Legal Aid of East Tennessee, in partnership with the TBA Young Lawyers Division, Chattanooga Bar Association Young Lawyers Division and Tennessee Supreme Court Access to Justice Initiative, is hosting a family law clinic tomorrow from 1 to 3:30 p.m. at the Chattanooga Hamilton County Family Justice Center. Volunteers are needed to give advice on a variety of family law issues, as well as assist with coordination and intake. Those interested in volunteering should contact Mary Frances DeVoe at mdevoe@laet.org.

The Lawyers Association for Women (LAW) Marion Griffin Chapter held its Annual Meeting and Awards Banquet at the Music City Center in Nashville. The association honored Christen Blackburn with its Rising Star Award and Barbara J. Moss received the 2022 Martha Craig Daughtrey Award. The association elected a new slate of officers and outgoing LAW President Kimberly Faye passed the gavel to incoming President Shellie Handelsman. See photos from the event.

Employment data released this week from the American Bar Association shows that legal employment for new law school graduates rebounded in 2021 from a 2020 pandemic slump, Reuters reports. Reporters crunched the ABA's numbers to find out which law schools had the most graduates in full-time, long-term jobs that require bar passage. Leading the pack was Columbia Law, with almost 96% of grads landing full-time jobs, followed by the University of Chicago and Duke, both at 94%, University of Georgia School of Law at 92.6% and Vanderbilt University Law School at 91%. The data also shows that 76% of 2021’s new lawyers found jobs within 10 months of leaving campus — up from 72% among the class of 2020.

A criminal justice bill that would effectively lengthen some prison sentences in Tennessee cleared the General Assembly yesterday after legislators made last-minute adjustments to assuage concerns from Gov. Bill Lee, the Tennessean reports. The so-called "truth in sentencing" legislation originally mandated that people convicted of certain felonies serve 100% of their sentences, eliminating eligibility for parole through good behavior or programming credits. Lee had expressed concerns that the bill would roll back some of the reforms he pushed last year. Last minute changes cut the list of felonies subject to the bill’s requirements in half and reduced the time to be served to 85% of the sentence for the remaining crimes.

The Tennessee Court of Appeals has removed 13th Judicial District Circuit Court Judge Jonathan Young from presiding over a governmental lawsuit against opioid makers, distributors and pharmacies after determining that he used the case to bolster his reelection campaign. The opinion, issued Wednesday, said that Young billed himself as a warrior against the drugs on his Facebook page, and that his public statements indicated he was not impartial with the parties in the case. The appeals court also vacated a ruling from Young against defendants for allegedly withholding documents from prosecutors. A new judge will be appointed to the case, Tennessee Lookout reports. Young has filed for reelection and faces challenger Caroline E. Knight in the May Republican primary.

Death row inmate Michael Rimmer was scheduled to die May 10 but the execution was stayed after he filed a new petition for post-conviction relief, the Commercial Appeal reports. Rimmer was found guilty and sentenced to death in the 1997 death of his former girlfriend Ricci Lynn Ellsworth. An appeals court upheld the conviction but awarded him a new sentencing trial. A jury again gave him the death penalty in 2004. In 2016, Rimmer’s case went to trial again after a judge concluded his defense counsel was ineffective and the prosecution did not turn over exculpatory evidence. Again, he was convicted and sentenced to death. That decision was upheld by the Court of Criminal Appeals and Tennessee Supreme Court. Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to review the case. The new petition claims that Rimmer's previous legal teams were ineffective and the 2016 trial did not address those issues. It also claims that the 2016 trial violated his constitutional right against double jeopardy.

A new study from Georgetown Law and the Thomson Reuters Institute shows that law firm culture is among the top reasons lawyers stick with their firms. Despite a nationwide rise in salaries, lawyers put compensation behind growth opportunities, positive relationships with co-workers and quality work when asked what would keep them from leaving their firm. According to Reuters, researchers looked at a cross section of more than 160 mid-sized firms and the highest-grossing U.S. law firms. The analysis also included a survey of 900 law firm associates. Compensation barely made the top five reasons, according to the report.

The next Veterans’ Legal Advice Clinic — a joint project of Knoxville area legal organizations — will take place Wednesday from noon to 2 p.m. EDT at the Knoxville Community Law Office, 1101 Liberty St. This general advice and referral clinic is supported by the Knoxville Bar Association Barristers and Young Lawyers Division, Legal Aid of East Tennessee, Knox County Public Defender’s Community Law Office, University of Tennessee  College of Law, Lincoln Memorial University-Duncan School of Law, and the local Veterans Affairs office. Sign up here to volunteer.

In the most recent episode of the TBA Legislative Updates podcast, TBA Public Policy & Government Affairs Director Berkley Schwarz and Adams and Reese attorney and TBA lobbyist Brad Lampley cover the final word on the professional privilege tax. Unfortunately, the state budget, which has now passed the House and Senate, did not include language that would reduce or eliminate the professional privilege tax for attorneys. House and Senate leadership did eliminate the doctors from the list of professions that have to pay this tax as a thank you to the doctors for being on the front lines of the pandemic for the last two years. The TBA will continue the push to eliminate the professional privilege tax and to encourage members to bring up the need to eliminate the tax any time when in contact with members of the legislature. On a positive note, it appears that the extra $3 million the governor allocated to indigent representation stayed in the budget that passed the House and Senate.

The Board of Professional Responsibility (BPR) has submitted comments to proposed amendments to Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 9 and Rule 25, regarding Tennessee’s current annual registration fee. In the comments, the BPR expresses support for an increase in annual attorney registration fees. It also supports raising the Tennessee Lawyers’ Fund for Client Protection (TLFCP) attorney cap. Finally, it supports TLFCP’s petition to publicize payments of claims to state judges, the bar and the public. Read the full comment.