West Tennessee Legal Services is seeking a staff/managing attorney to work in its Selmer office. The position will provide civil legal help to low-income families in McNairy and Hardeman counties. The position is funded by, and in collaboration with, the Cycles of Success grant from the Tennessee Department of Human Services. Download the full job description. To apply, email resume and writing sample to Emma Covington.

The TBA’s Criminal Law Forum is an annual staple for Tennessee lawyers. The 2020 CLE, the first TBA offering of the New Year on Jan. 8, will feature instruction on preserving error and tips for appeals, a post-conviction relief Q&A panel, wellness for criminal law practitioners and more. Do not miss this chance to learn from seasoned experts while cultivating relationships among colleagues with a similar focus.

DISABILITY INACTIVE

The Tennessee Supreme Court transferred the law license of Ohio lawyer Thomas Robert Wolf to disability inactive status on Nov. 22, 2019. Wolf may not practice law while on inactive status but may petition the court for reinstatement by showing by clear and convincing evidence that the disability has been removed, and he is fit to resume the practice of law.

Kelso Stevens has joined the Nashville office of Stites & Harbison, where he will practice in the Business & Finance Service Group. He previously was a summer associate at the firm. Stevens received his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 2019. While in law school, he was involved in the Sports and Entertainment Legal Society, Pro Bono Clinic and Vols for Vets. Prior to law school, he worked as an events specialist for Speedway Motorsports Inc. and Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The Rutherford/Cannon County Bar Association will hold its Second Thursday Legal Clinic on Dec. 26 beginning at 3 p.m. at Greenhouse Ministries, 309 S. Spring St., Murfreesboro 37130. No appointments are necessary. Clients are seen on a first-come first-serve basis.

Ethics Opinion: Guidance for Lawyers Who Change Firms

The American Bar Association Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility released guidance Dec. 4 on the ethical obligations for lawyers when they change firms. Formal Opinion 489 acknowledges that a lawyer has the right to switch firms and notes that ethics rules do not allow non-competition clauses in partnership, member, shareholder or employment agreements.

When a lawyer gives notice, the formal opinion suggests the lawyer and the firm develop a plan that is orderly, flexible and “protects client interests during the lawyer’s transition.”

The New Year always brings about new plans. For many of us, resolutions abound as we plan to have a healthier, happier, more prosperous New Year: Plan to eat less and exercise more; to drink less; to save more; to enjoy more time with family and friends and decrease our stress level. Some plans relate to the practice of law: be more organized and procrastinate less; record those billable hours daily; find ways to cope with the stress of practicing law.

Freshman basketball star James Wiseman announced today that he has officially withdrawn from the University of Memphis and will immediately begin preparing for the NBA draft, the Commercial Appeal reports. Last month, the NCAA deemed Wiseman ineligible to play based on "recruiting violations." Wiseman filed suit for a temporary restraining order against the NCAA, but later dropped the suit and agreed to sit out the games. Today, Wiseman posted on his Instagram page that playing in the NBA has always been his dream. 

Gov. Bill Lee’s Criminal Justice Investment Task Force last week made public its recommendations for the upcoming legislative sessions, TNJ: On the Hill reports. Lee assembled the group in March to examine the challenges in the state’s criminal justice system. The task force released 23 recommendations aimed at improving responses to those with behavioral health needs, equalizing treatment of those in local jails and state prison, tailoring responses to different offenses, improving community supervision and minimizing barriers to successful reentry. The interim report and data presentation used to guide the work of the task force can be found here.

Three patients of Knoxville dentist Clarence "Buzz" Nabers have filed a proposed class-action lawsuit against his practice for potentially exposing thousands of people to infectious diseases by reusing and improperly sterilizing dental tools, Knoxnews reports. The proposed class would include some 8,000 patients treated at Nabers' practice during a time the Tennessee Department of Health said the dental clinic followed questionable sterilization techniques. Knoxville attorneys Troy Bowlin and Mark Stephens, who served as Knox County's public defender for 29 years and stepped down at the end of October to return to private practice, are representing the three patients.