The American Bar Association Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section (TIPS) announced that it will honor Penny White with its Robert B. McKay Law Professor Award. The award recognizes law professors who have shown commitment to the advancement of justice, scholarship and the legal profession, demonstrated by outstanding contributions to the fields of tort, trial practice or insurance law. Until her retirement in 2022, White was the Elvin E. Overton Distinguished Professor of Law and served as the director of the Center for Advocacy and Dispute Resolution at the University of Tennessee College of Law. She taught courses in evidence, trial practice, pretrial litigation and negotiation and assisted with the law school’s various clinical and externship programs. The award will be presented at the ABA Midyear Meeting in Louisville, Kentucky, during the TIPS Networking Reception on Saturday at 6 p.m. EST at the Louisville Marriott Downtown.

Tennessee's 113th General Assembly is now in session and TBA's Legislative Updates podcast is back for Season 5! Lawmakers filed a combined total of 682 bills just this week; the filing deadline for the House was Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 for the Senate. Attorney and TBA lobbyist Berkley Schwarz and Adams and Reese attorneys and TBA lobbyists Brad Lampley and Ashley Harbin host the podcast to discuss what's ahead for the legislative year and the bills TBA is sponsoring, especially around indigent representation. Legislative Updates airs each week on the TBA’s Facebook page. It is also released as a podcast on the same day and can be found on the TBA’s website or other podcast services. In this episode, the hosts discuss TBA's conservatorship bill HB2710/SB2254 and TBA's adoption bills: HB2644 and HB2645.

Schwarz has served as director of legislative affairs for the TBA since 2018 but recently left the TBA to focus on her own lobbying firm, Pier Strategies. She continues to represent TBA on legislative matters alongside Lampley and Harbin. Schwarz can now be reached at bschwarz@pierstrategies.net.

Bring your computer (or your pencil if you’re old school — no judgment) and get ready to write. On March 27 from 9-10 a.m. CDT, Stuart Teicher will share multiple exercises that participants will do individually and then discuss as a group to help them become better legal writers. Attendees will learn the best way to integrate sources into their legal writing, how to write in plain English, how to rework complicated passages and more! Eligible for one dual CLE credit.

The TBA's 2024 Tax Law Forum will take place live in person in Knoxville on Feb. 1, with a focus on the tax implications of the NCAA's new policy on name, image and likeness (NIL) activities. Join E. Michael Brezina, a Knoxville attorney and law professor who also co-founded Next Level Athletics and Varsity Sports Group, for this fascinating discussion. The program still start at 4 p.m. EST at Tennessee Tax Law. Can't make it to Knoxville? The program also will be live streamed to locations in two other cities: Nashville at the offices of Lewis Thomason and Chattanooga at the Olsen Law Firm.

Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy’s office has released its annual report, which states that the office handled 87,206 cases with an average caseload of 498 per prosecutor during Mulroy's first year in office, from Sept. 1, 2022 to Sept. 30, 2023. “To say that that first year was a challenging one would be an understatement,” Mulroy said. “In my first week alone, we had the heartbreaking case of Eliza Fletcher’s kidnapping and murder followed in the same week by the Facebook Live shooting spree that led to the prosecution of Ezekiel Kelly.” The report covers Mulroy's violent crime initiative, the creation of the Justice Review Unit, the office's efforts in data collection and the expansion of its restorative justice program. The Daily Memphian has the story.

Lisa Ramsay Cole, president and managing shareholder of Lewis Thomason, and managing partner of the firm’s Nashville office, has been appointed vice chair of ALFA International’s managing partner forum. According to a press release from the law firm, the forum provides an opportunity for managing partners in ALFA’s various law firms around the world to share best practices, ask questions regarding common issues, and use each other for benchmarking. Three firms with offices in Tennessee are members of ALFA International: Burch, Porter & Johnson PLLC, Leitner, Williams, Dooley & Napolitan PLLC and Lewis Thomason.

The Supreme Court of Tennessee has suspended Shelby County attorney Robert Harris Golder from the practice of law for four years, with one year to be served as an active suspension pursuant to Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 9, Section 12.2, and the remainder to be served on probation. Complaints against Golder include allegations that he failed to communicate reasonably with his clients, failed to perform work necessary to the representation, failed to provide competent representation, disclosed confidential information during withdrawal, charged an unreasonable fee, failed to comply with multiple court orders and failed to expedite litigation. Golder executed a conditional guilty plea acknowledging his conduct violated Tennessee Rules of Professional Conduct 1.1, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.16, 3.2, 3.4 and 8.4.

On Jan. 9, Henry County attorney Rebecca Carole Griffey received a public censure from the Tennessee Supreme Court. Griffey filed an application for a chancellor position on May 29, 2019, with the Tennessee Trial Court Vacancy Commission. She knowingly failed to disclose information responsive to questions on the application. The court found that Griffey violated Rules of Professional Conduct 8.2(a)(3), 8.2(b) and 8.4(c) and (d).

The University of Memphis announced that all campuses, including the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, would continue modified operational status this week, including virtual classes. Law students should monitor their emails for additional details regarding plans for the remainder of the week. Check www.memphis.edu or the school's Facebook page for updates.

The Tennessee Bar Association has submitted a comment to the Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance (TDCI) regarding the licensure of court reporters and the sunsetting of the Board of Court Reporting. Recently, the TDCI identified the Board of Court Reporting as a regulatory body that is no longer needed. Among other things, the TDCI noted that the board meets only twice a year and has relatively few complaints to deal with. Given that the purpose of most regulatory boards is to protect the public, in this instance the TDCI believes that the public is well protected, and there is no longer a need to have a regulatory board in place. Last week, the TBA publicized the request for public comment, and also polled section members to determine their respective opinions on the issue. While some comments agreed with the TDCI’s position that the board is unnecessary and is not needed to protect the public, the majority of comments expressed support for the continued regulation of court reporters. The TBA has thoughtfully considered TDCI’s rationale in recommending to sunset the board, but respectfully believes that the very existence of the board serves the critical function of protecting the public, which is a paramount consideration for the creation or continuation of any state board. Read the full comment.