The Tennessee Supreme Court suspended 11 attorneys today for failure to pay the annual registration fee. Two of them also failed to file proof that client funds are held in an IOLTA-compliant account. View the Oct. 15 fee suspension order and IOLTA suspension order. See the list of all lawyers suspended for fee and IOLTA violations in 2021 or access all administrative suspensions dating back to 2005.

The Sports Wagering Advisory Council has tapped Nashville attorney Mary Beth Thomas as its new executive director, the Tennessee Journal reports. Thomas has served as general counsel in Secretary of State Tre Hargett’s office since 2013. Prior to that, she spent seven years with Nashville’s Waller law firm. The 2019 law legalizing sports betting in Tennessee placed the panel within the Tennessee Education Lottery Corp, but an amendment to the law made it an independent entity in January. The panel voted 9-0 in Thomas’ favor. The other finalists were Scott Sloan, the chief of staff and general counsel to the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, and Roger Guillemette, the director of sports betting and casino compliance for the Rhode Island Lottery.

This month on the TBA’s BarBuzz podcast, guest co-host John Wilks of the Nashville law firm Martin, Heller, Potempa & Sheppard PLLC, helps deliver the latest in Tennessee legal news bar association events and happenings. Wilks serves as a TBA Young Lawyers Division board member,  a member of the TBA Leadership Law (TBALL) program’s steering committee and was part of the TBALL Class of 2020. BarBuzz is part of the TBA Podcast Network and can be found online and anywhere you listen to podcasts.

The Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands will hold three clinics next week. A phone clinic will be held on Oct. 19 at 2 p.m. CDT to provide general advice. The first 15 callers will be accepted. On Oct. 20, LAS will hold a clinic specifically for veterans from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. CDT at Operation Stand Down, 1125 12th Ave. S. Nashville 37203. Finally, on Oct. 23 at 8:30 a.m. CDT, a general advice clinic will be held at the Belmont Clinic, 2005 12th Ave. S., Nashville 37204. To volunteer for any of these clinics, contact Kendra Cheek, 615-780-7131. See all October clinics.

Maryville attorney Nick Black has launched a campaign to serve as chancellor of the 4th and 5th Judicial Districts which cover Grainger, Cocke, Jefferson, Sevier and Blount counties, The Daily Times reports. Black is president of the Blount County Bar Association and an alum of the University of Tennessee College of Law. He seeks to fill the position made vacant by the retirement of longtime 4th and 5th Judicial District Chancellor Telford Forgety Jr., who has served on the bench since 1997. “I want people to find me to be a reasonable person with the temperament to fairly and impartially adjudicate any case,” Black said.

Contested by dozens of lawsuits, Tennessee's sex offender registry — a system that tracks and regulates offenders convicted of sex crimes — is getting a renewed look from Tennessee lawmakers, the Tennessean reports. A joint committee, consisting of 12 members from both legislative chambers, convened yesterday to explore changes to the system. The main concern, according to the panel, is that the system, established in 1994 and revamped in 2004, may now be deemed unconstitutional for being too punitive.

A 36-member commission set up by President Joe Biden to study the U.S. Supreme Court was expected to release a draft report today, the White House announced. The commission will hold a public meeting tomorrow and a final report will be submitted to Biden in mid-November. The White House previously said that the commission's purpose is to “provide an analysis of the principal arguments in the contemporary public debate for and against Supreme Court reform, including an appraisal of the merits and legality of particular reform proposals," adding that commissioners would examine such options as term limits for justices, changing the size of the court and altering its case selection, rules and practices. CNN has more on the development.

Former Nashville International Airport executive Margaret Martin has launched her own law practice focused on the aviation industry, the Nashville Post reports. Martin Airport Law will specialize in legal services for airports, the aviation industry and public-private partnerships in the sector. Martin spent more than three years at the airport, most recently as vice president and chief development officer. She previously was senior regulatory counsel at Asurion and a lawyer for Metro Nashville Davidson County. She can be reached at 865-383-0228 or margaret.martin@martinairportlaw.com.

The TBA took top honors in three categories of bar communications during the National Association of Bar Executives Communications Section’s Virtual Workshop. In the category of Authored Article, the TBA won for the January/February 2021 Tennessee Bar Journal piece “Stress, Law & Happiness: New TLAP Director Offers Hope Past the Pain” by TBA staff member and Journal editor Suzanne Craig Robertson. In the category of Special Projects, the TBA won for the 2020 redesign of the TBA.org website and new association management system supported by Member Central. And in the category Excellence in Regular Publications, the TBA won for its Tennessee Bar Journal magazine. In addition, TBA’s Assistant Executive Director Barry Kolar was named the 2021 recipient of the E.A. “Wally” Richter Leadership Award. The award is given annually for outstanding achievement in the field of communications, extraordinary service to NABE colleagues, and distinguished leadership of the section. Kolar leads the TBA’s communications team and served as chair of the NABE Communications Section in 2014.

The Knoxville Bar Association will hold a reception on Nov. 9 for new admittees sworn into the practice of law next month. The event, which will take place in the outdoor courtyard of The Press Room, will run from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Local attorneys are encouraged to attend and “mix and mingle” with these new lawyers. Light refreshments will be provided. RSVP here.