The Tennessee Supreme Court has ruled that the state constitution guarantees the right to bail, but it is not absolute. In a unanimous opinion released yesterday, the state's highest court said the right to pretrial bail can be revoked if someone is alleged to have committed a crime after bailing out of jail. The court, however, said that a defendant is entitled to a hearing before bail can be revoked. WSMV reports from the Associated Press.

American Bar Association President William C. Hubbard is urging legislative leaders to reject any proposals that would require many law firms and other personal service businesses to switch from the simple cash method of accounting to the more complex and costly accrual method. Hubbard sent letters to the leaders of the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee as they explore ways to simplify the tax code. During a meeting with invited stakeholders, the ABA said the change could cause substantial financial hardship to many lawyers, law firms, and other personal service businesses by forcing them to pay tax on “phantom” income they have not yet received and may never receive.

Memorial services for former Knoxville Bar Association president Johanna J. McGlothlin, who died yesterday (April 7), will be 2 p.m. Saturday at Easley First United Methodist Church in Easley, South Carolina. The family will receive friends from noon until 1:45 p.m. in the Church Fellowship Hall. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Legal Aid of East Tennessee, 502 South Gay Street, Suite 404, in Knoxville or Easley First United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 589, Easley, South Carolina 29641.

Ernest A. Petroff died Monday (April 6) after a battle with lung cancer. He was 69. Petroff was a graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law and practiced in Huntsville, Tenn., and surrounding federal and state courts. He was a fellow of the Tennessee Bar Foundation and was a frequent book review contributor to the Tennessee Bar Journal. The family will receive friends at the Huntsville Presbyterian Church Saturday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., with a funeral service following at 4 p.m. Interment of ashes will follow at Mossop Memorial Cemetery, adjacent to the church. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Huntsville Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 39 in Huntsville, TN.

Legislative staffers are calling video streaming problems on the Tennessee General Assembly's website unacceptable, the Memphis Daily News reports from the Associated Press. The online video has been available intermittently over the last two weeks. House Clerk Joe McCord said in an email to members Monday that all meetings and floor sessions are being recorded regardless of the streaming issues, and that DVD duplicates are being made for archival purposes.

A Republican-backed effort to legalize marijuana for limited medicinal purposes in Tennessee has been delayed until 2016. Senate Health and Welfare Committee chairman Rusty Crowe said there wasn't enough time to fully discuss the pros and cons of the bill and that he would create a summer study commission to look at it. The Tennessean has more.

McAngus Goudelock & Courie, a regional insurance defense firm, has expanded into Nashville, making it the firm’s 12th office in the Southeast. MGC welcomes four new attorneys to the firm’s newest office: Paul Brewer, Joey Johnsen, Chuck Mangelsdorf and Stephen Morton.

Join Legal Aid of East Tennessee as it celebrates 50 years of bringing civil legal justice to the low income, elderly and abused people of East Tennessee. The event will be held 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on April 23 at the Foundry at World’s Fair Park. Seating is limited, please RSVP by Friday.

A crusade to allow Tennessee employers to opt out of mandatory workers’ compensation insurance seems a first-year flop, but will likely be back next year, Knoxnews reports. Sponsored by Rep. Jeremy Durham, R-Franklin, SB0721/HB0997 sets minimum payout provisions — $300,000 in most circumstances for medical coverage — and sets a limit on lawsuit payouts. The Tennessee Bar Association and a number of insurance companies oppose the proposal.

The ABA is now giving free memberships to law students at ABA-approved schools. Students who join will have access to a number of ABA services and also receive copies of Student Lawyer magazine and a digital subscription to the monthly ABA Journal.