Don't miss a webcast replay next Wednesday of a program that explores the impact of secondary trauma. Join Cindy Sharp and Becky Howlett from The Legal Burnout Solution on Aug. 10 from noon to 1 p.m. CDT for “How Secondary Trauma Affects Attorney Mental Health." The program will discuss the emotional stories, disturbing evidence, and highly charged situations legal professionals can encounter and how those experiences can cause secondary or vicarious trauma. Howlett, a certified meditation instructor and attorney, will lead mindfulness practices throughout the session.

The overall employment rate for 2021 law school graduates came in at 91.9% — a 15 year high — according to new data released by the National Association for Law Placement (NALP). The 2021 figure represents a 3.5% increase from the class of 2020, which stood at 88.4%, according to Reuters. The strong employment rates were driven by the largest law firms' hiring activity, said James Leipold, executive director of NALP. Read more from the association.

Former Tennessee Valley Authority Chair Joe H. Ritch could soon be returning to the TVA board a decade after he first joined the federal utility, Chattanooga Times Free Press reports. President Joe Biden nominated Ritch, an Alabama attorney, to the post on Wednesday. Ritch was first appointed to the board in 2012 by then-President Barack Obama and was elected in 2014 as the chair. He was renominated for another term in 2016 but the U.S. Senate did not vote on the nomination before Obama left office. Ritch practices law with the firm of Dentons Sirote, with a focus on government contracts, corporate and tax law. He also has served as chair of the Redstone Regional Alliance, a coalition of communities in north Alabama and south-central Tennessee that support the growth of military facilities in the area.

The American Bar Association filed an amicus brief yesterday with the U.S. Supreme Court, asking the court to take up a Texas death penalty case in which the defendant was convicted on DNA evidence and testimony from a police laboratory that was later deemed unreliable by the state. The case represents the first opportunity for the ABA to bring its “Criminal Justice Standards on DNA Evidence” to the court’s attention, the group reports. The standards were approved as policy by the ABA House of Delegates in 2007 and recommended “minimum requirements for the collection, handling, analysis and use of DNA evidence in criminal cases.”

The University of Tennessee College of Law today announced the death of Micki Fox, business manager of the Tennessee Law Review and continuing legal education (CLE) coordinator. Fox had been with the college for 50-plus years and had become known affectionately as the “mother of the Law Review.” Fox began working with the publication in 1971 as a manuscript typist. Within the decade, she was promoted to senior bookkeeper and eventually business manager. Almost 20 years ago, Fox took on an additional role at the college, becoming the CLE coordinator. In 2015, she answered questions about her time at the school. Dean Lonnie T. Brown Jr. said in an email today said that Fox — “an institution” at the college of law — died yesterday evening. Funeral arrangements are pending.

The Board of Judicial Conduct last week suspended 13th Judicial District Circuit Court Judge Jonathan Lee Young for 30 days. The board found that Young made improper comments about an opioid case and although the comments were made outside of court, they were serious enough to void a ruling he entered against an opioid company. The board also cited comments Young made to a woman in an adoption case filed in his court. In that case, the board found that Young requested explicit photos of the woman and met her multiple times outside of court, including at a hotel, and that he gave her advice on an unrelated custody matter in another court, including how to get the judge disqualified. According to reporting by the Tennessean, Young lost his Republican primary election in May and the suspension runs to the end of his term Aug. 31. He had previously been reprimanded in 2020 for sending inappropriate messages to women on social media platforms.

The Tennessee Supreme Court last week issued an order amending Rule 9, section 8.1 to fix a “housekeeping” issue and “ensure consistency” with Rule 8.5(a). The order clarifies that any attorney not admitted to practice in the state, who practices law or renders or offers to render any legal services in the state, is subject to the disciplinary jurisdiction of Tennessee Supreme Court, the Board of Professional Responsibility, including its panels, district committees and hearing panels, and the circuit and chancery courts of the state. The order took effect immediately.

The law license of Arizona attorney David Martin Macaione was transferred to disability inactive status today by the Tennessee Supreme Court. Macaione may not practice law while on inactive status and must comply with the requirements of Supreme Court Rule 9, Section 28. He may return to the practice of law after reinstatement by showing that his disability has been removed.

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee will hold a portrait unveiling and reception for former judge Harry S. Mattice next Friday. The event will take place at on the third floor of the Joel W. Solomon Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse at 3 p.m. EDT.  A reception will follow in the courthouse. Mattice retired from the bench in September 2021 after serving the Eastern District for more than 20 years — first as U. S. attorney and later as district judge. He was appointed to the bench by President George W. Bush in 2005. Before entering federal service, Mattice was a shareholder with Baker Donelson and a partner at Miller & Martin in Chattanooga. He also served as a senior counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs during a special investigation.

The overall employment rate for 2021 law school graduates came in at 91.9% — a 15 year high — according to new data released yesterday by the National Association for Law Placement (NALP). The 2021 figure represents a 3.5% increase from the class of 2020, which stood at 88.4%, according to Reuters. The strong employment rates were driven by the largest law firms' hiring activity, said James Leipold, executive director of NALP. Read more from the association.