Retired Columbia lawyer Thomas Edward Lawwell died Feb. 12 at the age of 87. Funeral services were held today. Lawwell graduated from Vanderbilt University Law School in 1961 and began a legal career in Columbia that spanned 50 years. He first worked at Shelton and Shelton, where he focused on real estate law and representing the phosphate industry. In the 1970s, he served as judge for the city of Columbia and attorney for the Columbia Power and Water System. In 1985, he established a partnership that eventually became Lawwell, Dale & Graham and established the Maury County Title Company with his law partners. During his later years, Lawwell represented the Tennessee Farmers Mutual Insurance Company. Lawwell was a past president of the Maury County Bar Association, chair of the Tennessee Bar Foundation and member of a number of TBA committees.

Succession occurs when an attorney or firm sells, quits, transfer assets, winds down or when an expected or unexpected death occurs. TBA’s Practice Management Center has expanded resources in the Winding Down A Firm section offering a new tutorial video and a new 48-page handbook thanks to Nashville area lawyer and TBA member Timothy “Tim” Takacs of Takacs McGinnis Elder Care Law. The handbook includes sample language and forms, a planning toolkit and a sample office policy manual for your practice.

Martin Trimiew, assistant vice president and legal counsel at Unum Insurance in Chattanooga, co-hosts this month’s episode of the TBA BarBuzz podcast. In addition to legal news and bar association events, Trimew discusses his efforts to help revive Chattanooga’s S.L. Hutchins Bar Association — a voluntary association founded to help address issues, interests and concerns of African-American and other attorneys of color in the Greater Chattanooga area. The S.L. Hutchins bar was established in the late 1980s by prominent Chattanooga attorneys Judge Walter Williams, Rheubin Taylor, Judge Curtis Collier, Ardena Garth and John McClarty. It is actively seeking financial sponsorship and corporate allyship from law firms and corporations to aid in its revitalization and to continue its traditions. To help in its mission or to get involved, email Martin Trimiew. BarBuzz is part of the TBA Podcast Network and can be found on the TBA’s website or anywhere you listen to podcasts.  

The National Bar Association is planning a commemorative trip to Selma and Montgomery, Alabama, so members can retrace the steps of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Congressman John Lewis as well as other “greats” who crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge and lit the spark that led to enactment of the Civil Rights Act. The trip will leave from Atlanta on March 4 and return on March 6. Activities will include a tour of King’s parsonage home, Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, where he pastored, the Lynching Memorial and Legacy Museum. Registration includes transportation and tours. Hotel rooms should be booked separately by Feb. 26. Also on March 4, the NBA will hold its 57th Selma Jubilee Fred Grey Award Dinner in Atlanta. Learn more or register for any of these events.

A bipartisan group of state legislators is pushing legislation to make June 19, also known as Juneteenth, a state holiday, WATE reports. The day was recently made a federal holiday and the effort is supported by Gov. Bill Lee. June 19 celebrates the day when slaves in Galveston, Texas, were finally freed – two-and-a-half years after the Emancipation Proclamation took effect. Sponsors of the bill say a state holiday will educate generations of Tennesseans about the history of the quest for true freedom for Black Americans.

A new legislative proposal from Tennessee state Sen. Frank Niceley, R-Strawberry Plains, would require candidates in primary races for congressional seats to meet residency and other requirements, Axios reports. The current text of the bill requires candidates to have voted in three state elections, but Niceley says he plans to change that to three years of residency. He says the bill is designed to "protect Tennessee from invasion." The proposal seems to be a direct response to the state’s redrawn 5th Congressional District, where a competitive Republican primary is developing. Two of the candidates, Morgan Ortagus and Robby Starbuck, are recent transplants to the state. Niceley says federal rules prevent the state from regulating the general election but that primaries can have stricter requirements. The bill is up for a vote today in a Senate committee.

In 52 Ways to Walk: The Surprising Science of Walking for Wellness and Joy, author Annabel Streets discusses the science behind, and the benefits of, one of the simplest forms of exercise. Among her suggestions for getting the most out of walking, Streets says to walk with a friend. Studies have shown that distances appear shorter and inclines less intimidating when walking with a buddy. She also suggests walking backwards! Research suggests that reverse stepping not only boosts memory, but can reduce aches and pains in the spine. On a cold day, Streets also says to “ditch the scarf.” According to the National Institutes of Health, exposing your collar bone to the cold activates fat-burning cells around the neck and shoulders. She also advocates ditching GPS in favor of your own route mapping. Experts believe that inability to read a map can increase dementia risk. However you walk, just get out there and go! (Adapted from the February 2022 issue of Spry Living)

The TBA's General, Solo & Small Firm Section will host a one-hour ethics webcast, Forms, Gigs, Outsourcing - Things You Need to Know, on March 30 at 11 a.m. CST. Join attorneys Sean Martin with Martin Heller Potempa & Sheppard and Belmont University College of Law professor Tim Chinaris as they discuss ethical concerns to look out for in the post-COVID workflow landscape. During the pandemic, some lawyers turned to using form services or even outsourcing their work, particularly in areas where they had not previously practiced. Others engaged in gig work for multiple firms and employers at once. The pandemic highlighted the creativity of the marketplace for lawyers and legal services, but the pitfalls were not always obvious. Learn how to avoid such issues with this program.

A bill that seeks to eliminate ranked choice voting has passed the state House and Senate, the Daily Memphian reports. Also known as instant runoff voting, the method allows voters to choose candidates by order of preference. If no candidate gets a majority, the person with the fewest votes is eliminated. Those who ranked the losing contender first will have their second option counted. The bill’s co-sponsors, Sen. Brian Kelsey, R-Germantown, and Rep. Kevin Vaughan, R-Collierville, argue ranked choice is “confusing and complex” and ultimately leads to “lack of confidence in the vote totals.” The measure now awaits Gov. Bill Lee’s signature.

Metro Nashville is near a settlement with former Nashville General Sessions Court probation director Robert Green, who was fired by Judge Lynda Jones in 2019, the Nashville Post reports. A lawsuit brought by Green in 2020 alleges Jones used news reports about his collaboration with federal immigration authorities as pretext to dismiss him. A Metro analysis found that Jones unilaterally decided to terminate Green without consulting the other judges after he returned from medical leave. Metro Council will consider approving the $25,000 settlement at its meeting tonight.