Three open positions will be filled by the TBA Board of Governors at its meeting June 18. The positions are West Grand Division Governor - Position 1; Governor, First District (three-year term); and Governor, Fifth District - Position 2 (three-year term). If you would like to be considered for one of these positions, contact TBA Executive Director Allan F. Ramsaur by June 1 indicating your interest and include a resume.

Gov. Bill Haslam today signed into a law a bill that allows licensed counselors and therapists to deny service to clients whose "goals, outcomes or behaviors" conflict with the counselor’s “sincerely held principles.” The bill (SB 1556) shields counselors from civil lawsuits, criminal prosecution and sanctions by the state licensing board. The Tennessean reports Haslam said he felt comfortable signing the law, which as passed, requires a counselor to take a client who has an emergency and life threatening situation. The American Counseling Association condemned the measure, calling it a “hate bill.” 

Jackson attorney Cathy Clayton and Judge Brandon O. Gibson recently received Sterling Awards, which are presented annually by the Jackson Area Business and Professional Women and The Jackson Sun to recognize 20 of West Tennessee’s most influential women. Clayton is the executive director of West Tennessee Legal Services. Judge Gibson sits on the Tennessee Court of Appeals – Western Section. The TBA previously reported attorney Pam Ford Wright also received a Sterling Award. Read more from The Jackson Sun.

Utility district brought action to condemn a parcel of real property which was located outside the district?s boundaries in order to construct a water storage tank, associated piping, and an access road. The trial court denied the petition, and the district appeals.

In this divorce action, Wife contends the trial court erred in the division of marital property and by declining to award her alimony. Wife also contends the trial court erred by permitting her counsel of record to withdraw, denying her recusal motion, and denying her requests for disability modifications. We affirm the trial court in all respects. We also find Wife?s appeal frivolous and remand for the trial court to award Husband his reasonable and necessary fees and expenses incurred on appeal.

In this appeal of an order denying the employee's motion to alter, amend, or set aside an approved workers' compensation settlement agreement, the employee admittedly signed an agreement that resolved her claim for workers' compensation benefits on a "doubtful and disputed basis." The employee wrote below her signature a notation, which purported to say "stress duress," though she did not bring this notation to the attention of the trial judge during the approval hearing. After questioning the employee at the approval hearing, the trial court entered an order approving the settlement.

Vanderbilt University Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos will host a roundtable discussion exploring the U.S. Supreme Court’s current vacancy and the controversy surrounding the nomination of a new justice. The roundtable will include Andrew Napolitano, Fox News senior judicial correspondent and author; Jeffrey Toobin, CNN senior legal analyst and New Yorker staff writer; and Audrey Anderson, Vanderbilt University general counsel. The one-hour discussion is planned for May 2 at 6:30 p.m. in Vanderbilt’s Langford Auditorium. A reception will precede the talk at 5:30 p.m. in the lobby. 

Is it a true jury of peers if a person’s race is not represented? The Tennessean explores a Nashville case in which a juror’s objections to two black men facing a jury with no black jurors led to a trial delay earlier this month. The case involves two men accused of attacking two people during a 2014 fight in Madison. Defense attorneys accused the state of rejecting jurors based on race, a claim the state denied. The pair’s trial has been rescheduled for May 23. The article highlights the national precedent for jury selection and race set by the U.S. Supreme Court case Batson v. Kentucky. 

Register now for the 2016 TBA Annual Convention in Nashville. The largest legal gathering in Tennessee, the convention includes compelling CLE programming and time to catch up with colleagues. Hotel reservations are available through May 20 at the Sheraton Music City Hotel, (888) 627-7060. This year's convention is planned for June 15-18.

The location for the Indigent Representation Task Force's statewide listening tour stop tomorrow in Memphis has been moved to the Vasco Smith Building, Shelby County Commission's Chambers, 1st floor, located at 160 North Main. The task force’s next stop is planned for Friday in Trenton. View a full listening tour schedule.