Mid-South Immigration Advocates is seeking a full-time Survivors’ Project Staff Attorney to provide civil legal services in Memphis to immigrant victims of violent crime, particularly domestic violence and sexual assault. The attorney will work closely with victim advocates to ensure clients’ civil needs are met in a holistic manner, including representation for orders of protection, divorce, child support/custody/visitation, and other related civil matters. The position requires a law degree from an accredited school and licensure in Tennessee. Prior experience in family law and orders of protection is preferred.

The deadline for Chattanooga area residents to apply for FEMA aid for storms in mid-April is June 23. The disaster declaration for the storms makes federal funding available to affected individuals as well state and local recovery efforts in Bradley and Hamilton counties. Individual assistance includes grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover. Those impacted can begin the application process at disasterassistance.gov and get help by calling 800-621-3362. In addition, the declaration makes funding available to state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work as well as repair or replacement of facilities damaged in six other counties: Campbell, Marion, Monroe, Polk, Scott and Washington.

The TBA Real Estate Law Section will host its 2020 Hot Topics Forum on Nov. 13 at the Nashville School of Law. The program will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. CST. Lunch will be provided for those who join us in person. For those not comfortable attending in person, a virtual option will be offered.

NBC's Memphis legal drama “Bluff City Law” has been canceled after one season, the Commercial Appeal reports. Though not unexpected (production on the program stopped in October), the announcement is an economic blow for the city. The show's 10 episodes employed dozens of Tennesseans and contributed about $35 million to the local economy, according to network estimates. It also featured many of Memphis’ landmarks, including soul food restaurants, Beale Street clubs and the Shelby County Judge D'Army Bailey Courthouse. Linn Sitler, head of the Memphis & Shelby County Film and Television Commission, said the show “left more money in town than any other client in the last 33 years” and “broke through barriers by nurturing and hiring a record number of local crew persons of color.”

Dr. Tracey Carter, associate professor of law and director of academic success at Belmont College of Law, has been named a “Top 100” lawyer for Tennessee by The National Black Lawyers. The professional honorary organization is composed of 100 black lawyers from each state who excel in their profession and promote diversity. Membership is by invitation only and inclusion in the group provides important networking and resources for black attorneys. Read more about this recognition from the school.

Attorney General Herbert Slatery today said he has joined a bipartisan coalition of 38 attorneys general asking Google and Apple to ensure all COVID-19 contact tracing and exposure notification apps adequately protect consumers’ personal information. Specifically, the coalition asked the companies to guarantee that such apps be affiliated with a public health authority and removed from Google Play and the App Store once they are no longer needed. In a letter to the CEO’s of Apple and Google, Slatery acknowledged the value of using such apps to understand the spread of the COVID-19 virus, but warned against the risk the same technologies pose to consumer privacy. Read more from the Attorney General’s Office.

Day two of the TBA’s 2020 Virtual Convention began with a dance fit wellness workout before the mid-morning Past Presidents’ Morning Mixer. Nearly 400 attendees tuned in to the annual Better Right Now CLE, which featured presentations from Larry Krieger and Lindsey O’Connell of the Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program. Krieger focused his presentation on findings from research he has conducted on lawyers and happiness and O’Connell presented on mindfulness and helpful practices to control stress. The program ended with a discussion on personal experiences on the path to well-being with the TBA’s Attorney Well-Being Committee. The day came to a close with roundtable discussions for in-house counsel and general, solo and small firm practitioners. Day three promises even more worthwhile programming you won’t want to miss.

The Memphis Bar Association, the National Bar Association Ben F. Jones Chapter and the Association for Women Attorneys will host a Bar Unity March in Memphis on June 24. The march will begin at 8:46 a.m. CDT at the Walter L. Bailey Jr. Criminal Justice Center at 201 Poplar Avenue. Before the march begins, remarks will be made by attorney leaders regarding making specific commitments to combat systemic racism in the community and legal community. Those remarks will be followed by 8 minutes and 46 seconds where attendees can stand, take a knee, sit or lay down. A virtual march option is available by posting a graphic on social media for eight hours and 46 minutes. 

Elizabeth “Betty” Bingham Marney died on May 26 at 79. Born in Bristol in 1940, Bingham Marney attended the University of North Carolina for her undergraduate and master’s degrees and earned her doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin. She taught at Harpeth Hall School from 1975-1985 before attending law school at Vanderbilt University and earning her law degree at the age of 48. She began her law career at King & Ballow before becoming in-house counsel at the Nashville Banner newspaper and finally joining the Criminal Appellate Division of the Tennessee Attorney General’s office, where she worked until retirement in 2008. A small funeral was held late last month and the family hopes to host a celebration of Bingham Marney’s life this summer. Memorial gifts may be made to the Beersheba Springs Medical Clinic online or by mail, P.O. Box 112, Beersheba Springs, TN, 37305.

State officials are asking the Tennessee Supreme Court to fast track their appeal of a judge’s absentee voting expansion, the Tennessean reports. In the motion filed Friday evening, the attorney general’s office says it is crucial to the upcoming Aug. 6 primary election that the Supreme Court take up the appeal and the state’s request to stop the expansion. Davidson County Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle earlier this month ordered that all registered voters in the state be given the option to vote by mail and last week shamed state officials for not fully complying with her order. A lower appellate court hasn’t ruled on the appeal yet, which the state also filed on Friday.