The Spring 2016 issue of Transactions, The Tennessee Journal of Business Law is available online. The journal is published by the University of Tennessee College of Law. Articles include “Braving the Waters: A Guide for Tennessee’s Aspiring Entrepreneurs (5th Edition),” and “Student Note: The Changing Chapter 13 Procedural Landscape After Espinosa and Consequences.” 

Students of the University of Tennessee College of Law’s Appellate Litigation Clinic recently argued two cases before the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati. Under the guidance of professor Lucy Jewel and and adjunct professor Wade Davies, the students worked over the last year to prepare. Third-year law student Trey Neal argued an immigration appeal on behalf of a young Honduran man seeking asylum from deadly gang violence in the country. “The judges were very engaged and knowledgeable about the case, so it really just became a conversation,” Neal said.

The jury that will hear the retrial of former Vanderbilt University football player Brandon Vandenburg will be chosen in Memphis, The Tennessean reports. Vandenburg's retrial is scheduled for June 13 in Nashville. Vandenburg and Cory Batey were found guilty of aggravated rape and other charges after a 2015 trial, but a mistrial was declared due to juror misconduct. Their retrials were split due to a medical condition of one of Vandenburg’s attorneys, which resulted in a delay. Jury selection is expected to happen the week before the trial.

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.

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.