Former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales will be the new dean for the Belmont University College of Law, effective June 1. The news comes on the heels of founding Dean Jeff Kinsler’s announcement that he has decided to become a full-time faculty member. Gonzales joined Belmont in 2012 and has taught courses in constitutional law, separation of powers, national security law and First Amendment law. Kinsler came to Belmont in 2009 to lead it in the process of establishing the law school.

The Association for Women Attorneys (AWA) honored Linda Warren Seely at its 34th annual banquet in January with the 25th AWA Marion Griffin-Frances Loring Award. In presenting it, Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Janice Holder called Seely “the fabric of pro bono in our community” and credited her for introducing the justice to pro bono. Seely is director of pro bono projects and Campaign for Equal Justice at Memphis Area Legal Services. Also at the banquet, scholarships were given to students at the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law.

Davidson County General Sessions Judge Daniel B. Eisenstein recently was honored by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) at its inaugural Tennessee Vision of Hope Gala. Eisenstein was recognized for 10 years of service as judge of the county’s Mental Health Court with NAMI’s Vision of Hope Award. Eisenstein has presided over the court since 2004 as part of his duties as General Sessions judge. He recently announced he will retire Sept. 1.

Tennessee Supreme Court Justice William C. Koch Jr. recently announced he would retire in July to become dean of the Nashville School of Law. His announcement came at the same time that current Nashville School of Law Dean Joe C. Loser Jr. said he would retire in 2014. Koch has served on the Supreme Court since 2007. He previously was a judge on the Tennessee Court of Appeals for 23 years, was counsel and commissioner of personnel to then Gov. Lamar Alexander, and served as the state’s deputy attorney general.

Memphis city attorney Herman Morris Jr. is the 2013 recipient of the International Municipal Lawyers Association’s Joseph I. Mulligan Jr. Distinguished Public Service Award, which recognizes achievements in local government law. Morris is the first attorney from Memphis to receive this award.

Memphis lawyer Robert D. Meyers has joined Glankler Brown as a member. A civil trial specialist certified by the Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education and Specialization and the National Board of Trial Advocacy, Meyers handles a wide range of employment litigation. He also has experience representing public employers in discrimination and liability claims.

U.S. District Judge and former TBA President J. Daniel Breen assumed the position of chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee this summer. Breen, who has served on the court since 2003, began his judicial career in 1991 as a magistrate judge in the Western District. He served in that capacity until nominated to the district court by President George W. Bush.

Josie Beets has joined the Tennessee Bar Association staff as public policy coordinator, after serving as a legal assistance attorney at the Fort Polk Office of the Staff Judge Advocate in Fort Polk, La. She has also been a staff attorney at Acadiana Legal Services Corporation in Lafayette, La., and in New Orleans in the the Louisiana State Bar Association's access to justice program. She is a graduate of Brooklyn Law School.

The Knoxville law firm of Kennerly, Montgomery & Finley has announced that Jonathan H. Peyton is now a shareholder in the firm. Peyton received his law degree from Suffolk University in 2003, and is licensed to practice in Kentucky, New York and Tennessee. Peyton focuses his practice in the areas of real estate development and lending, corporate and business law and commercial law.

Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz recently elevated four lawyers to shareholder status. Ben Bodzy, who works in the firm’s Nashville office, represents management in labor and employment litigation. He earned his law degree in 2004 from the Dedman School of Law at Southern Methodist University. The others, Jay Ebelhar, Jason Strain and Robert Tom, work in the firm’s Memphis office. Ebelhar handles employment law and financial services matters with a focus on defending mortgage lending and servicing claims.