Belmont University College of Law is seeking candidates to fill up to three tenure-track faculty positions to begin during the 2022-2023 academic year. The school is particularly interested in those who can teach on health law, civil procedure, property, trusts and estates and legal research and writing. Applicants must have a law degree, strong academic background and a record that indicates excellence in teaching and scholarly achievement. Those interested should submit a letter of interest and resume to Professor Lucian Dervan, chair of the Faculty Recruitment Committee at lawfaculty.recruitment@belmont.edu. Questions about the positions should be directed to Dervan's direct email at Lucian.Dervan@Belmont.edu.

The American Bar Association's legal education and bar admissions section council has approved several changes to its accreditation standards, including requiring law schools to annually disclose the number of student loans, the ABA Journal reports. Starting with the 2023-2024 school year, law schools will have to report the number of students who receive loans, scholarship and grants by race, ethnicity and gender. They also will have to provide loan counseling. In addition, the council voted to require (1) adoption of nondiscrimination policies for ethnicity, gender identity and military status; (2) bias, cross-cultural competency and racism education for students; and (3) that students receive information and services related to mental health, including substance use disorders. The changes must now go to the ABA House of Delegates for final approval.

A number of lawyers were recently reinstated after being suspended for failure to complete required CLE hours in 2020. See the full list of those suspended and reinstated in 2021 for 2020 violations. The TBA also has records of all administrative suspensions and reinstatements going back to 2005. See all lists here.

The TBA Bankruptcy Forum, originally scheduled for Sept. 24-26 in Gatlinburg, will be rescheduled for the spring. The Bankruptcy Section Executive Council made the decision given the rise in COVID cases in the state. Watch for new dates to be announced in the coming weeks. Thanks to program sponsors Butler Snow, Miller & Martin and Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter for their continued support!

Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Roger A. Page has been elected chief justice by his colleagues. His term will begin Sept. 1. Page succeeds Justice Jeff Bivins, who has served as chief justice since September 2016. “It is an honor to serve as chief justice and a responsibility that I do not take lightly,” Page said after being elected. Page will be sworn-in by Justice Connie Clark at a small ceremony on Sept. 1 at 1:30 p.m. CDT in the courtroom he presided over in the Madison County Criminal Justice Complex. The event will be livestreamed on the court’s YouTube channel. Page began his judicial career when he was elected 26th Judicial District Circuit Court judge in 1998. He was appointed to the Court of Criminal Appeals by former Gov. Bill Haslam in 2011. In 2016, Haslam appointed him to the Supreme Court. Page said that among his priorities will be continued emphasis on the court’s access to justice initiative and work to expand access to the courts in rural communities, including increasing remote hearings and e-filing.

The Tennessee Supreme Court recently issued an order seeking comments on proposed amendments to the Tennessee Rules of Appellate Procedure and Rules of Civil Procedure. The amendments were recommended by the Advisory Commission on the Rules of Practice & Procedure at its June 11 meeting. Comments should be submitted by Nov. 23 to the attention of Appellate Clerk James Hivner, 100 Supreme Court Building, 401 7th Ave. N., Nashville, TN 37219.

President Joe Biden today approved federal funding for residents of Humphreys County affected by the catastrophic flooding on Saturday, News 5 reports. “Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster,” officials with the White House said in a release. Residents and business owners can begin applying for assistance tomorrow. Watch for more information from the TBA about disaster legal assistance opportunities to help affected individuals.

Hamilton County General Sessions Court Judge Alex McVeagh today launched his campaign for a new term on the bench. McVeagh was appointed to the seat in 2017 at age 31, making him one of the youngest judges in Tennessee history, Chattanoogan.com reports. Since taking the bench, McVeagh has been tapped to serve on the Tennessee Supreme Court’s Access to Justice Commission and Gov. Bill Lee’s Criminal Justice Reform Task Force. He also founded and presides over Hamilton County’s first misdemeanor Drug Recovery Court. McVeagh currently serves as president of the Chattanooga Bar Association YLD, East Tennessee governor for the TBA YLD and Tennessee’s young lawyer delegate to the American Bar Association’s House of Delegates.

Tyler Presley, a graduate of the University of Mississippi Law School, has been appointed a state assistant district attorney by District 15 Attorney General Jason Lawson, the Wilson Post reports. Presley has been a law clerk in Lawson’s office for the past two summers. In his new position, he will be assigned to the court of Judge Haywood Barry in the Wilson County General Sessions Criminal Division and the court of Judge Barry Tatum in the Wilson County Juvenile Court System. Presley will also represent the district attorney’s office on the board of directors for the Wilson County Teen Court Program.

House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, has hired Sammie Arnold as his new chief of staff, the Nashville Post reports. Arnold most recently was an assistant commissioner at the state Department of Economic and Community Development, where he has been focused on community and rural development since 2013. He previously worked as a legislative aide for Gov. Bill Haslam and on Haslam’s first run for governor. Arnold holds a law degree from the University of Tennessee.