Weekend emails, late hours, and dozens of tasks await us each morning. Our dream is to hit peak productivity, but what happens when boundaries are not set? The desire to scale quickly can sometimes kill the passion that helped build our business in the first place, says Cathy Kenton, CEO of the Legal Tech Media Group. To combat mental fatigue, she recommends prioritizing stimulating work: the things that add value and make us excited to go to work in the morning. In an article for Fast Company, Aytekin Tank expounds on this topic, arguing that our obsession with productivity is drawing us away from what we love to do.

The Legal Aid Society this week announced that Nashville lawyers Frank Garrison and Leigh Walton will serve as co-chairs for its 2022 Campaign for Equal Justice. Garrison will oversee fundraising in the community, while Walton will lead efforts aimed at law firms and attorneys. Walton, a member at Bass, Berry & Sims, has more than 40 years of practice in the areas of corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, private equity transactions and securities offerings. Garrison has more than 40 years of management and legal experience in both private and public companies in the financial and business service sectors. He presently serves as a Director of M3-Brigade Acquisition Corp II. The goal for this year’s campaign is $1 million according to LAS Director DarKenya W. Waller.

The Tennessee Supreme Court today held that the standard of appellate review for an alleged speedy trial violation is de novo with deference to the trial court’s factual findings. The court also concluded that the trial court in the case of State v. William Eugene Moon committed reversible error in allowing improper impeachment of a key defense witness at trial. Given these findings, the court reversed the judgment of the Court of Criminal Appeals, vacated the judgments of the trial court, and remanded the case to the trial court for further proceedings. Read more about the decision from the Administrative Office of the Courts or read the opinion.

Rutherford County lawyer Andre Chase Rabideau was censured by the Tennessee Supreme Court on April 11. The court found that after agreeing to represent a client pursuing civil claims arising out of a fire, Rabideau failed to take any action to pursue his client’s claims and did not maintain good communication with his client. When the client inquired about the status of the representation, Rabideau falsely implied that a lawsuit had been filed. He also failed to return the client’s file materials. These actions were determined to violate Rules of Professional Conduct 1.3, 1.4(a) and 1.16(d). In addition to imposing the censure, the court also ordered Rabideau to refund $750 in attorney’s fees to his former client within 90 days.

Hamilton County lawyer John Scott Wesson was censured yesterday by the Tennessee Supreme Court. The court found that Wesson failed to appear at a deposition and other court hearings, failed to file a response to opposing counsel’s motion for summary judgment, and failed to maintain good communication with his client. Wesson was also found in civil contempt after he was named a party in a show cause proceeding. HIs actions were determined to violate Rules of Professional Conduct 1.3, 1.4 and 8.4(g).

Two new candidates have emerged in state Senate District 19, the Nashville Post reports. Following Sen. Brenda Gilmore’s last-minute decision to retire and endorse attorney Keeda Haynes, the state’s anti-skulduggery law triggered an extended qualifying period, now set for April 28. This week, former Metro Councilmember Jerry Maynard and The Equity Alliance co-founder Charlane Oliver have picked up petitions seeking to qualify for the Democratic primary. Since leaving the council, Maynard has remained involved in local politics, including through his government relations company The Maynard Group. He also served as a fundraising liaison for Gilmore during her 2018 run for Senate. Oliver helped launch The Equity Alliance in 2016 to advocate for voting rights and other issues in local and statewide campaigns.

The Bureau of Workers’ Compensation is seeking input on the reappointment of Court of Workers' Compensation Claims Judge Joshua Davis Baker in Nashville. Baker will be eligible for reappointment in June. Those with information that would assist in the decision-making should contact Administrator Abbie Hudgens at Abbie.Hudgens@tn.gov by May 17. Read today’s blog post from Hudgens for more information.

Two are running for Greene County Circuit Court Clerk in the Republican Primary on May 3, the Greeneville Sun reports. Whoever wins the primary will run unopposed in the Aug. 4 general election. Incumbent Clerk Chris Shepard and Chief Deputy Circuit Court Clerk Whitney Shelton Collins recently responded to questions from the paper about their campaigns. Read why they are running for office, how they would improve the office and what can be done to make the clerk’s office more accessible to the public.

The Tennessee Republican Party yesterday voted to remove three congressional hopefuls from the primary ballot in the redistricted 5th Congressional District, the Tennessean reports. Official challenges had been filed against Baxter Lee, Morgan Ortagus and Robby Starbuck on the basis of their party bona fides. Those filings triggered a technical removal from the ballot per party bylaws. The party could have restored them to the ballot but declined to do so.

Senior Judge Thomas J. Wright on Monday ruled that the Tennessee Bureau of Ethics and Campaign Finance was guilty of “willfully” violating a court order barring the collection of registration fees from nonpartisan political action committees. The judge issued the injunction in 2018 after finding that the law requiring the fees was unconstitutional. He is now ordering the state agency to refund $64,000 in registration fees and threatening “coercive fines” if the agency fails to pay within 15 days, Tennessee Lookout reports. The nonpartisan political action committee Tennesseans for Sensible Election Laws successfully challenged a state law that required nonpartisan PACs, but not partisan PACs, from paying a $100 registration fee. After the injunction, the agency stopped collecting the fees for more than two years but began again in January 2021 “apparently after some discussion with the Tennessee Attorney General’s office,” Wright said in his contempt order.