The Tennessee Supreme Court on Oct. 1 suspended 22 attorneys for failure to pay the annual registration fee, 13 of whom also failed to submit certification that all eligible funds are held in an IOLTA account. See the full list of those suspended and reinstated for fee and IOLTA violations in 2020. See all administrative suspensions lists dating back to 2005.

Two lawyers were among those named to the Knox.biz “40 Under 40” Class of 2020, the Knoxville News Sentinel reports. Devin Lyon, associate attorney at Arnett, Draper & Hagood and Tyler Roy, general counsel with the Whitten & Roy Partnership appear on the list, which features the “best of the best” from East Tennessee’s business community. Both attorneys will appear in a January 2021 issue of Knox.biz magazine and on the New Sentinel’s website. They’ll also be honored during the 40 Under 40 gala, which has transitioned into an online event. This is the 14th class that Knox.biz, formerly the Greater Knoxville Business Journal, has honored. 

Presented by the TBA Young Lawyers Division, Transactional Practice During the Pandemic is designed to respond to your needs with thoughtful programming to help navigate an easy transition from 2020 into 2021. Topics that will be covered in this program include: accounting for lawyers; bankruptcy basics; CARES Act updates and the transactional world; and wellness and work life balance. The CLE will take place virtually on Oct. 15 from 10 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. CDT and is worth one dual and three general CLE credits. Register before 8 a.m. CDT on Oct. 15 to receive Zoom access information.

Twelfth Judicial District Circuit Court Judge Justin Angel is now the second judge to recuse himself from a case in which 10th Judicial District Attorney General Steve Crump is accused of being blackmailed into securing a conviction in a 2018 second-degree murder trial, the Times Free Press reports. Angel was appointed just a few days ago to replace Judge Andrew Mark Freiberg, who recused himself from the case in September. Angel said that after reviewing the pleadings in the case, he discovered a conflict and decided to recuse himself. He did not disclose what the conflict was. Crump has denied allegations of an affair or being blackmailed into seeking a conviction against a woman who was accused of killing her husband. A hearing is set for Oct. 9 to determine whether Crump's entire office should be removed from any involvement in the case.

A trial date has been set in the case against Tennessee state Sen. Katrina Robinson of Memphis, WREG reports. Robinson, who is charged with theft and fraud, will face trial starting Sept. 13, 2021. Defense lawyers argued for a delay in the trial saying they have nearly 20,000 documents to review and as many as 60 witnesses to interview, all of which is difficult given the COVID-19 pandemic. The government did not disagree, saying that a trial of this magnitude should be held when health restrictions are somewhat lifted. Robinson was indicted for alleged misuse of federal grant money that was given to The Healthcare Institute, a nursing school she directed. Investigators said she used $2 million meant for the school on personal debt, travel, clothes, cars and her family.

“No other first Monday in October, the traditional start of a new U.S. Supreme Court term, ever has been like this one,” writes constitutional scholar Erwin Chemerinsky in a recent issue of the ABA Journal. The country is in the midst of a pandemic, the justices and the country are still reeling from the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and the upcoming confirmation battle of Judge Amy Coney Barrett all contribute to an unprecedented opening day. Chemerinsky looks at five “blockbuster” cases the court has already agreed to hear during this term. They are: California v. Texas, which involves the Affordable Care Act; Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, which involves the free exercise of religion; Google v. Oracle, which raises intellectual property issues; Jones v. Mississippi, which involves juvenile sentences; and Ford Motor Company v. Bandemer and Ford Motor Company v. Montana Eighth Judicial District Court, which involve jurisdiction questions.

This month, Tennessee lawyers are joining colleagues across the country to increase the meaningful access to justice and commitment to pro bono work. Now in its 12th year, Tennessee’s statewide Celebrate Pro Bono Month brings together legal services providers with bar associations, law schools, law firms and individual volunteers to offer free services to those unable to afford a lawyer. The month of October is an opportunity to focus attention on the significant need for pro bono services as well as a time to celebrate the outstanding work of those in the legal community who volunteer their services throughout the year. Events, including virtual and remote opportunities to volunteer, will be promoted in TBA Today, via social media and on the TBA website. If you have information on an event, please share it with TBA.

Alabama human rights attorney Bryan Stevenson, whose work fighting racial injustice was depicted in the Hollywood movie “Just Mercy,” was among four activists awarded the global Right Livelihood Award, sometimes referred to as the “alternative Nobel prize.” The award "honors and supports courageous people solving global problems." Stevenson founded the Equal Justice Initiative in 1989 while working to free wrongly convicted people from prison and was also the driving force behind a national memorial to the victims of lynching. He was recognized for “his inspiring endeavor to reform the U.S. criminal justice system and advance racial reconciliation in the face of historic trauma.” Read more in the Tennessee Tribune.

The one debate planned between the Republican and Democratic nominees for U.S. Senate is off, the Memphis Flyer reports. According to the magazine, Republican Bill Hagerty and Democrat Marquita Bradshaw were set to meet on Oct. 14 at the WKRN News 2 studio in Nashville. Though WKRN did not cite a specific reason for the cancellation, two recent developments may have contributed to the decision. First, participation in the debate required that each candidate raise at least $50,000. While Hagerty raised far more than the required funds, Bradshaw has not filed a federal campaign report since she reported raising $22,000 before her primary victory. In addition, one of several independent candidates cited the federal “equal-time rule” in asking to be included in the debate.

After 32 years of litigation practice, Memphis lawyer Amy Amundsen is launching her own virtual firm to offer family law dispute resolution and legal consulting in divorce cases. She previously was a partner at Rice, Amundsen & Caperton. A graduate of the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, Amundsen is a Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 31 Family Law Mediator and a Collaborative Family Lawyer and Arbitrator. She is a past chair of the TBA Family Law Section, founder of the TBA Alimony Bench Book Committee, and recipient of the association’s Justice Joseph W. Henry award for legal writing. Amundsen Legal Consulting can be reached at www.amundsenlegalconsulting.com.