Twenty second Judicial District Circuit Court Judge David Allen was recently honored for his role as Recovery Court judge during the Tennessee Association of Recovery Court Professionals, Lawrenceburg’s WLX reports. Allen was presented with the “Judges Making a Difference” award which, according to the organization’s website, “is for recovery court judges who are champions for recovery and are making contributions to the recovery court system in Tennessee.” Allen presides over Recovery Courts in Lawrence and Maury counties. “It’s the most rewarding part of my job,” Allen said.

Tennessee is facing a lawsuit over its decision to deny a public records request for a private contractor’s report that provided recommendations on how to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Associated Press reports. Gov. Bill Lee asked consulting firm McKinsey & Co. to prepare the report that was required to provide a “government efficiency assessment and review” and identify “performance improvements” to the state’s COVID-19 response. The plaintiff in the case, state employee Thomas Wesley, filed the public records request as a state citizen. An attorney for the Department of Human Resources denied the request in September, saying the records are “subject to the deliberative process privilege and contain confidential information that is subject to the exception for information regarding operational vulnerabilities.” Attorneys for the plaintiff argue the report doesn’t fall under a deliberative process exemption.

John W. Stewart of Adams died on Oct. 31. He was 70. Stewart graduated from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 1976 and became only the second African American to serve as an Assistant Attorney General for the state of Kentucky, He also served as First Assistant Commonwealth Attorney for Jefferson County from 1988 to 1993. He was informally known as the “I-65 Lawyer.” In lieu of flowers, please make donations in John's memory to: Kappa Alpha Psi, Epsilon Rho Achievement Fund and mail to: WKU Foundation, 292 Alumni Ave., Bowling Green, KY 42101 or Benevolent Lodge Order #210, P O Box 3774, Clarksville, TN 37043.

Davidson County Night Court Magistrate John Manson last week announced his intentions to run for the county’s Division 7 Circuit Court, the Tennessee Tribune reports. Manson began practicing law at Nashville’s oldest African American law firm, Manson Johnson Conner PLLC. He has served as a judicial officer for more than 12 years, serving in domestic, civil, probate, environmental and criminal courts. “I believe that my experience dealing with the citizens of Nashville during particularly unpleasant moments in life makes me uniquely qualified for this role,” Manson said. He seeks to fill the vacancy that will be made when current Division 7 Judge Randy Kennedy retires next year.

Catch the virtual program, How to Avoid Cybersecurity Pitfalls: Turn Fort Nuts into Fort Knox, on Dec. 30 from 10 until 11 a.m. CST. After large scale cybersecurity breaches like Sony Pictures, Target, Equifax and the Panama Papers, securing your data is more important than ever. This program walks you through computer security pitfalls and how to avoid them on your computer and mobile devices.

Whether you’re ready to start a firm or overhaul your firm’s existing technology, you can get great tech on a tight budget! Watch TBA CLE’s Champagne Technology on a Beer Budget virtual webinar at noon CST on Dec. 28 for a complete legal technology roadmap with a focus on keeping the costs low. This webinar covers the law firm technology hierarchy of needs, buying strategies, computer configurations, cloud services, VOIP phone systems, online faxing and low-cost printing.

The Tennessee Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims yesterday announced it will be closed today, tomorrow, Dec. 31 and Jan. 3 for the holidays. Documents may still be filed with the court during that time. It was also announced that the Appeals Board will hear oral arguments virtually on Jan. 25. Two of the cases involve compensation orders awarding permanent total disability, while the others are a summary judgment and an expedited hearing order. Read more on each case here.

Congratulations to our Week 3 Giveaway Winner Brooks Yelverton, who will receive a $50 Amazon gift card! Yelverton is a TBA member practicing in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Don’t miss the opportunity to get in on next week’s final drawing. Those who purchase a course in December will be entered in our weekly drawing made possible by event sponsors Clio and Geico. This month’s Year End CLE event provides a range of packages, on-demand courses and live programs. Check out the options.

Middle Tennessee lawyer Thomas “Tom” Clower Harvey Jr. died Dec. 11 at 81. A graduate of the University of Mississippi Law School, Harvey practiced law over 55 years — 25 in his hometown of Hendersonville and 30 years as lead general counsel for Southwestern Family and Tom James Companies in Nashville. Funeral services were held Dec. 16 in Gallatin. Harvey was then buried at the Friendship Cemetery in Columbus, Mississippi. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Michael’s Anglican Church, 105 Shiloh Rd., Gallatin, TN 37066.

Athens businessman and farmer Dennis Beavers, who worked on Republican Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and went on to serve as executive director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farms Services Agency in Tennessee, plans to run for the state Senate, the Times Free Press reports. In an interview with the paper, Beavers said he would run in District 11, the seat currently held by retiring Sen. Mike Bell, R-Riceville. Rep. Mark Hall, R-Cleveland, announced last month he also is running for the seat. The district covers Bradley, McMinn Meigs, Monroe and Polk counties but is expected to shift during legislative redistricting.