An attorney for Knoxville-based truck stop chain Flying Pilot J said today that fewer than 20 companies have filed lawsuits against the company, despite nearly 60 refusing Pilot’s settlement offer. At a hearing before Knox County Circuit Judge Harold Wimberly, Pilot attorney Al Harb distributed a list showing nine of the cases were pending in state courts, including actions in Texas and Louisiana, while seven were filed in federal courts. Harb says he expects the company will seek to consolidate the federal cases for pre-trial proceedings likely during a hearing on Jan. 30 when the federal Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation is slated to meet in New Orleans. Knoxnews has more.

Advances in making Tennessee’s judiciary more diverse are evident: women now make up the majority of justices on the Tennessee Supreme Court; Deborah Stevens was recently appointed to serve as a Knox County Circuit Court judge; and Pam Reeves, when confirmed by the Senate, will become the first woman to serve as a federal judge in East Tennessee. However, progress has been slow Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Sharon Lee points out to Knoxnews: “We are not where we should be yet in terms of judicial diversity.” According to a report by the Center for Women in Government & Civil Society at the University of Albany, State University of New York, Tennessee lags behind the national (27.1 percent) and Southeastern average (25.6 percent) with just 18.4 percent of women judges. Lee, other seasoned women attorneys and organizations such as the state and East Tennessee chapters of the Lawyers Association for Women are working to change that by addressing some of the dynamics cited for low advancement among women within the state’s judicial system. 

The U.S. Department of Justice is being sued over its refusal to publicly disclose a $2 million non-prosecution agreement prosecutors reached in 2012 with Houston-based ABC Professional Tree Services Inc. that employed undocumented workers. According to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed last Tuesday, prosecutors will not disclose a copy of the agreement between the government and ABC. The Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression represents the challenger, Jonathan Ashley, a business reference librarian at the University of Virginia School of Law. The Blog of the Legal Times has more.

The Knoxville Bar Association (KBA) will provide an online resource to help voters learn more about local judicial candidates, Knoxnews reports. Scheduled for a January launch, a “Get to Know Our Judges” section of the KBA’s website will feature information about candidates seeking election to serve eight-year terms as judges in Knox County. The site will include biographical information about the candidates, as well as the courts that they are seeking to oversee, KBA Executive Director Marsha Wilson says. The county’s primary election is May 6, and general election is Aug. 7.

The Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands is hosting a free legal clinic tomorrow at the Williamson County Public Library from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public with no appointment necessary. Visit HobNob Franklin for more information.

Republican Steve Crump has announced he is running for district attorney general for the 10th Judicial District, which includes Monroe, McMinn, Bradley and Polk counties. Crump earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee and has practiced in his hometown of Cleveland since 1994, The Cleveland Daily Banner reports. He spent almost 10 years as an assistant district attorney and has served as a special judge in General Sessions, Juvenile and Family Courts. “It is time for a new direction in the criminal justice system and our local approach to prosecuting crime,” Crump said in announcing his candidacy.

Knox County Circuit Court Judge Deborah Stevens writes about the benefits of leadership training within the legal community in an opinion piece for Knoxnews. The former president and managing shareholder at Lewis, King, Krieg & Waldrop, Stevens praised law schools and legal organizations, including the Tennessee Bar Association, for expending time and money to develop leadership curriculums for lawyers. “As a profession, we must constantly find ways to re-energize our efforts to promote justice and public good.” she wrote. “With an increased focus on leadership skills for lawyers, I am confident that our community will see the benefit in our economy, government and in public service."

More than 30 potential elected officials have picked up petition papers from the Putnam County Election Commission, the Herald-Citizen reports. Packets became available Nov. 22 and must be filed by Feb. 20 for the candidates to make it onto the primary ballot. County positions up for voting during the nominating election include general sessions court judge, parts I and II; circuit court clerk; and — for the first time in eight years — all 13th Judicial District offices: circuit court judge, parts I and II; chancellor; criminal court judge, parts I and II; district attorney general; and public defender.

The YWCA of Nashville and Middle Tennessee recently kicked off its inaugural Legal Challenge with a breakfast event. District Attorney General Torry Johnson is chairing the effort, which seeks to engage the broader legal community in Nashville to become more aware of violence against women. Attendees included Supreme Court Justice Connie Clark and Mayor Karl Dean. The Nashville Business Journal has more on the event, starting on page six of this slideshow.

13th Judicial District Criminal Court Judge Leon Burns has  announced that he will retire in 2014 after serving over 38 years on the bench — longer than any other judge currently in the Tennessee Judicial Conference. Reflecting on his long career to the Harold Citizen, Burns offered a bit of advice for his successor: “Be careful that you don’t think too highly of yourself and get carried away with your position,” he said. “Treat people with the respect that anybody’s entitled to, regardless of who they are and what they’ve done. ... Do the best you can in deciding what to do according to the law — according to what you’re supposed to do.”