A recent study by ALM revealed that 74% of attorneys polled said the legal profession has had a negative impact on their mental health over time, while 56% said mental health problems and substance abuse are worse in the legal industry than in other industries, and 41% think these issues are at a “crisis level” in the legal industry. The suicide death of Sidley Austin partner Gabe MacConaill made these numbers more personal, Above the Law reports, while MacConaill's widow's op-ed “Big Law Killed My Husband” struck a nerve with lawyers everywhere. Another Sidley Austin partner, Kent Halkett, recently opened up about his struggles with mental illness in the January/February 2021 issue of the Tennessee Bar Journal. He urges the legal industry to “create a culture where all attorneys ‘feel safe’ to reach out to their family, friends or professional colleagues another attorney or, as appropriate, their firm or local bar association.”

The Appellate Court Clerk's office is experiencing intermittent issues with its phone system in Nashville, the Administrative Office of the Courts announced this week. Those unable to reach the clerk's office by phone can reach out via email or by calling the Knoxville office at 865-594-6700 or the Jackson office at 731-423-5840. The Nashville Supreme Court Building was without phone service for a week after the Christmas Day explosion in Nashville and continues to experience unpredictable outages as repair work continues, the AOC said.

President Joe Biden is poised to take action on 53 executive items over the next 10 days as he seeks to implement his own policies, The Hill reports. Today, in his first day in office, he is expected to sign an extension of a nationwide moratorium on evictions through the end of March, National Public Radio reports. Other orders to be signed in the coming days include requiring face masks be worn on federal lands, repeal of a travel ban on certain Muslim countries, halting construction on a border wall, new public health measures to address the COVID-19 pandemic, restoring collective bargaining rights to federal employees, establishing a policing commission and reunifying immigrant families previously separated at the border.

Nashville native Robert Sherrill was among the 100-plus individuals receiving last-minute pardons from outgoing President Donald Trump last night, the Tennessean reports. Sherrill was previously convicted on drug charges and granted clemency by then-Gov. Bill Haslam in 2019. Haslam's action also covered Sherrill's 2002 escape from a Department of Children's Services home. The White House explained the presidential pardon saying Sherrill “has taken full responsibility for his criminal past and received treatment for his drug addiction." Sherrill has since started a commercial cleaning business and a nonprofit organization that mentors at-risk youth. Sherrill's lawyer, David Raybin, said in 40 years practicing law and helping with clemency cases, he'd never seen someone get both a state and a federal pardon. "It's extremely rare," he said. In addition, former Comprehensive Pain Specialists CEO John Davis of Franklin received a commutation of his sentence, which was imposed after he was found guilty of orchestrating a kickback scheme that defrauded Medicare by $4.6 million. Davis had served four of the 42 months to which he was sentenced, the Nashville Post reports.

In a speech to lawmakers on Tuesday, Gov. Bill Lee asked the legislature to discuss three proposals this week: literacy, accountability and learning loss. But he also went after school districts that pivoted to online learning in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, WPLN reports. “Kids do better in school. We know that. Parents know that. And that’s why I’m so proud of our districts who have kids in schools,” Lee said. “And to those that remain closed, I would offer this simple encouragement: follow the science.” He continued, “… You can’t say you’re putting the needs of students first and keep schools closed.” Among the state’s school districts that have decided to stay online are Shelby and Davidson counties.

The Tennessee Bar Association has named two attorneys and a law student as the 2021 Public Service Award winners. The annual awards recognize an exceptional commitment to increasing access to justice for underserved individuals and communities. Kaitlin Beck, assistant public defender in the Shelby County Public Defender's Office, is the Ashley T. Wiltshire Public Service Attorney of the Year. Beck is being recognized for her tireless and dedicated work as an attorney at an organization primarily involved in providing legal representation to the indigent. The Harris Gilbert Pro Bono Attorney of the Year Award recognizes a private attorney who has contributed significant amounts of pro bono work and who demonstrates dedication to the development and delivery of legal services to the poor. This year, that award goes to Richard Gossett from the Chattanooga office of Baker Donelson for his commitment and extensive pro bono hours assisting clients through Tennessee Free Legal Answers, the ABA's virtual legal clinic platform that originated in Tennessee a decade ago. The Law Student Volunteer of the Year Award recognizes Gerald Bradner, a 2L at the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law at the University of Memphis who worked with the Eviction Settlement Program for Shelby County. The honorees will be profiled in the March/April issue of the Tennessee Bar Journal. More information about the Public Service Awards is available on the TBA website.

Murfreesboro lawyers Amy Farrar and Amanda Moore have opened the Tennessee Center for Estate & Elder Law. The center is designed to help seniors and their families navigate important decisions about estate planning and end of life care. Farrar and Moore also will continue to provide representation in transactional real estate, business law and civil appeals under the umbrella of Farrar | Moore Law. The new center can be found online at www.tnelderlawcenter.com or reached at 615-869-7450. Read more in a release announcing the center.

The Lawyers' Association for Women Marion Griffin Chapter will hold its New Admittee Breakfast tomorrow from 8:30 to 9:15 a.m. CST.  For more than 40 years, the group has honored all new admittees to the Tennessee bar at a breakfast prior to the fall swearing-in ceremony in Nashville. The breakfast was moved to January when the Tennessee Supreme Court rescheduled the swearing-in ceremony for January. This year, the event will be held virtually to honor the class of 2020, which has faced challenges like no other in 100 years. The keynote speaker will be Davidson County Juvenile Court Judge Sheila Calloway.

This year’s Law Tech CLE will be offered virtually over three days in February with sessions at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. CST each day. The second installment, set for the afternoon of Feb. 5, will feature Kris Hamann, executive director and founder of Prosecutors’ Center for Excellence. Hamann will discuss facial recognition technology and its legal impact, including privacy concerns, effectiveness, law enforcement usage and reliability in the court room. The one-hour program will begin at 1 p.m. CST.

Adams and Reese today announced that managing partner Gif Thornton has appointed Edward H. Playfair to serve as partner in charge of the firm’s Nashville office. Playfair has been with the firm since 2009 and has extensive experience in the areas of United States and international trademarks, brand protection, e-commerce and franchising and is the Intellectual Property Team Leader. He previously practiced international law in the United Kingdom and is admitted as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales. Playfair was previously an independent consultant to The Coca-Cola Company on sponsorship and brand promotion initiatives at the XIX Olympic Winter Games, Salt Lake City 2002, and at The Masters golf tournament. Adams and Reese has a partner in charge in each of its offices throughout the southern United States and Washington, D.C.