The Memphis Bar Foundation recently named its 2024 fellows and held its annual Fellows Reception at The University Club of Memphis. The foundation annually nominates attorneys and judges to become fellows based on distinguished service to the legal profession and the administration of justice and adherence to the highest standards of professional ethics and personal conduct. The foundation also awards grants to non-profit organizations to support law-related projects. See the list of 2024 inductees.

A new rule from the U.S. Department of Labor will make millions of Americans eligible for overtime if it survives expected court challenges, the Business Journal reports. The new rule increases the overtime threshold for non-exempt workers to $43,888 from $35,568 on July 1. That would increase again to $58,656, on Jan. 1, 2025. After that, the threshold will update once every three years. Like other recent federal employment rule changes, the overtime pay rule is likely to face court challenges. It is similar to a 2016 rule that was overturned by a federal judge. In that case, the judge ruled the increase invalidated Congress' intent that specific duties, not salary, make people ineligible for overtime.

Recipients of the TBA's 2024 Public Service Awards will be honored during a Public Service Breakfast June 13 in Memphis as part of the TBA Annual Convention. The TBA’s Access to Justice Committee will recognize Memphis-based Assistant Federal Public Defender Tyrone Paylor as the Ashley Wiltshire Public Service Attorney of the Year, Memphis attorney John Golwen as the Harris Gilbert Pro Bono Volunteer of the Year and University of Tennessee law student Kim Riddett as Law Student Volunteer of the Year. The awards recognize outstanding service by attorneys and law students who have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to increasing access to justice for underserved individuals and communities in Tennessee. Read more about this year’s recipients at the links above or in the May/June 2024 issue of the Tennessee Bar Journal.

University of Tennessee College of Law (UT Law) student Kim Riddett has been named the TBA’s 2024 Law Student Volunteer of the Year. The award recognizes a Tennessee law student who provides outstanding volunteer services while working with an organization that provides legal representation to the indigent. “Kim is a committed public interest law student who cares tremendously about helping those in need,” UT Law’s Director of Clinical Programs Joy Radice says. “She is a leader who is deeply committed to helping others and fighting injustice.” The award will be presented during a Public Service Breakfast June 13 in Memphis as part of the TBA Annual Convention. Read more about Riddett's service in the TBA’s press release.

Memphis attorney John Golwen has been named the 2024 Harris Gilbert Pro Bono Volunteer of the Year by the TBA for his work in combating generational poverty in Memphis and helping youth succeed. A Memphis native and litigation partner at Bass Berry & Sims, Golwen brought legal expertise together with his experience from volunteering with the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Memphis to help support the PURE Academy in Memphis. That organization, founded by former gang member Melvin Cole, is focused on training young boys to excel in academics and athletics, while exposing them to many opportunities that will prepare them to become productive men. The award will be presented during a Public Service Breakfast June 13 in Memphis as part of the TBA Annual Convention. Read more about Golwen’s work in the TBA’s press release.

Memphis-based Assistant Federal Public Defender Tyrone Paylor has been named the Ashley T. Wiltshire Public Service Attorney of the Year for 2024. The award recognizes an attorney who has provided dedicated and outstanding representation to an indigent client in either a civil or criminal case. Paylor works in the Western District of Tennessee’s Memphis office and over the past 15 years has earned a reputation as a strong advocate for his clients and also a mentor to younger attorneys. “Tyrone’s insights have helped many attorneys in their approach to client recidivism, rehabilitation and pursuing justice,” former Federal Public Defender Brian Mounce says of Paylor. The Wiltshire award will be presented during a Public Service Breakfast June 13 in Memphis as part of the TBA Annual Convention. Read more about Paylor in the TBA’s press release.

The Tennessee Bar Foundation, an association of 811 attorneys across the state, recently inducted 29 new fellows. See the full list of this year’s class. The Bar Foundation has a two-fold purpose: to recognize attorneys who have distinguished themselves in the community and the profession, and to administer a grant making program. Through the Interest on Lawyers' Trust Accounts (IOLTA) program, the foundation has awarded grants in excess of $27,000,000 to law-related and public interest projects throughout the state of Tennessee.

A Tennessee-based cleaning company has agreed to pay nearly $650,000 in civil penalties after federal investigators found the company employed at least 24 children at two slaughtering and meatpacking facilities, the U.S. Department of Labor has announced. Under the agreement, Fayette Janitorial Service LLC also must hire a third party to implement company policies to prevent the illegal employment of children and create a program for reporting concerns about child labor violations. The Labor Department obtained a preliminary injunction against the company in late February after an investigation discovered at least 24 children, including those as young as 13, were working overnight sanitation shifts at facilities in Iowa and Virginia. The Commercial Appeal has more from USA Today.

TikTok has sued to block a new law that requires it to divest from its parent company ByteDance or cease operations in the United States. The case likely will “spark a landmark clash over free speech, government power and the balance between open commerce and national security,” Reuters reports. The legal complaint argues broadly that the new law, which passed with bipartisan support, reflects an “extraordinary and unconstitutional assertion of power” that unfairly singles out TikTok. It also argues that the law puts all media at risk by circumventing free speech protections. U.S. officials have accused the company of sharing users' data with the Chinese government. The company has denied those claims.

The annual Robert Ballow Excellence in Writing Awards were presented to Nashville School of Law (NSL) 4L students in April. Seven students were recognized for their performance in the Rigorous Writing Exercise (RWE) program. The RWE is a project all NSL students embark on as a requirement of graduation. Working with a volunteer mentor from the legal community, students research and write a 15-20 page paper on the topic of their choice. See the list of winners and read their work.