Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III is praising a new federal law known as the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act (TRACED), which the president signed into law on Dec. 30. The TRACED Act is the first federal law designed to combat the rampant problem of robocalls, which increased by more than 36% in 2018. The law will prioritize industry-wide implementation of call authentication protocols, a framework that will allow voice providers to adopt call-blocking technology and prevent spoofed calls at no additional cost to consumers. It also creates an interagency working group to take additional actions to reduce robocalls and hold telemarketers and robocallers accountable.

The Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) and the Alternative Dispute Resolution Commission have unveiled a new online portal for the courts and lawyers to track mediation work. The “one-stop shop” will increase efficiency by drastically cutting the amount of paper and labor needed to process continuing mediation education documents and other mediation-related records, the AOC reports. The system also will make it easier for the state’s 1,300 Rule 31 mediators to stay on top of their renewal statuses and reporting. The system will allow mediators to report on their cases and CLE attendance, update contact information and check whether payments and forms have been received and processed.

After more than 25 years of service, Tennessee’s longest serving state appellate judge, Charles D. Susano Jr., has announced he will retire from the bench effective April 30, the Administrative Office of the Courts announced today. Susano, a lifelong Knoxvillian, earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1963. After graduating, he served in the inaugural group of law clerks to work for the Tennessee Supreme Court. He then served more than 30 years as a partner with Bernstein, Susano & Stair, and later with Susano, Sheppeard, Giordano & Swanson. In March 1994, Gov. Ned Ray McWherter appointed him to the Tennessee Court of Appeals. Since then, Judge Susano has served as presiding judge of the court and has authored well over 1,000 opinions. Among his many accolades, Judge Susano received the TBA’s Justice Frank F. Drowota III Outstanding Judicial Service Award in 2017.

In this issue, TBA President Sarah Y. Sheppeard invites you to "look at the you of a year ago, and take inventory of those major challenges or crises you dealt with this past year that were not even on your radar screen on Dec. 31, 2018. Those huge problems can derail one’s plans and totally upset the equilibrium of normal life." She's talking about natural disasters like tornadoes or floods, as well as loss of a loved one or serious illness. Those are difficult to plan for, she writes, "But for some law-practice-related calamities, there are steps we can take to be prepared and, in many circumstances, steps that we are ethically required to take."

West Tennessee Legal Services will hold a free legal clinic on Wednesday at Reelfoot Rural Ministries, 6923 Minnick Elbridge Rd., Obion 38240. The event will run from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Call 731-423-0616 for more information.

The Environmental Law Section’s annual forum on Jan. 17 will present timely updates on legal issues such as the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Gallatin Fossil Plant lawsuit, the recent Volkswagen settlement, ethics in environmental law and more. Government, in-house and private practice attorneys will discuss new regulations affecting the practice area. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from seasoned practitioners while networking with top players in the field. The program offers one dual credit and three general credits.

A new law that redefines the employee-employer relationship went into effect Jan. 1 and the January Tennessee Bar Journal has the details. To understand it, read this article by professors Sandra Benson and Timothy Koski, which explores this new definition, considers other key tests affecting worker classification, and identifies unanswered questions to aid attorneys representing companies and workers in Tennessee.

In his annual year-end report, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts touted the independence of the judiciary and the role of judges in promoting civic education, the Associated Press reports. “In our age, when social media can instantly spread rumor and false information on a grand scale, the public’s need to understand our government and the protections it provides is ever more vital,? Roberts wrote. Judges must continue promoting public confidence in the judiciary, through their rulings and civic outreach, he said. The report also highlights the availability of online opinions, mock trials sponsored by the federal courts, learning centers in several courthouses and the work of retired Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, who founded the group iCivics to promote civic education in schools. 

Elizabethton Municipal Judge TJ Little Jr. died Dec. 28 at his lake home on Doe Creek in Butler. He was 67. Little earned his law degree from the University of Memphis School of Law in 1981 and was admitted to practice in the Eastern District federal courts in 1982. Little first joined the Elizabethton firm of Street, Banks, Merryman & Bautista and later opened his own practice in 1986. At the time of his death, he was serving as municipal judge for the city — a position he had held since 2007. A service to honor his life was held Wednesday. Burial took place yesterday in the Mausoleum of Faith at Happy Valley Memorial Park. Memorial donations may be made to the building fund of the Valley Forge United Methodist Church, 3974 Hwy. 19E, Elizabethton 37643.

T.D. Forrester, the longtime city attorney of Covington, died Sunday. He was 69. Forrester was appointed to the city attorney position in 2005 and served until his retirement in 2016. He first moved to Covington in 1975 to join the law practice of J. Houston Gordon. He later opened his own firm in the Lindo Hotel building. Funeral services were held yesterday at the First Presbyterian Church of Covington. Burial followed in Covington Memorial Gardens.