The Tennessee Supreme Court ruled yesterday that an employee of a temporary agency who is injured on the job, but not returned to work by the agency at a wage equal to or greater than the pre-injury wage, may obtain workers' compensation benefits up to six times the medical impairment rating. In Timmy Dale v. Dyer’s Employment Agency, the court found that the statutory language does not distinguish between permanent and temporary employees, therefore because the employer did not return the employee to work, offer him an opportunity to work, or terminate him for misconduct, benefits apply.

The 45th Annual Southern Region Black Law Student Association Convention will be held in Nashville Jan. 30 through Feb. 3. Volunteers are needed to judge the mock trial and moot court competitions, which will be based at the Doubletree Hotel and the Tennessee Bar Center. Interested participants should contact LaToyia Trotter at srblsa.convention@nblsa.org.

State Rep. Curry Todd, R-Collierville, pleaded guilty today to DUI and gun-possession charges stemming from a 2011 traffic stop in Nashville, the Memphis Commercial Appeal reports. Todd wills serve 40 hours in jail and perform 24 hours of community service. He was also fined $350 and lost his right to carry his gun during a year of probation, among other terms of his conviction.

Tennessee attorneys who generously gave their time and talents in service to others will be recognized this Saturday at the TBA Public Service Luncheon. The event is the centerpiece of this weekend's TBA Leadership Conference, and will feature former FCC Commissioner Deborah Tate as keynote speaker. Honored at the event will be Harris Gilbert Pro Bono Volunteers of the Year Phillip Cramer, Bill Harbison, Elliott Ozment and John Farringer; Ashley T. Wiltshire Public Service Attorney of the Year Jean Crowe; and Law Student Volunteer of the Year Chris Martin. Also meeting this weekend are the TBA House of Delegates, the TBA Board of Governors and a number of TBA committees, sections and divisions.

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. and the National Day of Service, Nashville is holding its first-ever Day of Service Volunteer Fair Saturday at the Center for Nonprofit Management. From 10 a.m. to noon, attendees will have a chance to learn about volunteer opportunities available throughout the year with about 40 nonprofit organizations in Nashville.

The Napier-Looby Bar Association’s Annual Meeting will be held Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Swett’s Restaurant. New officers will be elected and 2013 dues will be collected.

Law professor and civil rights advocate Michelle Alexander will be the keynote speaker during Vanderbilt University’s MLK Weekend of Service. Author of the best-selling book “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness,” Alexander will be speaking at 7 p.m. Monday in Langford Auditorium. A limited number of free tickets are still available at the Sarratt Box Office.  Alexander will speak again Tuesday at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville in Cox Auditorium in the Alumni Memorial Building at 7:30 p.m. Her lecture is sponsored by UT’s African Studies program and co-sponsored by several university departments and programs, including the College of Law.

As the ranking Republican on the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, Lamar Alexander will give a short speech from the inaugural platform before President Barack Obama is sworn in to a second term, the Jackson Sun reports. After his speech, Alexander will introduce Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor who will swear in Joe Biden as vice president. He invited the choir from Lee University in Cleveland to sing from the inaugural viewing area for an hour before the event.

Yale University was met with both applause and skepticism when it announced in July it would offer the first-ever Ph.D. in law, however it is now clear that there is a great demand for a program of its kind. The National Law Journal reports that Yale has received 82 applications for the first five spots in the program designed to prepare lawyers to be legal scholars and professors. Dean Robert Post stated there was a great deal of variety in applicants, with some fresh from law school and others who have been practicing for 30 years. The three-year program is shorter than a typical doctorate, and requires students to write a dissertation, sit for qualifying exams, takes classes on teaching, and teach two courses.

Audio recordings from cases in Tennessee appellate courts will be available online starting this spring, and some attorneys and judges are upset. They say that easy access to sensitive information from oral arguments could produce privacy issues since there is no exception for juveniles or families going through personal divorce proceedings. Judge Frank Clement of the Court of Appeals wrote a three-page letter to the Supreme Court expressing his concerns. The Court told Nashville’s News 2 that the intent was to continue to promote the transparency and openness of the courts. “We do recognize a concern for possible misuse of the audio files and are developing measures to mitigate possible misuse of the proposed system."