Sherrard Roe Voigt & Harbison PLC announced that attorney Andrée S. Blumstein will be returning to private practice at the firm on May 6. For the past decade, Blumstein served as solicitor general for the state of Tennessee. In that role, she led and supervised Tennessee’s appellate litigation in state and federal courts, oversaw the preparation of attorney general opinions issued by the office, and generally provided support and advice for the work of the attorney general. Blumstein became a partner at Sherrard Roe Voigt & Harbison in 1993, focusing her practice on antitrust, health law, and state and local tax law. She has served as the chair of the Tennessee Bar Journal Editorial Board since 2003.

University of Tennessee and Knoxville Police Department officers on Thursday arrested seven students and two community members who participated in a pro-Palestine demonstration on campus. Defense attorney Mike Whalen told the Knoxville News Sentinel that "UTPD confirmed to me that the students have been released without any legal penalty but will receive notice of disciplinary action from the institution. Those who are not students were cited for trespassing and have been released.” In related news, four student demonstrators and a reporter were arrested last month at Vanderbilt University. WKRN reports a group of students at The University of the South are also protesting peacefully and no arrests have been made. They are requesting that the university disclose where its $400 million endowment goes and divest from companies that manufacture weapons used against Palestinians.

Tennessean Al Gore, former vice president under Bill Clinton and both a U.S. senator and member of the House of Representatives, today received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in a ceremony at the White House. The Tennessean reports that the medal is one of the nation’s highest civilian honors, bestowed by the president to individuals who have made “an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.” Since leaving public office, Gore has worked on environmental initiatives. He founded the Climate Reality Project (previously called the Alliance for Climate Protection) in 2005, and received the Nobel Peace Prize alongside the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 2007.

Well-Being Week in Law (WWIL) is organized annually by the Institute for Well-Being in Law (IWIL) during Mental Health Awareness Month. Its aim is to raise awareness about mental health and encourage action and innovation across the profession year-round to improve well-being. This year's overall theme is Well-Being Reboot: A Fresh Start for Positive Change, which embodies two key ideas: a clean slate to start/restart well-being action plans and behavior changes aimed at greater well-being. TBA Today will share tips each day next week to encourage members to prioritize their well-being. Visit the TBA's Wellness Resources page for other resources.

Make plans now to join colleagues on May 10 for the inaugural TBA YLD Trial College. The program, which will be held at  Belmont University College of Law, will cover a range of litigation topics, including getting prepared for trial, putting together a trial notebook, prepping witnesses, conducting Voir Dire, planning for and presenting opening statements and more. The day will start at 8 a.m. CDT with registration, followed by programming from 8:30 a.m to 4:45 p.m. at the Randall and Sadie Baskin Center, 1901 15th Ave. S., Nashville 37212.

East Tennessee Lawyers’ Association For Women (ETLAW) will host its annual Tennessee Supreme Court Luncheon on May 21 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. EDT. Join the East Tennessee legal community at The Square Room, 4 Market Square, Knoxville 37902, to honor state Supreme Court justices and other members of the judiciary. Individual tickets are $50. A table of eight may be purchased/sponsored for $350. Register here by May 16. Contact Bianca White with questions.

Jeanne Bigham Heaton has been named the new executive director of the Nashville Bar Association. She will begin her duties on May 20. Heaton is a lawyer who served as the director of continuing legal education for the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) for more than 17 years. In that role, she directed the association’s CLE program, working with more than 50 sections and committees. She also represented the ISBA on the CLE Advisory Committee to the Illinois Supreme Court’s Commission on Professionalism. Heaton previously practiced environmental law in Illinois. Read more from the NBA.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has announced that Tennessee and five other states are suing the federal Department of Education (DOE) to challenge its overhaul of Title IX of the Educational Amendments Act. The Tennessean reports that Title IX is a longstanding federal law that bans sexual discrimination against students, employees and others at public schools, colleges and universities that receive federal funds. Earlier this month, the Biden administration introduced updated Title IX rules that include protections against all sex-based harassment and discrimination, including discrimination based on sex stereotypes, sexual orientation, gender identity and sexual characteristics. The lawsuit claims that the changes would harm Tennessee students, families and schools.

The Access to Justice (ATJ) Commission, Legal Aid of East Tennessee (LAET), Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands (LAS), West Tennessee Legal Services (WTLS), Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services (TALS), The University of Tennessee College of Law Legal Clinic, Free Hearts and United Way are recruiting pro bono volunteer attorneys for their rights restoration project. The project's aim is to aid Tennesseans with criminal records in restoring their rights. View a flyer for more information and a link to register to help.

Chief Deputy Clerk Lisa Marsh retired from the Tennessee courts after 25 years. She began working in the clerk's office in 1976 and left in 1983 after the birth of her son. She returned in 2003. "You will not find a more dedicated or reliable public servant in the judiciary than Lisa Marsh,” said Tennessee Court of Appeals Judge Neal McBrayer. “So many of us, especially me, have come to rely on her intimate knowledge of the inner workings of clerk's office. It is difficult for me to imagine coming to the courthouse without her steady presence." Read this tribute from the Administrative Office of the Courts.