The Knoxville Bar Association and the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, in partnership with Legal Aid of East Tennessee (LAET), will hold a Debt Relief Clinic to provide pro bono legal services to income-eligible consumer debtors in Knox, Blount, Loudon and Sevier counties. The clinic will begin at 8:45 a.m. EDT at the Knox County Public Defender's Community Law Office, 1101 Liberty St., Knoxville 37919. Attorneys will volunteer to conduct initial meetings with the clients to discuss their situations and options. Those interested in helping, or those seeking advice, should call the LAET office at 865-637-0484. The deadline for client registration is April 26.

The U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals will hold a Bench Bar Reception on April 30 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. CDT at the Tempo Hotel, 127 Rosa L. Parks Blvd., Nashville 37203. The event will occur during the court’s scheduled sitting in Nashville, April 29-May 3. RSVP here by April 26. The event will include a cash bar.

Thank you to our Tennessee Bar Association Patron Members. Patron members show their support for programs that assist in the development of the profession and provide meaningful access to justice initiatives such as the TBA tuition assistance program, mentoring program, practice management center, civics education support and online pro bono development. We are grateful for these members who make a difference for others by choosing this “above and beyond” dues level.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has temporarily suspended Chattanooga attorney David James Fulton from the practice of law upon finding Fulton misappropriated funds for his personal use and posed a threat of substantial harm to the public. Fulton is immediately precluded from accepting any new cases, and he must cease representing existing clients by May 9. The suspension remains in effect until dissolution or modification by the court.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has censured Hawkins County attorney Terry Risner. The court found that Risner did not timely file a brief on behalf of a client with the Court of Appeals, despite being given two 10-day extensions. These actions were determined to violate Rules of Professional Conduct 1.3, 3.4 and 8.4(d). A public censure is a rebuke and warning to the attorney, but it does not affect the attorney’s ability to practice law.

Rep. Antonio Parkinson, D-Memphis, and Sen. Paul Bailey, R-Sparta, are co-sponsoring a bill that would allow a judge to restore someone’s right to vote separate from other rights, including those regarding gun possession, jury service, holding public office and certain fiduciary powers. The Associated Press reports that SB2913/HB2380 seeks to undo restrictions established in July 2023, when election officials interpreted a state Supreme Court ruling as requiring people convicted of felonies to get their full citizenship rights restored by a judge, or show they were pardoned, before they can apply for reinstated voting rights. In January, the elections office confirmed that voting rights restoration also requires getting back gun rights. A group of Democratic lawmakers previously asked the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate that policy.

The Senate on Monday unanimously passed legislation requiring minors to have parental consent to create social media accounts. The Associated Press reports that lawmakers are hoping to require social media companies to provide parents with options to view privacy settings, set daily time restrictions and implement mandatory breaks. If enacted, the state attorney general would be permitted to investigate and sue social media platforms for violations.

The Shelby County Election Commission is accepting petitions through April 12 at noon CDT to fill the Criminal Court Division 9 seat formerly held by Melissa Boyd. The Daily Memphian reports that candidates must be at least 30 years old, be a resident of Shelby County and be licensed to practice law. Accepted petitioners’ names will appear on the Aug. 1 ballot. Early voting is July 12-27. Shelby County Elections Administrator Linda Phillips said in a release to the news outlet that all petitioners should be aware of pending legislation that could remove Boyd’s former seat, making any petitions null and void.

Rene Arthur Wolf died on March 24 at his home in Ajijic, Mexico, just a few months shy of his 100th birthday on July 30. Raised in Needles, California, Wolf entered the Army in 1944, and was sent to Stanford to study engineering. He prepped at Amherst and won a competitive appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1946. Upon graduation in 1950, as a civil engineer, Wolf was assigned to the 1st ECBn in Germany. After two tours in South Korea, a tour in Japan and another tour in Turkey, he retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1971 to become the head of facilities planning and engineering at Martin Marietta Aerospace in Denver, Colorado. Wolf became an attorney after passing the Tennessee Bar in 1984. Arrangements are pending.

The Tennessee Supreme Court on Monday held that a plaintiff may go forward with claims of direct negligence against a business even after the business admits it is indirectly liable for any negligence of its employee. The court also held that a plaintiff may assert concurrent claims based on both negligent activity and premises liability. Read the unanimous opinion in Binns v. Trader Joe’s East Inc., authored by Justice Roger A. Page.