Montgomery County Assistant Public Defender James Bagby has announced his candidacy for Division II general sessions and juvenile court judge. Bagby will run as an independent and will appear on the Aug. 4 ballot, ClarksvilleNow reports. Bagby grew up in Clarksville. He spent several years as an adult probation officer before becoming a law clerk and attending the Nashville School of Law. He has practiced law since 2008. He says that as a bilingual candidate he will be able to communicate better with those who appear in court.

Knox County lawyer Mark Steven Graham was publicly censured today by the Tennessee Supreme Court. The court found that he filed a trademark application when he was suspended from the practice of law in Tennessee and not licensed to practice law in any other state. His actions were determined to violate Rules of Professional Conduct 5.5 and 8.4(g). A censure is a rebuke and warning, but it does not affect an attorney’s ability to practice law.

The Virtual Debt Relief Clinic developed by the TBA Young Lawyers Division, Legal Aid of East Tennessee and U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Suzanne Bauknight in 2020 is one of four projects being considered for the ABA 2022 Louis M. Brown Award for Legal Access. The clinic is also eligible for the Brown Select Award, which is given to the project that receives the most online votes from the public. Support from lawyers across the state would make a big impact. Please take a minute to vote before noon CST on Jan. 21.

The TBA announced today the selection of 34 attorneys from across the state for its 2022 Leadership Law (TBALL) program. TBALL is designed to equip Tennessee lawyers with the vision, knowledge and skills necessary to serve as leaders in their profession and local communities. The class will meet for its first session in March and spend the next six months learning about leadership in the legal profession, issues in the courts, policymaking in state government and the importance of community service. The program, now in its nineteenth year, is produced by a steering committee of 12 attorneys, all former class members. Co-chairing the program are Terica Smith from the 26th Judicial District Attorney General's office in Jackson and Jeffrey Maddux of Chambliss Bahner & Stophel in Chattanooga. Meet the Class of 2022.

The Nashville Arts & Business Council is seeking lawyers to volunteer for its online legal clinic “Ask The Experts.” The pro bono clinic offers free 30-minute sessions for artists, musicians and other creatives to get their legal and business questions answered. The next clinic will take place Feb. 9 from 6 to 8 p.m. CST. Volunteer here.

Circuit Court Judge Adrienne Fry, the current Part 1 judge in the 19th Judicial District, has announced she will run for re-election, Mainstreet Clarksville reports. Fry was appointed to the seat last year by Gov. Bill Lee to fill a vacancy left by the retirement of Judge Ross Hicks. She is a graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law and has practiced for over a decade throughout both Montgomery and Robertson Counties. Fry lives in Clarksville and is involved in a number of non-profits, including TN Achieves Program, which helps mentor young people entering college.

Former Davidson County General Sessions and Circuit Judge Barbara Haynes died yesterday after a long illness, the Tennessean reports. She was 84. Haynes was the first woman elected general sessions judge in the county and was later elected to the circuit court. She was the first person in her family to attend college. It was there she met her husband Joe Haynes, who went on to serve as a Democratic state senator and her law partner. He died in 2018. A 1976 graduate of the Nashville School of Law, Haynes was just five years into her career when she ran and won a seat on the bench. She served as a judge until her retirement in 2011. In 1986, she was appointed to lead the Tennessee Sentencing Commission, overseeing an overhaul of the state's sentencing guidelines and criminal code. She also helped found the Lawyers Association for Women. Memorial donations may be made to the Barbara Haynes Scholarship, Harpeth Hall School, 3801 Hobbs Rd. Nashville 37215; Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital, 2200 Children’s Way, Nashville 37232; Pencil for Schools, 7199 Cockrill Bend Blvd., Nashville 37209; or a charity of the donor’s choice. A celebration of life will be held at a later date.

The 2022 ABA Midyear Meeting, which will take place Feb. 9-14, had been scheduled to held in-person in Seattle, Washington. Yesterday, the group’s board of governors decided to transition the meeting to a fully virtual format given the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19. Watch for updates on the meeting webpage.

Judson Kyle “Judd” Davis was sworn in as Knox County General Sessions Judge, Division 2, at the end of December and took office on Jan. 4. He was appointed by the Knox County Commission due to the early retirement of Judge Geoffrey P. Emery, who served on the bench for more than 35 years. Davis previously worked in the Knox County District Attorney's office, where he served as a prosecutor in all criminal divisions of general sessions court as well as the county criminal courts. Before joining the district attorney’s office in 2016, Davis worked in the law offices of Banks and Jones, where he defended both criminal and civil law matters. Knoxnews has more on the appointment and what it means for the 2022 election.

The TBA will be closed Monday in observance of Martin Luther King Day. The virtual office will reopen Tuesday at 8 a.m. CST.