Legal Aid of East Tennessee (LAET) will hold its next weekly phone clinic to help those with questions about eviction actions on Oct. 26. The clinic will run from 2-5 p.m. EDT. Volunteer lawyers will provide advice only on topics such as repairs, security deposits and tenant rights. Those who are interested in providing direct legal representation for tenants in detainer court should contact LAET to be added to a list of available advocates. To volunteer for either opportunity contact Caitlin Torney, 865-251-4951.

The University of Memphis School of Law has launched its first podcast: Show Cause, which will offer insights from faculty, students, alumni and community partners around cultural and legal developments. The first episode examines how name, image, and likeness rights are changing the landscape of college athletics and amateurism. Find the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Soundcloud, as well as on the law school’s website.

The Tennessee Supreme Court recently granted review to five cases. The latest issue of the Raybin Supreme Court Hot List reviews the cases, which raise issues involving the Health Care Liability Act, opinion testimony of expert defendants, the criminal savings statute, prosecutorial misconduct, and arrests outside of officers’ jurisdiction.

Knoxville area lawyer James Anthony “Jim” Ridley III died Oct. 12 at the age of 79. A graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law, Ridley first served as a law clerk for U.S. District Judge Robert L. Taylor. He later became a partner at Kramer Rayson and worked there until he started a solo practice in Fountain City. Ridley was active in Alcoholics Anonymous for more than 40 years and founded a local chapter of the "Lawyers for Concerned Lawyers" to help recovering lawyers deal with substance abuse problems. A celebration of life will be held Monday at noon EDT at the Episcopal Church of the Ascension, 800 S. Northshore Dr., Knoxville 37919. Burial will follow on Tuesday at Gallatin City Cemetery, 250 Cemetery Ave., Gallatin 37066. Memorial donations may be made to the Fish Pantry at FISH Hospitality Pantries, 800 Northshore Dr., Knoxville, TN 37919.

Eleven members of Congress sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland this week requesting the U.S. Justice Department open an investigation into the Rutherford County juvenile justice system, WPLN reports. The group took the action following allegations by WPLN News and ProPublica that the county has illegally arrested and detained children for years. The signers, all Democrats, included Rep. Steve Cohen of Memphis, who is on the House Judiciary Committee and chairs the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. Read the letter here.

Examine and identify the characteristics needed to be a leader during the TBA’s 2021 Leadership Academy Nov. 11 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. CDT. This live virtual event will offer an interactive curriculum designed to help develop leadership skills, build characteristics of effective leadership and identify strategies to overcome challenges. Knoxville attorneys Buck Lewis, William Lockett Jr. and Douglas Blaze, interim dean of the University of Tennessee College of Law, will lead the group discussions.

An attorney representing former University of Tennessee football coach Jeremy Pruitt is threatening to sue the university if it doesn't reach a settlement by Oct. 29, the Knoxville News Sentinel reports. Michael Lyons, Pruitt’s Texas-based attorney, says the suit has the potential to “cripple UT’s athletic programs for years.” The university fired Pruitt in January over evidence that officials say shows members of Pruitt's football staff engaged in conduct likely to result in serious NCAA rules violations, and that Pruitt failed to monitor their actions or promote an atmosphere of compliance. Pruitt did not receive any of the $12.6 million buyout that was part of his contract due to being fired for cause. University general counsel Ryan Stinnett wrote Monday in response to Lyons that UT has no intention of settling and is prepared to defend its actions.

The Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald has lost custody of “Tarra” the elephant after a decade-long court battle, WKRN reports. Tarra was the sanctuary’s first inhabitant in 1995 after she was brought there by founder Carol Buckley. The sanctuary’s board of directors ousted Buckley in 2010 and she sued for wrongful dismissal and visitation rights with Tarra soon after. The legal battle for the elephant has continued until now, after the Tennessee Supreme Court denied an application for permission to appeal. Tarra will now be sent to South Georgia where she’ll live with Buckley on an 850-acre refuge. The Tennessean reported in June that an appeals court had denied a new trial in the case.

Nashville attorney Keeda Haynes has released a book detailing her journey from serving time in a federal prison to becoming a lawyer, public defender and a Congressional candidate. “Bending the ARC: My Journey from Prison to Politics” is described as a “searing exposé of the profound failures in our justice system, told by a woman who has journeyed from wrongfully accused prisoner to acclaimed public defender.” A launch party to celebrate the book’s release has been scheduled for Nov. 18 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. CST at Collective615, 3820 Charlotte Ave., Nashville 37209. Haynes will engage in a candid conversation with attendees and read an excerpt from her book. Register for the event here.

Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner Jeff McCord yesterday wrote lawmakers to inform them that the state cannot drop federal COVID-19 regulations, despite stern instructions to do so, the Associated Press reports. Republicans on the Government Operations panel earlier this week voted in favor of having the state’s labor agency reject the federal safety protocols, even if it meant risking penalties. In his letter, McCord argued that there is no state statute or process allowing the withdrawal of a rule once it becomes effective. McCord added that the federal government could revoke Tennessee’s authority to oversee its own workplace safety enforcement if the state refuses to comply with the rule. The rule, adopted by Tennessee in late August, outlines protocol for personal protective equipment, social distancing and other safety measures for workers at medical facilities that care for people with COVID-19. It also requires paid sick time for employees who contract COVID-19, need to get vaccinated or are dealing with vaccine side effects.