Rosemary E. Phillips has been appointed the Clerk and Master of Robertson County by Chancellor Laurence M. McMillan Jr. Phillips succeeds Kenneth Hudgens who is retiring after 35 years of service to the county. “We all wish Ken the best in his well-deserved retirement,“ Chancellor McMillan said in a press release. “I also look forward to working with Rosemary, who has distinguished herself as an accomplished attorney and who will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Clerk and Master position.”

The University of Tennessee College of Law will host the Annual Fall Festival Carnival next Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Activities include a silent auction, carnival games and eating contests. All proceeds benefit UT’s ASB program. Contact Brad Morgan for more information.

The Nashville Young Leaders Council this week welcomed its 61st class, including eight attorneys and the TBA's Leadership Law coordinator. The 40 class members will attend 11 weekly sessions during which they will hear from speakers on topics such as fundraising, strategic planning and the legal responsibilties of board members. Class members will also intern on the board of a local nonprofit. Class participants include TBA Leadership Law coordinator Brittany Sims; Bradley Bakker of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz PC; Ashonti Davis of Butler, Snow, O'Mara, Stevens & Cannada PLLC; David Green of Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis LLP; Dan Kuninsky of Bass, Berry & Sims PLC; Jay Lefkovitz of Lefkovitz & Lefkovitz; Thomas Motzny of King & Ballow; Ryan Richards of Harwell Howard Hyne Gabbert & Manner PC; and Mary Lauren Teague of Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs LLP.

U.S. District Judge Amul R. Thapar denied a new trial and motion to acquit three protesters who were convicted in May for breaking into the Y-12 National Complex in Oak Ridge and damaging federal property. They are scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 28 and face up to 30 years in prison, WATE reports.

Nashville Democrat Jim Cooper and Gallatin Republican Diane Black, along with dozens of other members of Congress, say they will forgo their salaries during the federal government shutdown, Nashville Public Radio reports. Law mandates they still get paid during the shutdown, while hundreds of thousands of federal workers face furlough. Members of Congress make $174,000 a year, which comes to almost $500 per day, before taxes. Cooper and Black both say they will donate their salaries to charity.

Law firm mergers are up 41 percent from the same period last year, according to legal consulting firm Altman Weil. Forty-eight law firm combinations were announced in the first three quarters of the year, with 19 mergers and acquisitions announced in just the third quarter. The ABA Journal has more.

A bipartisan group of former congressmen and some academics unveiled the “Voice of the People” initiative this morning at The National Press Club. The program proposes to set up “citizen cabinets” of 275-members each in all 435 congressional districts. That’s 120,000 advisors nationwide, armed with accurate information, organized to tell members how to formulate public policy. According to the Commercial Appeal, part of the rationale for the project is the concern that members of Congress hear only from extreme or self-interested people or entities and never get an unfiltered sense of what their constituents are thinking about available policy options.

Despite budget reductions in some jurisdictions, lawyer assistance programs in 48 states have reported a continued commitment to maintaining the number of clients served and offering a diversity of services, the ABA reports. According to a 2012 report from the Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs, while all programs continued to offer services related to alcoholism and drug addiction, more programs in 2012 than in 2010 provided services for other problems, such as cognitive impairment and mental health issues.

The Tennessee Justice Center launched this year’s Raising the Bar Campaign, a fundraising effort that connects the Nashville-based legal services organization with law firms throughout the state. Raising the Bar encourages firms to lend their support through 3-year donation commitments. In a press release, managing attorney of the TJC Michele Johnson praised campaign co-chairs Mark Chalos, Sherie Edwards and David Taylor. “Mark, Sherie, and David are such well-respected members of our state’s bar, and we are thrilled to have them lending their leadership to this campaign. We are excited to build on the momentum of last year’s effort and continue strengthening TJC’s relationship with the private bar in a way that will have a real impact for our clients.”

In a blog post for Public Counsel, Sarah Luppen reflects on her positive experiences working with pro bono cases while employed at a Vault Law 100 firm. Her subsequent move to a smaller firm led to a decrease in the number of pro bono cases she took on due to a lack of firm support. In honor of National Pro Bono week Oct. 21-26, Luppen will blog about getting back into pro bono work and non-traditional pro-bono opportunities that fit small-firm and in-house lawyers’ needs.