William E. Phillips II was sworn into office this week as the newest judge in the Third Judicial Circuit Court by Chancellor Douglas E. Jenkins, the Greeneville Sun reports. The ceremony was held in the old Hawkins County Courthouse in Rogersville, where Phillips practiced law for many years. Phillips is also Rogersville city attorney and will transition to the judgeship beginning this week. Phillips will serve out the remaining term of Judge Thomas J. Wright, who retired in September. Gov. Bill Lee formally appointed him to the court last Friday.

Join Eileen Burkhalter Smith with the Board of Professional Responsibility on Nov. 4 as she reviews the latest ethics updates. The live webcast will take place from noon to 1 p.m. CDT and offer one hour of dual CLE credit.

Women judges from across the U.S. and beyond gathered in Nashville last week for the 43rd Annual National Association of Women Judges Conference. The conference was originally set to take place last year to mark the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Numerous plenary and breakout sessions were held throughout the conference, including panels on developing recovery courts, ethics and professionalism, access to justice for LGBTQ youth and much more. Various sessions on women’s voting rights were held throughout the conference, capped off with a special reenactment of the Tennessee Vote on Ratification of the 19th Amendment. The Administrative Office of the Courts has more details on each session and the judges and attorneys who played a vital role in making the conference a success.

Five attorneys have applied for the Court of Criminal Appeals vacancy in the Western Section created by the retirement of the Hon. Alan E. Glenn. Applicants include: Donald H. Allen; Kyle Atkins; John W. Campbell; Vicki S. Snyder; and Robert W. Wilson. The Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments will consider applicants at a public hearing on Nov. 10 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST at the Jackson Supreme Court Building. The council will vote immediately after the hearing and forward three names to Gov. Bill Lee for consideration. The Administrative Office of the Courts has more on each applicant.

Hamilton County General Sessions and Mental Health Court Judge Lila Statom has been elected president of the Tennessee General Sessions Judges Conference. The conference works with the Administrative Office of the Courts to provide continuing education opportunities for its members and assists and supports judges and government officials with legal and procedural issues affecting the court. Statom was appointed to the bench by former Gov. Bill Haslam in 2012 and was elected to a full term in 2014. Before her time as judge, Statom served as an assistant district attorney in Nashville and Chattanooga for nearly 24 years. Since her appointment, Statom has helped address mental illness and substance abuse among those in the criminal justice system and has been integral to expanding recovery courts. Read more from the AOC.

An email to faculty members at Middle Tennessee State University says that Rutherford County Juvenile Court Judge Donna Scott Davenport is “no longer affiliated with the University,” WPLN reports. Davenport has been an adjunct professor in MTSU’s criminal justice department for many years. Last week, WPLN and ProPublica released a report claiming Rutherford County and Davenport, who oversees the juvenile court system, have been “illegally arresting and detaining children for years.” In the email to staff about Davenport’s departure, MTSU President Sidney McPhee acknowledged the national attention the judge’s policies have recently drawn. Rutherford County Mayor Bill Ketron also released a statement to express his shared concerns over the report.

Nashville attorney Charles B. Reasor Jr., died on Oct. 5 after a suffering from congestive heart failure. He was 75. Reasor joined Nashville’s Boult, Cummings, Conners & Berry after graduating from Vanderbilt Law School in 1975. He later founded the law firm of White & Reasor with David J. White and practiced there until his death. Reasor’s practice focused on commercial real estate transactions and commercial restructurings, and he lectured frequently on commercial workout techniques. He was a TBA and Nashville Bar Association member and was known to provide pro bono services to churches and other non-profits over the course of his 46-year career. A private interment was held for Reasor at his family's cemetery in Kentucky and, due to public heatlh considerations, there will not be a formal visitation. Those who wish to share their memories and sentiments may send notes to the family in care of White & Reasor PLC, Two American Center, Ste. 400, 3102 West End Ave., Nashville, TN 37203.

A new episode of The Law in Black and White podcast tackles health and wellness in the legal profession. “The Existential Crisis: Mental Health in the Legal Profession” features attorneys Brian Cuban and Scott Langley, who discuss why the legal industry, notorious for its competitive pressures, high stakes, and long hours, sometimes becomes characterized by burnout and extreme stress and what the profession can do to ensure the mental health of its attorneys. The podcast, created by alternative legal services provider Legal Innovators can be found wherever you listen to podcasts.

The Memphis Bar Association is partnering with Vanderbilt Law School to host a Tennessee Free Legal Answer "Clear the Queue" event on Oct. 22 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. CDT. Volunteer attorneys will answer questions about qualifying civil legal issues from the Free Legal Answers queue. To volunteer, please contact Danielle Woods.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division is now accepting applications for its Diversity Leadership Institute (DLI) Class of 2022. DLI is a six-month leadership and mentoring program for Tennessee law students in their second, third or fourth years of study. Class size is limited to 20 to 25 students selected from across the state. The goal of the program is to have a diverse class, so selection is based in part on race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, background, geographical factors and law school attended. The application deadline is 5 p.m. CST on Nov. 24.