According to data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the legal sector has added jobs for the second straight month. The American Law Daily reports that 600 people joined the industry’s work force in October and 1,300 in September. The industry now employs 6,600 more people than it did in October 2011.

Sumner County Assistant District Attorney (DA) Sallie Wade Brown retired last week after 26 years of service to the state. She spent the majority of her career prosecuting defendants charged with abusing children and most recently handled drug-related cases. Her daughter will continue her legacy, and was sworn in Thursday as the county’s newest district attorney. Read more at the Tennessean.

The Memphis Bar Association will host a Law Rules Public Forum on Thursday at 6 p.m. to discuss the importance of a fair and impartial justice system and the rule of law in American society. Judge Gina Higgins of the Shelby County Circuit Court and attorneys Porter Feild and Tommy Parker will be on hand to lead the discussion at the Benjamin L. Hooks Public Library.

The University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law celebrated its golden anniversary on Oct. 27 by honoring both the school’s history and people who have been part of that history, including former deans, professors and alumni. Additionally, interim dean William Kratzke announced the school will institute a new pro bono requirement, which makes students complete a certain amount of pro bono legal work in order to graduate. Read more in The Memphis Daily News.

Shelby County lawyer Jami Keith Ferrell was publicly censured by the Board of Professional Responsibility of the Tennessee Supreme Court for failing to comply with the swearing in requirements of Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 6 until May 21, 2009. Prior to that time, Ferrell had already opened a law office in Tennessee and launched a website promoting his legal services. Download the BPR notice.

U.S District Chief Judge Royce Lamberth has ordered the release of documents sealed in the 1970s as part of a court case against seven men involved in the Watergate burglary. In a two-page order today, he said that material sought by a Texas history professor should be released. He gave the National Archives and Records Administration a month to review and release the materials. 

A man detained in a Nashville park for carrying an AK-47-style pistol across his chest filed an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court after a federal appeals court in August ruled that the park ranger who initially detained him did not violate his rights, WRCB reports. Leonard Embody was let go when it was determined that the gun was legally considered a handgun which is permissible in state parks under Tennessee law with a valid permit.

On its fourth day of deliberations, a federal jury convicted former Knox County Criminal Court Judge Richard Baumgartner on five of six counts of misprision of a felony, reports the Knoxville News Sentinel. The panel found him guilty of lying to an Anderson County judge, a Knox County judge, a state prosecutor, a child support referee and the director of transitional housing at the YWCA. He was acquitted of lying to nurses at the former St. Mary’s Medical Center with the purpose of covering up a drug conspiracy. Baumgartner’s attorneys say they will appeal the five guilty verdicts.

U.S. District Judge Thomas W. Phillips confirmed Wednesday that he plans to retire and take inactive senior status on July 6, 2013, his 70th birthday, Knox News Sentinel reports. Phillips presided over the email invasion case involving then-Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin when she was the Republican vice presidential nominee.

Gov. Bill Haslam appointed Deputy Shelby County District Attorney General John Campbell as Division 6 Shelby County Criminal Court Judge. Campbell fills the vacancy created when John Fowlkes became a federal court judge in early August. The Memphis Daily News has the story.