The Memphis Bar Association will present its Access to Justice Committee awards during an Oct. 29 ceremony, from noon until 3 p.m. CDT. Speakers for the virtual program include: Constance Brown, Memphis Area Legal Services managing attorney; Linda Seely, Butler Snow pro bono counsel; Danielle Woods, MBA Access to Justice chair; Morgan B. Hanna, Children’s Project staff attorney & Welcome South pro bono coordinator; and Tina Lum Perrusquia, Community Legal Clinic pro se divorce clinic attorney and pro bono coordinator. The awards ceremony will immediately follow the program, titled “Pro Bono During the Pandemic.” Learn more and register here.

Register now for the “Bankruptcy Webcast: Cases, COVID, Cares and CAA” on Nov. 8 from noon until 1 p.m. CDT. This seminar will discuss recent cases of interest as well as options for debtors impacted by COVID under the CARES Act and the Consolidated Appropriations Act, including options for repaying mortgage forbearances and escrow shortages as a result of forbearances. Bankruptcy Section members will receive a discount on the program. Not a section member? Join today.  

Nashville law firm MTR Family Law has announced it will merge with Gullett Sanford Robinson & Martin effective Jan. 1, 2022, the Nashville Post reports. The Gullett Sanford team will consist of 33 practicing attorneys once the deal is complete. MTR's six attorneys will establish Gullett Sanford’s new Family Law Practice Group. “We feel privileged to combine two long-standing, Nashville-based law firms who share similar values, commitment to client service and investment in the Nashville community,” managing member Phil Welty said in a statement. The firm will operate from its two current locations: GSRM Law Downtown at The Pinnacle at Symphony Place and GSRM Law West at 23rd Avenue North.

Nashville Vice Mayor Jim Shulman yesterday announced his recommendation that veteran Metro attorney Margaret Darby take over as legal counsel for the Metro Council, the Nashville Post reports. Darby, the assistant Metropolitan attorney, currently leads a legal team dealing with fiscal administration issues for Metro Council and supervises Metro’s property tax litigation. She would replace attorney Jon Cooper, who left Metro Council for Bone McAllester Norton earlier this year. In an email to Metro councilmembers, Shulman said Darby “brings a wealth of information to this role and the history and knowledge of how Metro has operated, specifically from a financial standpoint.” 

Knoxville attorney Stephen Ross Johnson was sworn in as treasurer of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) earlier this month. According to a NACDL press release, Johnson has held a variety of leadership positions within the organization, including multiple terms on the board of directors and as a member of the group’s Budget, Technology Advisory, White Collar Crime, Sentencing, Strike Force and Investment committees. Johnson is a criminal defense trial and appellate attorney with Ritchie, Davies, Johnson & Stovall. He is a past chair of the TBA’s Criminal Justice Section and former TBA general counsel. 

State lawmakers returned to Nashville today for a special-called session to debate the hundreds of millions of dollars Gov. Bill Lee promised Ford Motor Co. to build a new assembly plant in West Tennessee. Discussion is not expected to last much longer than a week, and will include Lee’s plans for a new technical college at the Memphis Regional Megasite where Ford plans to build its facilities, the Nashville Post reports. The price tag may be larger than initially promised. Though Lee and other officials announced a $500 million deal, the legislature is being asked to spend nearly $900 million on the project.

The state’s first Administer Justice Gospel Justice Center — a national non-profit that works with local churches to provide legal services for those in need — is being established in West Knoxville at Cokesbury United Methodist Church. The program is looking for attorneys to volunteer for four hours one Saturday a month. Administer Justice only handles civil issues and does not require a court appearance. Legal issues may range from landlord-tenant to applying for disability benefits. Malpractice insurance is provided. To learn more visit www.administerjustice.org. To volunteer contact Crystal Schrof.

General Sessions Judge Jimmy C. Smith is the 2020 recipient of Leon Ruben Award of Excellence, the Administrative Office of the Courts reports. The award is presented annually to a judge for outstanding service to the community, the Judicial Conference and the judiciary as a whole. Smith is a former president of the Obion County Bar Association and the Tennessee General Sessions Judges Conference. He currently serves as a judge of the 27th Judicial District General Sessions Court and Recovery Court. He also is a member of the board of the Tennessee Association of Recovery Court Professionals. Outside the courtroom, he has served on a number of boards and in leadership positions for area nonprofits and educational entities.

Judges from across the state gathered in Nashville earlier this month for their Fall 2021 General Sessions Judges Conference. Conference President and Judge Lynda Jones and Administrative Office of the Courts Director Deborah Taylor Tate kicked off the conference with opening remarks. Tate cited statistics showing that judges held 22,477 Zoom sessions with 189,523 participants and participated in 15,000 hours of virtual training despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Judge Jones recognized judges retiring this year and those who have been appointed to fill their seats. 

A news item in Thursday’s issue of TBA Today included the wrong location for a Oct. 23 Faith and Justice Clinic in Knoxville. The clinic, sponsored by the Tennessee Supreme Court Access to Justice Commission, Knoxville Bar Association and its Access to Justice Committee, Legal Aid of East Tennessee and the University of Tennessee College of Law, will be held at Lennon-Seney United Methodist Church, 2084 Dandridge Ave., Knoxville 37915. Sign up here to volunteer.