Elizabeth Collins, a partner with Thomason Hendrix in Memphis, died this morning (May 23) after a long battle with cancer. She was 50. Collins was a member of the Tennessee Judicial Selection Commission and a Master in the Leo Bearman Sr. American Inn of Court. In 2011, she became the youngest person ever to receive the Jerome Turner Lawyer’s Lawyer Award, the highest honor bestowed by the Memphis Bar Association. In 2012, the Commercial Appeal wrote an inspiring piece chronicling her journey. A memorial service will be held Tuesday at 1 p.m. at Idlewild Presbyterian Church with a reception to follow at the church.

Memphis attorney Bill Clifton died last Wednesday (May 15) at his home of heart failure. He was 79. A graduate of Memphis State University and Southern Law School, Clifton became a partner in the law firm of Burch, Porter and Johnson. The celebrated lawyer Lucius Burch took a special interest in Clifton and was his valued mentor. Clifton opened his own law firm and maintained it until his retirement in the late 90’s. During his career, Clifton specialized in complicated criminal tax defense and had many celebrated cases, including the defense of the entertainer Jerry Lee Lewis. The family will hold a private memorial service by the ocean.

Five University of Tennessee College of Law students will spend their summer interning as law clerks at Legal Aid of East Tennessee. They will hone their legal skills while serving people who, without LAET, could not afford legal assistance. Student law clerks will work under the supervision of Legal Aid staff, and also provide support for volunteer attorneys participating in LAET’s Pro Bono Project. The internship is part of a long-running partnership between Legal Aid and the UT College of Law. Download the press release. 

The Daily Show will be doing a spoof segment on Tennessee’s dialing-for-healthcare program, TennCare Spend Down, the Tennessean political blog reports. Tennessee launched Spend Down in 2010 to help people with low incomes and high medical bills gain access to TennCare who would not normally qualify for the state’s Medicaid program. The state has never set up an effective way to process applications so two to three times a year it opens up a telephone line, the blog states. People end up doing competitive dialing to get an application. Critics compare it to a lottery. Tennessee Justice Center staff attorney Michele Johnson confirmed that the show filmed footage at the TJC last week as part of the story.

Justice Cornelia Clark addressed the Legal Aid Society staff at their bi-annual meeting last Thursday, calling the employees the “unsung and ‘unplayed’ heroes of the ongoing efforts to improve access to justice in Tennessee.” She compared the employees to members of a marching band, the real virtuosos, saying "whatever part in the band you play - answering phones, filing papers, preparing legal documents, etc. - your work keeps the music playing: your work matters." The Administrative Office of the Courts has the story.

The Bradley County Bar Association recently elected its new leadership for the 2013-2014 term. Officers include: Jack W. Tapper, president; Ashley L. Ownby, vice president; Daniel W. Clanton, secretary; Rex A. Wagner, treasurer. All are attorneys who practice in Cleveland.

Joseph “Woody” Woodruff, a partner with Waller Lansden Dortch and Davis in Nashville, will run for Division I circuit judge in next May’s Republican primary, the Nashville Business Journal reports. Woodruff will run in the 21st Judicial District, which includes Williamson, Hickman, Lewis and Perry counties.

Duncan School of Law is giving applicants who do not make the initial admissions cut a second chance. The The Knoxville school has introduced “Admission Through Performance,” allowing rejected applicants to enroll in a free, four-week course on the Federal Rules of Evidence taught by Duncan faculty. If the applicants do well, they can earn a spot in the next year’s 1L class. "Standardized tests have been difficult for students at all levels of education, including the [Law School Admission Test]," interim dean Parham Williams told the National Law Journal. "The mission at LMU and its law school centers on service to underserved populations in Southern Appalachia. The Admission Through Performance is yet another way [the law school] is staying true to its mission."

With enrollment down 15 percent over the last two years, some law schools have begun offering master’s degrees, the JD Journal reports. Nearly 30 law schools are offering a Juris Master program and testing whether this type of degree will be successful. Those interested in the advanced degree will not qualify for the bar, but will gain some legal knowledge that may make them marketable.

Gov. Bill Haslam signed into law a bill to allow teachers with law enforcement training to carry weapons in classrooms, Nooga reports. Introduced a month after the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., the bill makes confidential which teachers are armed and dictates the kinds of ammunition allowed.