The Tennessee Supreme Court yesterday suspended Thomas Francis Jackson III from the practice of law for one year. A hearing panel found Jackson knowingly and repeatedly communicated with the opposing parties through their agents about the substance of the litigation without the consent of the attorneys representing the defendants and continued to do so after being instructed to communicate only with opposing counsel. The panel also found that, after being suspended from practicing law, Jackson advertised his professional services on the internet, met with a potential client about representation, sought to collect fees for professional services for which he had not been retained and failed to disclose his suspension.

Join TBA Director of Public Policy & Government Affairs Berkley Schwarz and Adams and Reese attorneys and TBA lobbyists Brad Lampley and Ashley Harbin for a brand new episode of TBA Legislative Updates. Tune in for news on the newest Tennessee Supreme Court Justice, House Majority Leader William Lamberth’s Truth in Sentencing measure, the state’s new deputy governor and more! Legislative Updates airs every Thursday on the TBA’s Facebook page. It is also released as a podcast on the same day and can be found on the TBA’s website or wherever you listen to podcasts. 

Are you tired of the endless work hustle? Then it is time to ease up, says Iffy Ibekwe, founder and principal attorney at the Texas estate planning firm Ibekwe Law. In a recent article for Above the Law, Ibekwe recommends creating an end of the workday ritual to enforce boundaries that work for your life. Like a bedtime routine that prepares us to sleep well, a routine to end the workday can provide closure for the day, free us up to move into “personal time” and set us up for success the next day. Her first recommendation is to set a time to end the workday. As that time approaches, she advocates reviewing the next day’s meetings and tasks; creating a to-do list for the next day but limiting it to only two items; turning off the computer; tidying up your workspace; reflecting on the day; and then leaving the workspace. It will all be there tomorrow. We will be in a much better place to face those challenges if we step away today.

During Black History Month, the Ben F. Jones Chapter of the National Bar Association is celebrating a group of lawyers known as “The First Five.” While many people helped form the Memphis-based chapter, the group says five trailblazers in particular “set the stage for the organization.” Last week, the chapter highlighted Judge H.T. Lockard, who helped pave the way for black politicians when he was elected to the Shelby County Court (now the county commission). As a lawyer in the 1950s and 1960s, he also was involved in cases that challenged segregation in education, recreation and transportation. He later served as a criminal court judge from 1975 until retiring in 1994. This week, the group focuses on its namesake. Benjamin F. Jones maintained a diverse law practice from 1949 until his untimely death in 1966. He assisted H.T. Lockard, Ben Hooks and A.A. Latting with several civil rights cases in Memphis and contributed to the criminal defense of many victims of Jim Crow. Learn more about these lawyers by following the group’s posts on Facebook.

Tennessee’s finance commissioner and former Nashville businessman Butch Eley was appointed deputy to the governor today, the Nashville Business Journal reports. The position was previously held by Lang Wiseman who returned to the private sector in January as a shareholder in Baker Donelson’s advocacy department. Eley founded Infrastructure Corporation of America in 1998 and was CEO of the company for nearly two decades. He later served as chief growth officer of DBi Services, an infrastructure management company. In 2018, he chaired Gov. Bill Lee’s transition team. According to a statement from the governor’s office, Eley will continue serving as Department of Finance and Administration commissioner, a role he has held since 2020.

Four immigration bills sponsored by House Republicans are sparking outrage among supporters of immigrants and immigrant rights, Tennessee Lookout reports. The first bill, HB1648, would allow schools to deny enrollment to students based on their immigration status. Sponsored by Rep. Bruce Griffey, R-Paris, the bill would also deny state education funding for children who cannot prove their legal status. Opponents point out that the U.S. Supreme Court has already ruled it is unconstitutional to discriminate against students on the basis of immigration status. The second bill, HB1994, also by Griffey, seeks to develop and implement a system to relocate undocumented people to somewhere outside the state. A third proposal from Griffey, HB1636, seeks to expand the state’s current mandatory e-verify program, which requires employers to verify their workers' identifications. Finally, HJR0652, from Rep. Dennis Powers, R-Jacksboro, urges the U.S. Congress to complete a wall between the U.S. and Mexico.

The Tennessee Supreme Court Access to Justice Commission, Knoxville Bar Association and its Access to Justice Committee, Legal Aid of East Tennessee and the University of Tennessee College of Law will hold a Faith & Justice Alliance Advice Clinic this Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon EST at Cokesbury United Methodist Church’s North Campus, 9915 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37922. Sign up here to volunteer.

Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett is warning business owners about a scam incorrectly implying they need a Certificate of Good Standing, Chattanoogan.com reports. Hargett said a deceptive mailer from a company called Business Document Center asks business owners to pay $87.25 for the certificate. That fee is four times more than what the Secretary of State’s office charges for an equivalent document known as a Certificate of Existence. “These mailers imply that businesses must have a Certificate of Good Standing to operate in Tennessee,” Hargett said. “A Certificate of Good Standing is not even something that our office offers. What is called a Certificate of Good Standing in some other states is a Certificate of Existence in Tennessee, and neither are necessary to do business in our great state.” 

Leif Jeffers this week announced his intention to seek reelection to the office of 8th Judicial District Public Defender, The Independent Herald reports. Jeffers has served the district since September 2014 when he was first elected to the office. He began his career as a juvenile probation officer in 1989, and has served as an agent with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and as an assistant public defender, assistant district attorney general and municipal judge for the town of Winfield. The district covers Scott, Campbell, Claiborne, Fentress and Union counties.

Municipal judge and assistant district attorney general Bradley Sherman has announced his candidacy for the 12th Judicial District Circuit Court, Part 1, Rhea Herald News reports. Sherman lives in Cowan in Franklin County and serves as the municipal judge there, but works for the 17th Judicial District attorney general in nearby Lincoln County. He represents the office on the Lincoln County Recovery Court Team and has assisted in developing training programs for the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference. The seat he is seeking covers Franklin, Grundy, Marion, Sequatchie, Bledsoe and Rhea counties. Sherman said in a news release that he appreciates the dedicated service of Judges Thomas W. Graham and J. Curtis Smith, both of whom are retiring from the court this year.