The Memphis Bar Association, along with its Access to Justice Committee and Young Lawyers Division, will hold a legal clinic this Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon at the Ben Hooks Public Library, 3030 Poplar Ave., Memphis 38111. For more information, email Anne Fritz or arrive a little before 10 a.m. that morning for a brief training session. In addition, the Legal Aid Society will hold its McHugh Legal Help Clinic Saturday at the Belmont Ministry Center, 2005 12th Ave. S., in Nashville. The clinic will run from 8:30 to 11 a.m. Call 615-244-6610 with any questions.

Get your tech on at this year’s Law Tech program. The CLE and vendor expo will take place Feb. 21 at the Nashville School of Law. Come discover the newest technology for your practice and office by attending one or all of the sessions being offered. Sessions will be broken down by focus area: Future Proof, Litigation and Tech Updates. Each focus area includes two hours of CLE credit followed by a 30-minute break during which attendees can network with sponsors, attendees and speakers, play sponsor bingo or enter to win tech prize raffles. Stay all day and earn six hours of dual CLE credit.

The Tennessee Supreme Court today suspended Jefferson County lawyer Capp Peterson Taylor for two years. The court took the action based on three complaints that Taylor failed to adequately communicate with clients and keep them informed of the status of their cases. In addition, the court found that Taylor was in an improper partnership with a non-lawyer and failed to deposit retainer fees into a trust account. His actions were determined to violate Rules of Professional Conduct 1.4, 1.15(a) and (c), 5.4(b) and 8.4(g).

The Tennessee Supreme Court today suspended Hawkins County lawyer Whitney Suzanne Bailey for two years, with 45 days to be served on active suspension and the remainder on probation. During the probationary period, the court ordered her to obtain an evaluation with the Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program, engage the services of a practice monitor and complete the Board of Professional Responsibility’s three-hour trust accounting workshop. Bailey admitted her conduct — abandoning a client’s case, taking no action in a case she was retained to handle, failing to file adoption paperwork for a client and misleading a client regarding the status of a case — violated Rules of Professional Conduct 1.3, 1.4, 1.16(d)(4) and (6), and 8.4(d).

Margaret Robinson Rutherford, clinical psychologist and author of the book “Perfectly Hidden Depression,” writes in a recent blog about clients who are not melancholy, agitated, or even sad, but are highly engaged with life and very successful though they are struggling. This “hidden” depression, she says, exists far beneath the surface and can be overlooked for two reasons: the individual does not “fit” the expected criteria for depression or the need to look perfect gets in the way of confiding in others, including a therapist. Depression, she writes, can wear many faces, even perfect-looking ones. Check out this questionnaire to see where you might fall on the spectrum of perfectly hidden depression.

State Sen. Brian Kelsey, R-Memphis, is helping lead an effort to add Tennessee’s Right to Work law (enacted in 1947) to the state constitution, the Daily Memphian reports. Senate Joint Resolution 648 would add language to the constitution making it unlawful to deny employment based on membership in, affiliation with, resignation from or refusal to join a labor union or employee organization. To take effect, the resolution would have to pass in two sessions of the General Assembly and then be approved by a majority of voters in the following gubernatorial election.

In the year following the end of federal oversight at the Shelby County Juvenile Court, black children are still treated more harshly in one key area — transfers to adult court — according to criminal justice reformers quoted in the Memphis Flyer. In 2019, 90 juveniles were transferred to adult court — more than any other jurisdiction in the state and higher than 2018 when federal monitors were in place. Of the 90, 86 were black. That is close to the rate of transfer when the federal monitors were called in, reformers say. Law enforcement officials argue that violent crime is rampant in the county and punishment needs to be tough.

The Trial Court Vacancy Commission met today to consider six candidates for the 15th Judicial District Circuit Court, which covers Jackson, Macon, Smith, Trousdale and Wilson counties. Following the public hearing, the commission voted to recommend Jack Branden Bellar, Michael Wayne Collins and Shawn McBrien. The vacancy was created by the retirement of the Hon. John D. Wootten Jr. The commission also forwarded two names — Bonita Jo Atwood and Richard W. Rucker — to the governor for a vacancy in the 16th Judicial District Circuit Court. However, because only two individuals applied for the seat, the governor may fill the vacancy with any qualified person. This vacancy will be created when Judge Royce Taylor retires on March 3. The 16th district serves Rutherford and Cannon counties.

The 12th Annual Law Department Operations Survey from the Blickstein Group was recently released. The report includes more than 70 data points on the current state of legal department operations, including key performance indicators, legal spending, artificial intelligence, technology effectiveness, alternative fee arrangements, eDiscovery best practices and more. Access it here.

The war stories of great lawyers can be funny, dramatic, sad or downright strange and the TBA's Young Lawyers Division is bringing them all to you with the new podcast: TBA YLD Presents: War Stories. Catch the trailer for this new show that will feature young lawyers and storytellers from across the state and stay tuned for episode one, premiering next week on the Tennessee Bar Association Podcast Network. It also will be available on the TBA's website or anywhere you listen to podcasts.