As he approaches retirement after nearly three decades at the University of Tennessee College of Law, Dean Doug Blaze reflects on what he calls the school’s “special culture of leadership.” Writing in the school’s Leading as Lawyers Blog, he says this culture of servant-leadership is embodied by colleagues who share four characteristics in common: (1) showing care and concern for colleagues, students, staff and clients; (2) promoting the law school and others over themselves; (3) being authentic and dependable; and (4) dedication to making the school the best it can be. These characteristics have made the school a wonderful place to serve, and though “change is in the air,” Blaze says he is excited about the future of the institution. “As I look around at my colleagues, I know the shared culture of servant-leadership will continue. The future is very bright. And it will be fun to watch.”

The Nashville law firm of Ferraro Hancock & Associates recently celebrated its 30th anniversary with a reception at Deacon's New South. The firm focuses on bankruptcy, litigation, real estate, business and transactional law, child custody and family law. The Nashville Post has a slideshow from the event. 

NewsChannel 5 is raising questions about how Davidson County General Sessions Judge Rachel Bell spent money from a $200,000 federal grant. The channel said it appears Bell used funds intended for a diversion program for office space in a building owned by her parents and made rent payments to Solutions Now, a company she owns. Dennis Dycus, who spent 39 years auditing local governments and nonprofits at the State Comptroller's Office, says the arrangement is unusual. "You can't pay yourself, and that appears to be what is happening here." Six months later, Bell hired a program director and was provided office space in the Justice A.A. Birch Courthouse and the nonprofit McGruder Center. Bell said the spaces she paid for housed items used for expungement clinics and Saturday Community Service Work dockets, but that the expenses were “pre-approved, reviewed and properly administered” by the Administrative Office of the Courts.” The AOC told NewsChannel 5 that it did not pre-approve the expenses and only learned this week of the connection between Bell and Solutions Now.

Gov. Bill Lee says he will sign legislation requiring “dark-money” groups that contribute to political campaigns to disclose their expenditures before elections. “I think that transparency’s a good idea,” Lee told Tennessee Lookout recently. The governor said he supports the bill in spite of opposition from some 501(c) groups. Opponents say the bill is an overreach and “improperly blurs the lines between election transparency and non-political, non-profit activity.”

Hamilton County Circuit Court Clerk Larry Henry tells Chattanoogan.com that a scam aimed at jurors is continuing to "harass and intimidate the residents of Hamilton County.” Henry reports that those responsible for the scam are demanding monetary payment in lieu of incarceration for those who have allegedly failed to appear for jury service. The perpetrators also provide online payment websites and have requested in-person payment at designated locations. Henry reiterates that this is not the procedure the court uses for those who fail to appear for jury service. He encourages anyone that receives such a call to contact the jury office at 423-209-6726.

The U.S. Senate yesterday voted to confirm Judge Stephanie Dawkins Davis to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit by a vote of 49-43. Davis will be the first Black woman to serve on the court from Michigan, and only the second Black woman on the court, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. Davis began her legal career in private practice focused on product liability and commercial litigation and then joined the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan. In 2016, she was appointed to the U.S. District Court in Eastern Michigan. Davis will replace Judge Helene N. White, who is retiring. Today, President Joe Biden nominated Ohio lawyer Rachel S. Bloomekatz to also serve on the court. Bloomekatz is a solo practioner in Columbus. She previously served as an assistant attorney general in the Office of the Attorney General in Boston, and as a law clerk on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court for Justice Stephen Breyer.

With Congress deadlocked over how to address racism and excessive use of force, President Joe Biden signed an executive order on policing today, the second anniversary of George Floyd's death. According to the Associated Press, most of the order is focused on federal law enforcement agencies, including directing them to review and revise policies on use of force. The order also restricts the flow of surplus military equipment to local police and creates a database to track officer misconduct. Though the administration cannot require local police departments to participate in the database, it is looking for ways to use federal funding to encourage cooperation. Read more from the White House.

The education programming at this year’s TBA Convention includes a compelling panel on the “Power of Diverse Experiences in the Pursuit of Professional Success.” Panelists will share their own experiences to empower lawyers as employees and colleagues, and help partners, directors and hiring managers as they seek to improve diversity related outcomes at their respective organizations. The program, presented by the TBA’s Young Lawyers Division, will feature Memphis lawyer Mary Beard with HCA Healthcare; Amy Willoughby Bryant with the Office of Conservatorship Management; James Cobb with the Cobb Law Group; Casey Duhart with Acadia Healthcare Company; Wade Hinton, founder of the Hinton & Co.; Kaya Grace Porter with Littler Mendelson; and Trey Reliford with Polsinelli. Learn more about this program and other convention.

Brentwood-based Meridian Law PLLC is seeking an experienced civil litigator with three to seven years of experience to start this summer. Candidates should be able to “hit the ground running” and already have connections and professional relationships in Tennessee. Job duties include drafting and arguing dispositive motions, taking depositions, and trying cases or arguing them on appeal. Insurance defense experience is helpful but not mandatory. To apply, submit a cover letter, resume, transcript and writing sample to Tom Shumate and put “Application for Experienced Litigation Attorney” in the subject line of the email. Meridian is looking to open additional offices, so it will consider candidates who reside in other large Tennessee cities, such as Chattanooga, Knoxville, Memphis and Jackson. The office in Murfreesboro may also have an opening soon. See all openings on TBA's Job Link.

The TBA's Spring CLE Blast will wrap up Tuesday! Whether you are catching up on 2021 CLE or starting to meet 2022 requirements, our packages are designed with your convenience in mind. Choose from two options that you can watch on-demand from the comfort of your own home or office. Package 1 offers eight dual hours of credit while Package 2 offers seven hours, or earn 15 hours when you purchase both! Need to customize your learning? Visit cle.tba.org to access more than 250 on-demand programs. Whether you need one hour of CLE or 15, we have a curated list of options by hour, topic and practice area. And don't forget that all of your 2022 CLE can be taken through approved distance learning courses.