Under new legislation passed by the state Senate yesterday, Gov. Bill Lee is no longer required to sign a proclamation for Nathan Bedford Forrest Day on July 13, but it will still remain a day of observance, the Daily Memphian reports. In its original form, SB2199 sought to eliminate the day entirely, but was amended with language simply allowing the governor to avoid proclaiming the day in honor of Forrest or any other day of recognition. The Senate passed the amended bill 22-6, despite pleas from Sen. Brenda Gilmore, D-Nashville, and Senate Minority Chairman Raumesh Akbari, D-Memphis, to drop the day. “We’ve moved past Jim Crow. But I think the last couple of weeks show systemic racism still exists,” Akbari said, referring to nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. “You can still remember and know what Nathan Bedford Forrest did without recognizing that day,” Akbari said.

The Nashville Business Journal has announced the list of honorees for its annual Best of the Bar awards. It was also announced that Hal Hardin of the Hardin Law Office is this year’s recipient of the Best of the Bar Lifetime Achievement award. Hardin has been in private practice since 1981, focusing on criminal law, civil litigation, corporate representation, crisis management, governmental agency investigations and complex litigation. He received the Nashville Bar Association's John C. Tune Public Service Award in 2018. 

Memphis lawyer Alexander Hall is being presented with the Justice Joseph W. Henry Award for Outstanding Legal Writing for his Tennessee Bar Journal article "Place Your Bets: Tennessee's Sports Gaming Act Begins July 1." The award will be presented June 18 during the Tennessee Bar Association's (TBA) annual convention. Established nearly 40 years ago, the award is presented annually to the lawyer who has written the most outstanding article for the Tennessee Bar Journal during the preceding year. 

Davidson County lawyer Kevin William Teets Jr. was yesterday suspended from the practice of law for 30 days by the Supreme Court of Tennessee. For one year following his reinstatement, Teets shall engage a practice monitor and he must pay the Board of Professional Responsibility all costs in the disciplinary proceeding. Teets assisted with the incorporation of a non-profit entity in exchange for being named treasurer of the non-profit, but later admitted to misappropriating funds while in that role. Teets is immediately suspended from the practice of law and prohibited from using any indicia of lawyer, legal assistant, or law clerk or maintaining a presence where the practice of law is conducted. He must notify all clients being represented in pending matters, as well as co-counsel and opposing counsel of the Supreme Court’s order suspending his law license and shall deliver to all clients any papers or property to which they are entitled.

Hamilton County lawyer Michael Eugene Richardson received a public censure from the Supreme Court of Tennessee yesterday. Richardson represented a client in a detainer and eviction action and designated his fee as non-refundable, but failed to obtain a written agreement signed by his client confirming the fee was non-refundable. The panel found his conduct violated Rules of Professional Conduct 1.5 and 8.4. A public censure is a rebuke and warning to the attorney, but it does not affect the attorney’s ability to practice law.

Williamson County lawyer Matthew David Dunn was yesterday disbarred from the practice of law by the Supreme Court of Tennessee. In 12 of the 31 separate disciplinary complaints filed against him, Dunn participated in a timeshare relief system that did not actually provide any relief to the complainants. Dunn would send a form letter to the timeshare agency, but then abandon each client. The remaining complaints involve Dunn assigning client files to associates within his firm. When the associates would leave, the client would remain with the Dunn Law Firm, but Dunn failed to communicate or work on the client’s file. Dunn must pay restitution in the amount of $95,621 and costs of the disciplinary proceeding. He may not return to the practice of law until an order of reinstatement has been entered by the Supreme Court.

The Intellectual Property Law Forum originally scheduled for April 17 will now be a virtual CLE event, held over two days, July 15 - 16. The TBA's IP Section Executive Council has put together a compelling program to discuss IP with vices front and center. The first day of the program will provide accounts of bad actors running afoul of trade secret law, provide insight into the life of hackers and finish with ways to avoid trouble with online information. The sessions run from 1 to 4 p.m. CDT. Attendees can earn two general and one dual CLE hours. The program continues on day two exploring the various forms of available IP protection for the cannabis industry and ends with insights into how to best distinguish and protect your home brew from others. Those sessions run from 1 to 3 p.m. CDT. Attendees can earn two general CLE hours. In an effort to provide flexibility, attorneys can register to attend day one, day two or the full, two-day program.  Find out more about the sessions, speakers and registration options available by clicking here.

Longtime prosecutor Teresa Murray Smith has announced that she is running for Elizabethton municipal judge. Smith was in private practice but is best known for her time as an assistant district attorney general in the First and Second Judicial Districts, the Johnson City Press reports. Smith is the only person on the ballot for the Aug. 6 Republican primary. Jason Holly was appointed as the city judge by the Elizabethton City Council in February, following the death of Judge T.J. Little, but he is not on the primary ballot. He is mounting a write-in campaign for the nomination to run in the November election.

The fate of a death row inmate in Tennessee is up in the air after the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals heard an appeal of a sentence reduction yesterday. Abu-Ali Abdur’Rahman was sentenced to death for the 1986 murder of Patrick Daniels. He was scheduled to be executed in April, but last fall the Nashville district attorney agreed to life in prison and a judge resentenced Abdur’Rahman after claims surfaced that prosecutors illegally excluded African Americans from the jury pool in his trial. The state has argued that the trial court judge did not have the authority to modify the sentence without a petition, hearing and review. Lawyers for Abdur’Rahman argue the state does not have the right to appeal the agreement because both the attorney general and the district attorney represent the state. The Daily Times has the AP story.

A new podcast from psychologist Dr. Rick Hanson features a conversation with Dr. Alfiee M. Breland-Noble, a psychologist, expert in the mental health needs of the racially diverse, and founder of the mental health nonprofit the AAKOMA Project. According to Dr. Alfiee, racism and racist structures place an enormous mental health burden on people of color. She discusses the unique challenges faced by marginalized youth, stigmatization of mental health, disparities in access to mental health services, and how to manage traumatic stress.