Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Mary L. Wagner received a warm welcome to the bench as family, friends, colleagues, elected officials and the judiciary joined her in Germantown for a ceremonial investiture by Gov. Bill Lee. “Justice Wagner is highly qualified and brings significant experience to the Tennessee Supreme Court,” Lee said. “Her understanding and respect for the rule of law and commitment to the conservative principles of judicial restraint make her well-suited for the state’s highest court, and I am proud to celebrate her investiture.” Wagner was confirmed by the Tennessee legislature in March and her term began Sept. 1. She earned her bachelor’s degree at the University of Colorado at Boulder and her law degree at the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law. Wagner fills a vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Roger A. Page. Read more in a press release from the Administrative Office of the Courts and see photos from the event.

The Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program (TLAP) announces that Clinical Case Manager Erin Lynch has received licensure by the state of Tennessee as a professional counselor, temporary (LPC-temp) and she now will complete her remaining LPC supervision hours as a licensed therapist. Lynch joined TLAP in October 2023. Her experience includes providing comprehensive clinical services to clients struggling with mood disorders and substance use disorders. Lynch has also worked in the realms of public policy, criminal prosecution and domestic violence litigation, and she understands the mental health challenges of working in the legal profession.

The Knoxville Bar Association (KBA) on Thursday hosted its annual Bench & Bar Celebration. The KBA’s Diversity in the Profession Committee presented the 2024 Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Award to Legal Aid of East Tennessee, and attendees heard about the organization's innovative efforts to be accessible to clients and provide a meaningful and welcoming workplace for all employees. See photos from the event.

Hamilton County Juvenile Court Judge Rob Philyaw has been elected president of the Tennessee Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (TCFCJ) by its members from across the state. He will serve a term of two years. He previously served in the roles of treasurer and vice-president, as well as a member of TCFCJ's Executive and Legislative committees. Reflecting on his selection Philyaw said, “This kind of service was engrained in me in my first year of practicing law and has never left me. I look forward to the opportunities that the next two years will bring to further our work locally and across Tennessee. We have the best professional staff in Hamilton County and the broader work helps me do a better job for our families here every day.” Chattanoogan.com has the story.

The September/October issue of the Tennessee Bar Journal is now accessible online and arriving in mailboxes soon! The cover story by Willie Santana takes an in-depth look at Hispanic naming conventions and how they are not widely understood in the institutions of government, including the courts. John Floyd explores the admissibility of a denial in court, while Eddy Smith reviews several important trusts and estates developments from this year and John Day clears up a common misconception about the statute of limitations for wrongful death cases in Tennessee. Past TBA President Jason Long reviews Dawn Coppock's eighth and final edition of "Coppock on Tennessee Adoption Law," and current TBA President Ed Lanquist Jr. encourages experienced lawyers to mentor new attorneys, and for those new to the profession to be receptive to mentorship in unexpected places. Enjoy these and other articles across the legal spectrum.

A recent LinkedIn post from Akshay Verma, a former legal operations chief at Meta and Coinbase and legal industry thought leader, has sparked a debate among corporate legal operations insiders: should companies require a law degree for legal operations roles? "By insisting on a J.D., companies are losing out on fantastic candidates who possess the real skills and experiences needed for legal ops. Not only are you attracting the wrong crowd, but you are missing out on great talent," Verma writes. "Legal ops is about strategic thinking, process optimization and leveraging technology and data to make legal departments more efficient. It’s not about drafting briefs or arguing in court." Law.com unpacks the varying viewpoints.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson has recently published her memoir, "Lovely One." (The title, according to Jackson’s aunt, is the meaning of her first and middle names, Ketanji Onyika, in an African dialect.) In an interview with NPR, Jackson describes her confirmation hearing — during which many senators criticized her judicial philosophy — along with her multi-generational path to becoming the first Black woman to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court. She also talks about her support for a binding code of ethics for the justices of the court.

Judge David H. Veile was sworn in Aug. 30 as circuit court judge for the 21st Judicial District Division III, which serves Williamson County. The ceremony took place in the Justice Cornelia A. Clark Courtroom at the Williamson County Historic Courthouse with retired Circuit Court Judge Mike Binkley administering the oath. Veile, a Franklin trial attorney and former police officer, won the Republican primary for the seat in March and ran unopposed in the August general election. Veile serves on the TBA Board Governors as a middle Tennessee governor. See photos or watch a livestream of the event.

The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) recently announced that the national mean scaled score for the July 2024 Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) was 141.8, an increase of about 1.3 points compared to the July 2023 mean of 140.5 and the highest July MBE mean since 2013, excluding the summer and fall 2020 administrations. The MBE, one of three sections that make up the bar exam in most U.S. jurisdictions, consists of 200 multiple-choice questions answered over six hours. This July, 49,844 examinees took the MBE, an increase of more than 8% compared to the 45,968 examinees who sat for the exam in July 2023. Reuters reports that compared with the previous year, 32 states saw increases in pass rates, 11 saw decreases and seven saw no change.