneys contributed to Love’s selection. “Madeleine Albright said there’s a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women. Virginia stood out in this respect. She’s an amazing Lioness,” Thomas said.

More than 200 Tennessee court clerks offices will wear purple on Friday to participate in the Purple Out Day. The event raises awareness about Alzheimer’s and related dementias and raises money to support Alzheimer’s Tennessee. "I encourage the community, especially the legal community, to visit the trial court clerks in their county on Friday to thank them for their service and to join me in making a donation to support this great effort,” Jim Hivner, Clerk of the Appellate Courts, said.

Memphis mayoral candidate Mike Williams and about 20 city residents travelled to Nashville Friday to ask state officials to conduct a “forensic audit” of the city’s books and an ethics review of city officials, The Commercial Appeal reports. The group did not name any city officials during its request. State Comptroller Justin P. Wilson said he will review documents given to him by Williams.

Kim Davis, the Kentucky clerk who was jailed after refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, returned to work this morning and requested that her name and title be removed from marriage licenses issued from her office, NPR reports. "Effective immediately, and until an accommodation is provided, by those with the authority to provide it, any marriage license issued by my office will not be issued or authorized by me,” Davis said. The clerk questioned the validity of licenses coming out of her office without her authority, but The Daily Times reports Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway reviewed the marriage licenses and believes they are valid. Davis said said she would not stand in the way of her deputies issuing licenses.

The Tennessee Supreme Court will hear oral arguments at Cumberland University Sept. 30 as part of its Advancing Legal Education for Students initiative. Sessions are open to the public and will be held in the Dallas Floyd Recreation Center beginning at 9 a.m. More than 1,000 high school students are expected to attend. “For many people this is a very unique opportunity to hear a case before the Tennessee State Supreme Court.” said Dr. C. William McKee, vice president of academic affairs. “Those in attendance will see first hand how the judicial process works and be able to speak with many of those directly involved with the cases.”

Long-time Knoxville attorney Jonathan Burnett Sr. died Thursday (Sept. 10). He was 87. Prior to receiving his undergraduate and law school degrees from the University of Tennessee, Burnett entered the U.S. Navy at the age of 17. He became a partner in the firm of Hodges, Doughty and Carson in 1970 and practiced with the firm until his retirement in 2004. He was a member of the American Bar Association and a TBA Senior Counselor. A celebration of his life was to be held today at 5:30 p.m. at First Baptist Church in Knoxville, where Burnett was a lifelong member. Donations may be made in Burnett’s honor to First Baptist Church, 510 West Main St., Knoxville, 37902.

Lawyers for Brandon Vandenburg and Cory Batey, two former Vanderbilt football players accused of raping a female student inside a dorm room, were in court today for a status hearing. WSMV reports no formal motions were filed, but defense attorneys said they plan to file a change of venue motion and outined dates for future motions. The new indictments were released in July after the rape case was declared a mistrial in June and exclude a charge against Vandenburg handed down in the 2013 indictment of tampering with evidence. No new charges were issued against Vandenburg or the three other men accused in the case.

The Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals ordered a new trial for Benjamin Foust on trial for a 2011 double murder, after the court said Knox County Criminal Court Judge Mary Beth Leibowitz made mistakes, the Knoxville News Sentinel reports. Judge D. Kelly Thomas Jr. issued an opinion stating Judge Leibowitz allowed jurors to hear a police interrogation containing irrelevant information about co-defendant Teddie Jones without listening to it first or holding a hearing outside the jury’s presence about it. “The trial court utterly failed in its gatekeeping function as outlined in (court rules),” Thomas wrote. The case now goes back to Knox County Criminal Court.

Knoxville officials could be violating the Guns in Parks law by not allowing guns at the Tennessee Valley Fair held in Chilhowee Park, WATE reports. The law prohibits local governments from banning people with handgun permits from carrying weapons in parks, playgrounds and sports fields. The city said Chilhowee Park is a classified public assembly – not a park. Officials with the Tennessee Valley Fair say they will comply with the Chilhowee Park owners by prohibiting weapons. Rep. Eddie Smith, R-Knoxville, said he will reach out to the Attorney General’s Office for an opinion.

An item in Wednesday’s TBA Today incorrectly identified the name of the new Nashville law firm, Farmer Purcell White & Lassiter PLLC, with attorneys Bill Lassiter, Bill Farmer, Jonathan Farmer, Bill Purcell, John Belcher, Jim White, Elizabeth Sykes, Hank Hildebrand, Curtis Harrington and Tim Kappel. The firm is located at 150 Fourth Ave. North, Suite 1820.