The Nashville Conflict Resolution Center and Vanderbilt University’s Cal Turner Program for Moral Leadership will host a facilitated conversation titled “Society in Conflict” by Zoom next Tuesday. The event is free and will run from 12:30 to 2 p.m. CDT. The program will focus on public health and education. Speakers include Meharry Medical College President Dr. James Hildreth, Vanderbilt professor Dr. Marisa Cannata and Juliana Ospina Cano, executive director of Conexion Americas. RSVP here to receive additional event details.

The Memphis Bar Association will hold a limited Veterans' Clinic by telephone on Sept. 8. Volunteers are needed. Those interested should contact Jake Dickerson.

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands will host a phone clinic on Saturday and next Tuesday for members of the public with questions about housing and renters’ rights, bankruptcy, medical bills, debt collection, domestic violence, SNAP benefits and unemployment benefits. The Saturday clinic will run from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. The Tuesday clinic will run from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. CDT. To volunteer, contact Andrae Crismon or Kendra Cheek or call 615-780-7131. See the full list of clinics for September.

The Tennessee Bar Association will be closed on Monday in observance of Labor Day. The TBA's virtual office will reopen on Tuesday at 8 a.m. CDT with all staff continuing to work remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Visit the TBA.org website for information on CLE or other TBA programs and for staff contact information.

The Tennessee Supreme Court announced today it has received information about disciplinary action taken against lawyer James Austin Dukes in Louisiana. The court directed Dukes to inform it within 30 days why reciprocal discipline of permanent disbarment should not be imposed in Tennessee. If Dukes does not respond, Supreme Court rules allow the court to impose discipline with the same terms and conditions as those imposed by the Supreme Court of the State of Louisiana.

The Tennessee Supreme Court today suspended Morgan County lawyer Andrew Nathan Hall from the practice of law after finding he failed to respond to a complaint of misconduct. Supreme Court Rule 9 provides for the immediate summary suspension of an attorney’s license to practice law if an attorney fails to respond to a complaint of misconduct. He must immediately cease accepting new cases and stop representing existing clients by Oct. 4.

Judge Sam Coleman has been elected to serve as presiding judge over the Davidson County General Sessions Court, the Tennessee Tribune reports. Coleman was elected by the Metropolitan Nashville-Davidson County General Session Court Judges and will succeed Judge Lynda Jones. Coleman was appointed to General Sessions Court, Division 10 in 2017. Prior to his appointment, he was a practicing attorney specializing in criminal, civil, probate, landlord and tenant law. He served as a member of the Metro Council serving Districts 32 and 33 for over 10 years before his appointment to the court. 

The U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Disaster Assistance is seeking an attorney advisor and a virtual paralegal specialist. The jobs are full-time, but temporary and may last from two to six months. Both positions will help review and close SBA disaster loans. Attorneys may be licensed in any state and those waiting on bar exam results may apply. Real estate experience is a plus.  

The Hamilton County Health Department has filed a lawsuit against Ed’s Supply Company in Chattanooga, claiming the business isn’t complying with a mask mandate put into place due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Associated Press reports. The suit alleges that, after multiple warnings, customers and employees are still not wearing masks or social distancing. The complaint asks a judge to order the business to close if it does not comply with the mandate. The Aug. 28 filing claims workers at the business believed the masks were ineffective  cited “their installation and use of UV ultraviolet light systems within their facility’s air conditioning system to assist with disinfection” against COVID-19.

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland yesterday announced a new 13-member group that will make “substantive, realistic and measurable” police reform recommendations, the Daily Memphian reports. The group will make preliminary recommendations in the next 45 days based on community input. The recommendations will focus on how to improve community relations, accountability and transparency with the Memphis Police Department. After the initial recommendations, the group will work another 45 days to set final recommendations. This is the second phase of Strickland’s call for changes in policing. The first phase included changes to use of force policies. Group members include Sen. Raumesh Akbari, D-Memphis, Shelby County Commissioner Van Turner, Shelby County Public Defender Phyllis Aluko Memphis-Shelby Crime Commission President Bill Gibbons and more.