Make plans to attend the 10^th Annual Estate Planning and Probate Forum, which will be held on Friday, February 27 at the Nashville Airport Marriott.  Hear some of the State’s top estate planners and probate practitioners share their knowledge on estate planning developments and topics of interest to Tennessee practitioners.

This information-packed, full-day program will provide 6 general hours of concise and practical CLE.  Topics will include trust protectors and trust decanting, the Small Estates Act and alternatives to administration, tenancy by the entireties, planning for digital assets, use of retirement assets in estate plans and recent changes in the law.  Attendees will also be able hear a panel of probate masters discuss best practices in probate court.

Speakers include Elaine Beeler, Donald Farinato, Paul Hayes, Howard Hogan, Anne McKinney, Robin Miller, David Parsons, Joel Roettger, Stacy Roettger, Matthew Thornton and Victoria Tillman.

Breakfast and lunch will be provided for all attendees. To register, or for more information, please visit the TBA CLE website or call Kaisha Bond at the TBA offices at (615) 383-7421.

Thanks to the members of the 2014 - 2015 TBA Estate Planning & Probate Section Executive Council for their hard work and dedication to the work of this Section.

Angelia Nystrom, Chair
(Knoxville)
angelia.nystrom@yahoo.com

Donald Farinato, Immediate Past Chair
Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC (Knoxville)
dfarinato@hdclaw.com

Matthew Thornton, West TN Delegate
Bourland, Heflin, Alvarez, Minor & Matthews, PLC (Memphis)
mthornton@bhammlaw.com

Chris Coats, West TN Delegate
Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC (Memphis)
ccoats@bakerdonelson.com

Chad Cardwell, West TN Delegate
The Cardwell Firm (Cordova)
chadacardwell@gmail.com

David Parsons, Middle TN Delegate
(Nashville)
david@davidparsonslaw.com

Paul Hayes, Middle TN Delegate
Howard, Mobley, Hayes & Gontarek, PLLC (Nashville)
phayes@howardmobley.com

Jennifer Exum, East TN Delegate
Spears, Moore, Rebman & Williams, P.C. (Chattanooga)
jke@smrw.com

Victoria Tillman, East TN Delegate
Anne M. McKinney, P.C. (Knoxville)
vtillman@ammtaxlaw.com

Dear Friends,

Plans are being finalized for the 10^th Annual Estate Planning and Probate Forum, which will be held on Friday, February 27 at the Nashville Airport Marriott.  Our Forum has increased in size each year, and I hope that you will make plans to attend. Information can be found on the TBA’s website.  Please note that Section members receive discounted pricing, and all attendees can use their TBA pre-paid CLE credits when registering.  Also, be sure to ask for the TBA rate when making your hotel reservation at the Airport Marriott.

If you would like a primer before attending the Forum, please check out the recent webcasts, Estate Planning 101 and Estate Planning 102.  Each program is eligible for one hour of CLE credit.  Upcoming webcasts include Probate 101 and Probate 102, which will be available by live webcast on February 17 or download any time following.  Again, each program will be eligible for one hour of CLE credit.

I encourage you to contact Jenny Jones at the TBA office or me with any comments or suggestions regarding ways the Section can enhance your TBA membership.  Also, I would like to have your ideas on topics for upcoming CLE programming, for webcasts and content for future newsletters.

Angelia Nystrom
2014-2015 Estate Planning and Probate
Section Chair
angelia.nystrom@yahoo.com

A Belmont University College of Law moot court team recently won the national championship at the National Health Law Moot Court Competition in Carbondale, Illinois. The team defeated schools from all across the county in six rounds of arguments. The team was comprised of law students Courtney Lutz, Heath Henley and Ben Conrady and was led by College of Law faculty member Amy Moore.

• Jamie Ballinger-Holden has joined Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldewell & Berkowitz in their Knoxville Office.  She has also been selected as a Mid-South Rising Star in health care.

• Amanda Busby has been elected Treasurer for the Knoxville Bar Association for 2015.

• Darryl Weiman, M.D., J.D. recently published a book entitled Medical Malpractice – A Physician’s Guide to Navigating the Minefield of Medical Malpractice Law.

• Jesse Neil was promoted to Vice President & Associate General Counsel at Community Health Systems in 2014.  He currently serves as Chair of the Tennessee Bar Association’s Health Law Section.

Planning is already underway for the 2015 TBA Health Law Forum scheduled for October 7-9, 2015 at the Embassy Suites in Cool Springs.  The TBA Health Law Forum is recognized as one of the premier health law programs in the country with two full days of programming including sessions from leading experts in the field.

Watch for further details and registration information as plans develop for both the Health Law Forum and Health Law Primer through the Tennessee Bar Association CLE course catalog.

Thank you for your support of the TBA Health Law Section. We would like to know that we are meeting your needs as a member of this TBA Section.  Please take a few minutes to answer the survey at the link below so that we will know how we can best serve you.   Submit your responses no later than January 27, 2015.

Tennessee Bar Association Health Law Section Membership Survey

I am proud to report that 2014 was a very productive and successful year for the TBA Health Law Section. The Health Law Forum has long been one of the most respected legal conferences in the country, and this year was no exception under the leadership of Past Chair Christie Burbank. The range of topics and diversity of participants continue to distinguish us as a state bar association. Thank you, Christie, for your efforts.

The coming year promises to be filled again with monumental challenges and opportunities for our members and our clients. From implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to Governor Haslam’s “Insure Tennessee” proposal, it is a historic period of change. The stated mission of the Health Law Section is to “further the knowledge of its members in federal, state and local health care law.” Tennessee holds a leadership position in our country’s health care system, and I know our members are up to the challenge at this important time.

In addition to the Forum, the Executive Council will focus in 2015 on important initiatives to enhance member recruitment, increase circulation of the Section newsletter, and collaborate with other TBA Sections on educational opportunities. I am particularly excited to formalize a mentoring program so that younger attorneys can benefit from the knowledge and expertise of the Section membership and leadership. If you have ideas or recommendations on these or other programs, I hope you will share them with me and the Executive Council.

Finally, thank you for the opportunity to serve you as Chair of the TBA Health Law Section. It truly is an honor to work with you in this exciting time.

Best,

Jesse C. Neil

Please make plans to join the TBA Environmental Law Section on January 22, 2015 for an exciting CLE program at the Tennessee Bar Center in Nashville: "School of Environmental Law"

This seminar is designed to give you a basic overview and important updates in three key areas: climate change law and policy, energy law and policy, and hot topics in agriculture. The last session of the day includes recent developments in food safety with a review of the new statutory enactment permitting the growing of hemp in Tennessee. This knowledge will help you with the foundation you will need when working with private companies, consulting firms, government agencies and nonprofit organizations.

If you have not yet registered, there is still time to register online for this CLE program at: School of Environmental Law or contact TBA at 615-383-7421.

BDY ENVIRONMENTAL, LLC, supports the legal profession, industry, and government with natural sciences expertise in groundwater contaminant hydrology, aquatic resource permitting and enforcement matters, and endangered species regulatory management. 

The services of BDY benefit a range of clients including municipal and state governments, resource companies (petroleum, coal, and timber interests), industrial concerns, transportation companies (pipelines, railroads), real property developers, road contractors, and various other entities that encounter local, state, or federal environmental land-use regulations.  BDY’s services regularly are provided within the contexts of commercial transactions, site permitting, regulatory enforcement, and civil litigation.

We very much appreciate the opportunity to sponsor this newsletter.  Our firm welcomes opportunities to demonstrate our capabilities and commitment to service.  Please visit our website at BDY-inc.com, or call us at 615.460.9797, for additional information.