Across the state, numerous organizations work to make Tennessee a better place for children and families. One such group is Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), which currently serves families in 47 counties through 28 local programs. During the month of April, a number of these local groups as well as others will host events to mark Child Abuse Prevention Month and raise awareness of their work. Information is listed below.

A bill to increase the rate court-appointed attorneys are paid to $100 per hour was filed Feb. 12 in the General Assembly.

Senate Bill 1009 and House Bill 1025 were introduced with bipartisan sponsorship in both houses, with Sen. Lee Harris, D-Memphis, and Sen. Steve Dickerson, R-Nashville, sponsoring the bill in the Senate and Rep. Mike Stewart, D-Nashville, and Rep. Andy Farmer, R-Sevierville, sponsoring the bill in the House.

There are many mentoring programs in the state, sponsored by city, local and speciality bars, law schools and the Tennessee Bar Association. Access a list of programs, some of which offer CLE credit, in each judicial district at www.tba.org/resource/attorney-mentoring-programs-in-tennessee-by-judicial-district

11 Named to judicial appointments council

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam announced Jan. 12 the 11 members of the Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments, which will recommend candidates to fill vacancies for Tennessee trial and appellate courts. The council was established by executive order following passage of a constitutional amendment creating a method for selecting judges of the Supreme Court or any intermediate appellate court in Tennessee.

Members of the council include three each from the western, middle and eastern divisions of the state and two at-large members.

Governor Names 11 to Judicial Appointments Council

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today announced the 11 members of the Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments, which will recommend candidates to fill vacancies for Tennessee trial and appellate courts.

Medical-Legal Partnerships include a variety of collaborative models that incorporate both health care and legal organizations to address a patient’s health care needs that cannot be remedied by medical intervention alone.

The Tennessee Bar Association is pleased to have this opportunity to join the pro bono programs in honoring those lawyers who participated in pro bono activities during the past year. More than any other profession, lawyers give of their time and talents to serve those who need their services.

CLE Exemption Age Rises to 70 in RULE 21 Overhaul

Lawyers turning 65 in 2015 will continue to have to meet the CLE requirements under a set of more than 20 CLE rule changes adopted Dec. 16, 2014, by the Tennessee Supreme Court. The changes, driven by the CLE Commission, chaired by Columbia lawyer Ed Lancaster, came after more than a year of consideration and hundreds of comments.

Duncan School of Law Earns Accreditation

The ABA has granted provisional approval for the Lincoln Memorial University (LMU) John J. Duncan Jr. School of Law, officials announced yesterday. The move comes five years after the school first sought and was denied accreditation.

[UPDATE: This is a corrected version to indicate that the incumbent in the position of 8th District governor is ineligible to run because of term limits.]