Memphis attorney Aftan Strong has been named chief magistrate of the Memphis-Shelby County Juvenile Court, the Daily Memphian reports. Strong, a Memphis native with a master’s in counseling and forensic psychology, was appointed to the position by Juvenile Court Judge Tarik Sugarmon. Strong’s career has included counseling children at a juvenile detention center in Boston, working as a mental health counselor in an after-school program and working as a public defender in Nashville. She also worked in restorative justice practices in the Davidson County District Attorney’s office. Prior to joining Juvenile Court, Strong was managing partner of The Family Law Firm PLLC. Her appointment is the first step in Sugarmon’s determination of how many magistrates there should be and who he will appoint to those positions.

James Reynolds Cunningham of Mosheim died on June 30. He was 76. Cunningham earned his law degree from Florida State University College of Law in 1969 and was admitted to practice in Florida, New York and Tennessee. He practiced for 34 years in Orlando, focusing on general civil trial practice in state and federal courts. Cunningham was a member of the Republican Presidential Task Force Advisory Committee to President Ronald Reagan and the Republican Leadership Council under George W. Bush. Memorials may be sent to Amedisys Hospice Care, 127 Serral Drive, Greeneville, TN 37745 or the First Presbyterian Church of Greeneville, 110 N. Main St., Greeneville, TN 37743.

Frank Lee Watson Jr., an attorney who played a key role in bringing FedEx to Memphis, died on Aug. 25. He was 81. Watson practiced at some of Memphis’ most historic firms and represented many significant clients. While practicing in Little Rock, Watson was part of the legal team that helped the Rolling Stones enter the United States after their work visas were threatened due to some of the band members’ drug issues. After moving to Memphis, Watson joined Waring Cox as partner and helped secured landing rights for FedEx at the Memphis International Airport and helped take the company public. He later worked at Baker Donelson and retired in 2019. Funeral services will take place tomorrow at 10 a.m. CDT at St. Michael’s Catholic Church, 3863 Summer Ave. in Memphis. Read more from the Commercial Appeal.

Downtown Memphis Commission CEO Paul Young has announced he will run for mayor of Memphis in 2023, the Commercial Appeal reports. Prior to the downtown commission, Young headed up the city’s Housing and Community Development for five years. "Over the last few years, I've gotten the opportunity to participate in the revitalization of this community," Young told the Commercial Appeal on Monday. "And I want to see it continue. I want to see us continue to move down a path where we are finding opportunities for our people.” Young’s announcement came on the same day as one from former Shelby County Commissioner and NAACP President Van Turner.  They are the first two to announce campaigns in what is expected to be a crowded race to succeed Mayor Jim Strickland, who will term out next year.

Several East Tennessee lawyers and former Governors Bill Haslam and Phil Bredesen have been appointed inaugural board members of the University of Tennessee’s Institute for American Civics, the Knoxville News Sentinel reports. The center, funded by taxpayer money, was a bipartisan effort approved this past legislative session. According to Gov. Bill Lee and UT, the center will support "statewide efforts to advance civic education and constructive debate and to foster a deeper understanding of American government and the principles that contributed to the country’s founding." The Board of Fellows is made up of 13 members, including the two former governors and Tennessee lawyers Arthur B. Culvahouse Jr., former U.S. Ambassador to Australia, and Glenn Reynolds, a distinguished law professor at UT. UT will appoint a director for the center by March after a nationwide search.  

Catholic Charities of East Tennessee is seeking to hire a managing attorney for its Knoxville Office of Immigrant Services (OIS). The position is new due to the growing demand for immigration legal services throughout East Tennessee. The Office of Immigrant Services is a DOJ-recognized program that provides immigration legal services to immigrants and refugees in the East Tennessee region. The office’s managing attorney oversees the activities and work products of legal representatives, DOJ accredited representatives, and support staff. Learn more about the role and read instructions on how to apply on the TBA’s JobLink site or browse all available jobs.

The Tennessee Bar Association will close at 1 p.m. CDT on Friday and remain closed through Monday in observance of Labor Day. The TBA's office will reopen on Tuesday at 8 a.m. CDT. Visit the TBA.org website for information on CLE or other TBA programs and for staff contact information.

Mark your calendars for TBA CLE’s Corporate Counsel 2022: How to Be a Strategic Business Partner. The webcast will take place on Oct. 18 from noon until 1 p.m. CDT and will be worth one hour of general CLE credit. Check back on the program’s webpage for more details coming soon.

The September/October issue of the Tennessee Bar Journal is now available online! TBA President Tasha C. Blakney discusses the professional privilege tax in her column and Todd Pinckley looks at how Tennesseans could be affected by the threat of professional deregulation. Bryan Davidson unpacks environmental justice tools, Andy Rowlett talks cyber insurance coverage and Russell Fowler tells the story of a Supreme Court chief justice who shot an unarmed lawyer. Seriously. Our columnists cover a wide range of topics in this issue, and you can catch up on legal news, passages and licensure and discipline updates in The Legal Life. 

The Tennessee Supreme Court issued an order soliciting comments on proposed amendments to the Tennessee Rules of Civil Procedure and Tennessee Rules of Criminal Procedure. The court notes that the Advisory Commission on the Rules of Practice & Procedure recommended these changes during its 2021-2022 term, which ended on June 10. Comments on the amendments are due by Dec. 2 and should be emailed to appellatecourtclerk@tncourts.gov or mailed to James Hivner, Clerk, Re: 2023 Rules Package, 100 Supreme Court Building, 401 7th Ave. N., Nashville, TN 37219-1407. Comments also should reference docket number ADM2022-01198.