General jurisdiction judges in Tennessee, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois and South Carolina receive the highest annual salaries for their positions when adjusted for cost of living, according to a new survey from the National Center for State Courts. The center's updated Judicial Salary Tracker shows the average salaries for general jurisdiction court judges, appellate court judges and associate supreme court justices as of January 2020. The center found that the average salary for general jurisdiction judges is $161,750, ranging from a low of $89,600 in Puerto Rico to a high of $216,400 in Washington, D.C. The average salary for appellate court judges is $173,132, ranging from a low of $105,000 in Puerto Rico to a high of $244,700 in California. And the average salary for associate supreme court justices is $179,785, ranging from a low of $120,000 in Puerto Rico to a high of $261,013 in California.

Sumner County lawyer Rex Austin Chamberlain was censured today by the Tennessee Supreme Court. The court took the action based on one complaint of misconduct by Chamberlain’s former employees. The group alleged that Chamberlain received referrals for legal services from Patriot Angels, which is not an intermediary organization regulated by Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 44. Chamberlain agreed to a conditional guilty plea acknowledging he accepted referrals in violation of Rules of Professional Conduct 5.4, 7.1, 7.2(c) and (d), 7.3(a), 7.6(a) and (b) and 8.4(a).

The Supreme Court of Tennessee disbarred Kentucky lawyer Jonathan Stephen Carlton from the practice of law today. The court found that Carlton knowingly undertook representation of a new client while suspended from the practice of law, charged an unreasonable fee, filed pleadings in court while suspended, failed to reasonably communicate with his client, failed to act in a diligent manner, and failed to respond to the Board of Professional Responsibility about a complaint. His actions violated Rules of Professional Conduct 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.16, 3.3, 5.5, 8.1(b) and 8.4(a), (c), (d) and (g).

The TBA’s International Law Forum will take place March 27 at the Tennessee Bar Center. The program provides resources for Tennessee lawyers practicing in all aspects of international law, with a particular focus on international business. Knowledgeable and experienced presenters will provide important and timely information around key topics such as cross border taxation, dangers of distribution and foreign investment. Joins us to earn five credit hours (including one hour of ethics credit) and stay for a networking reception at the end of the program!

Legal Aid of East Tennessee will hold a general advice clinic in Kingsport tomorrow. The event will take place from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the United Steelworkers Building, 243 E. Charlemont Ave., Kingsport 37660.

The Tennessee Supreme Court suspended 21 attorneys yesterday for failure to pay the annual registration fee and/or submit certification that all eligible funds are held in an IOLTA account. See the full list of those suspended and access the court orders, or see all administrative suspensions.

The search committee for the next dean of the University of Tennessee College of Law invites members of the legal community to hear from four candidates under consideration. Open forums with each candidate will take place over the next two weeks at the College of Law:

• Friday: Meet Professor Joan Heminway of the University of Tennessee College of Law, 3 to 4 p.m. in Room 237.
• Feb. 25: Meet Amelia Rinehart of the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, 3:45 to 4:45 p.m. in Room 132.
• Feb. 26: Meet Susan Kuo of the University of South Carolina School of Law, 4 to 5 p.m. in Room 237.
• Feb. 27: Meet Stephen Mazza of the University of Kansas College of Law, 4 to 5 p.m. in Room 132.

Each candidate also will be available in a more informal setting from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the faculty lounge (Room 262) on the following dates: Feb. 20, Heminway; Feb. 24, Rinehart; Feb. 25, Kuo; and Feb. 26, Mazza. Learn more online or contact Beth Ford at 865-637-7979.

The ABA House of Delegates, meeting in Austin yesterday, voted to approve a resolution calling on states to consider innovative approaches to the access-to-justice crisis that could improve the accessibility, affordability and quality of civil legal services. Language was added during consideration to clarify that nothing in the resolution should be construed as altering ABA model rules, including Rule 5.4, which covers non-lawyer ownership of law firms. For other actions taken by the ABA House during the group's Midyear Meeting, see this recap.

The University of Tennessee College of Law celebrated the achievements of students, staff and faculty several weeks ago at the college’s Honors Banquet and Awards Program. Student awards were given for excellence in civil procedure, civil advocacy, criminal advocacy, trial advocacy, legal research, first-year brief, legal writing, leadership and public service. Faculty awards were given for extraordinary service, writing excellence, scholarship, research, teaching and service. See all those honored on the school's website.

Death row inmate Nicholas Todd Sutton has been placed on death watch, a three-day period of increased supervision and security ahead of execution. He is scheduled to die by electrocution Thursday night, Knoxnews reports. Sutton was convicted of killing three people in 1979 when he was 18 years old. But he did not receive a death sentence until he fatally stabbed a fellow inmate in prison at age 23. Attorneys challenging the death sentence argue that Sutton was unconstitutionally shackled in front of jurors and that his previous lawyers provided ineffective counsel because they did not introduce evidence showing Sutton was a drug-addicted teenager who suffered abuse at the hands of his mentally-ill father.