Make plans now to join colleagues for the 2021 TBA Annual Convention, presented this year as both an in-person event at The Peabody in Memphis and as a virtual online event the week of June 14. Virtual programming will be available for all registrants on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. On Thursday and Friday, virtual-only registrants will tune in for a livestream of key Convention events such as the Bench Bar CLE and Luncheon, Lawyers Luncheon, Better This Year CLE program and Legislative Update CLE. During that same time, in-person attendees will experience all that Memphis has to offer, including key programs, a joint social event with state judges, a group breakfast and the delights of Beale Street and beyond.

The TBA International Law Section has created a new recorded program that looks at what private international law is, why it should be considered as an option in contract negotiations, and how UNIDROIT principles can be used to harmonize national, civil and common laws to benefit cross-border trade. Eckart J. Brödermann, a German lawyer, professor and author, leads a discussion with Karen Austin of the Tractor Supply Company and Marc Dedman with Barton LLP. The course offers 1.25 hours of general credit and is available on demand.

The Davidson County Election Commission will vote this week on a whether to have a citywide referendum election that would allow voters to decide the fate of last year’s 34% property tax increase, WPLN reports. This is the second attempt to roll back the tax hike by the group 4 Good Government, led by Nashville lawyer Jim Roberts. The first attempt was killed in court after several of its efforts were deemed illegal. The commission delayed a final vote over the weekend, opting instead to conduct another review of whether the referendum’s backers collected enough signatures to trigger an election. Attorneys for the city have raised more legal questions about the referendum. They’re urging the election commission to delay a vote until those can be resolved. But it could go before Nashville residents as soon as this summer.  

Former Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin was today found guilty on all counts in the murder of George Floyd last May, the Tennessean reports. After he was found guilty of second- and third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, Chauvin’s bail was revoked and he was handcuffed and taken into custody. Chauvin, who is white, last year pinned Floyd, who was Black, to the ground with his knee for more than nine minutes after police responded to a report that Floyd used a counterfeit $20 bill. Cell phone video of the incident went viral, sparking months of protest throughout the country and abroad condemning police brutality and calling for racial justice. Chauvin faces 12 ½ years or 150 months in prison, but the prosecution argues there are aggravating factors that require a longer term. He must return to court in eight weeks for sentencing.  

Tennessee Bar Association Executive Director Joycelyn Stevenson has been chosen to serve as vice president of the National Association of Bar Executives (NABE) for 2021-2022. Stevenson, who was previously a director at-large for the organization, will become president elect in 2022-2023 before ascending to NABE president in 2023-2024. NABE is the only organization of its kind providing professional development and networking opportunities to bar associations across the country. Its mission is to enhance the skills and enrich the careers of bar association professionals.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation last week asked the court for access to the full case file and deposition from Nashville Judge Kelvin Jones’ divorce as part of its review of comments he made during those proceedings, the Tennessean reports. A complaint was filed in December with the Board of Judicial Conduct alleging the case showed evidence that Jones committed "multiple criminal acts, unethical acts, and dishonest acts in violation of the Tennessee Code of Judicial Conduct." Seventeenth Judicial District Attorney General Robert Carter, who was assigned to the case as a special prosecutor, requested assistance from the TBI in March. The court yesterday signaled that it would share the deposition.  

The Tennessee Senate, in an act of substantive bipartisanship, yesterday voted unanimously in favor of police use-of-force reforms, the Nashville Post reports. The proposed law would ban chokeholds unless an officer believed deadly force was authorized, require the teaching of chokeholds at training academies, require law enforcement agencies to develop de-escalation policies, require other officers to intervene in cases of excessive force, prohibit firing at moving vehicles unless the officer believes deadly force is authorized and prohibit the issuance of no-knock warrants. Senate Bill 1380/House Bill 1406 sponsored by Sen. Mike Bell, R-Riceville, and co-sponsored by some Democrats, will tomorrow be considered by House Criminal Justice Subcommittee.

Longtime federal district and appellate court Judge Harry Wellford of Memphis died Saturday at 96. Wellford earned his law degree from Vanderbilt Law School before returning to Memphis to practice. He also became an active community leader, serving on the Memphis Community Relations Committee alongside other community leaders like Lucius Burch, Lewis Donelson and Jesse Turner. He managed the 1966 U.S. Senate campaign of Howard Baker, who later recommended Wellford for appointment to the federal district court, and later to the Court of Appeals. A private burial will be held on April 26 and will be followed by a 2:30 p.m. CDT memorial service at the Idlewild Presbyterian Church, 1750 Union Avenue, Memphis. Those wishing to attend the memorial service must pre-register. The service will also be livestreamed. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Idlewild Presbyterian Church, St. Mary's Episcopal School, or a charity of the donor's choice.

Nominations for the Tennessee Bar Association’s Fourth Estate Award: Honoring Courageous Reporting on Justice and the Law are due by April 30. The award honors Tennessee-based journalists who have shown exemplary courage in exercising First Amendment rights in the promotion of public understanding of the Rule of Law and how our legal system works. This year's prize includes a $250 honorarium for the winner. Entries must be for projects produced in 2020. Get more information or submit a nomination.

An item in Monday’s TBA Today failed to note that the Tennessee Professionalism Award is jointly sponsored by Tennessee’s American Inns of Court and the Tennessee Bar Association. This award is presented each year to a lawyer or judge whose life and practice display sterling character and unquestioned integrity, coupled with ongoing dedication to the highest standards of the rule of law and the highest standards of the legal profession in Tennessee. The award will be presented to a lawyer or judge residing in the grand division of the state where the TBA's Annual Convention is held (this year, the Western Grand Division). Nominees must be alive when their nomination is submitted but need not be an active member of an American Inn of Court or the TBA. The TBA Annual Convention is scheduled to be held in Memphis and virtually this year the week of June 14. The deadline for submitting nominations is May 3.