Volunteer attorneys are needed for the Shelby County Expungement & Court Costs Clinic on Aug. 7. The clinic will offer help with dismissal, diversion and conviction expungements, voter restoration and court cost waivers and covers charges filed in Shelby County only. Attendees must schedule an appointment with volunteer attorneys to reduce wait time and mass gatherings at the clinic. To volunteer for the clinic, contact Amber Floyd.

Organize Tennessee, a nonpartisan organization dedicated to voter protection and education, will host a series of virtual poll observer trainings throughout the year. The trainings will provide information on up-to-date election laws, common poll-watching incidents and details on how to protect the vote on election day. The next training will take place on July 27 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. CDT. Find a list of all training dates and register for the program here.

The Board of Professional Responsibility of the Tennessee Supreme Court yesterday issued a public censure of Blount County attorney Jacob Edward Erwin. Erwin utilized trust account funds for fulfillment of a personal financial obligation. While no clients or third parties were harmed, Erwin’s conduct constitutes a breach of his fiduciary obligation regarding client funds and property. A public censure is a rebuke and warning to the attorney, but it does not affect the attorney’s ability to practice law.

The organization that ran a Chattanooga-based facility for unaccompanied immigrant youth is suing the state after the facility’s license was suspended following the arrest of an employee on child abuse allegations, the Associated Press reports. Baptiste Group filed the complaint in Davidson County Chancery Court yesterday against the Department of Children’s Services and its commissioner. The lawsuit claims the state violated due process protections and was “improperly motivated by “bias, racial prejudice and the like.” The complaint says the suspension “demonstrates bias and prejudice towards TBG” because the state has not taken similar actions for other agencies facing similar accusations. The suspension came amid outrage from some Republican lawmakers over what they say is a lack of transparency from the federal government about immigrant children moving through the state. 

The bust of Confederate general and early KKK leader Nathan Bedford Forrest is expected to be removed from the State Capitol this week, dependant upon a successful vote tomorrow morning by the State Building Commission, the Tennessean reports. Gov. Bill Lee’s office has not given information about the removal procedure, but multiple sources told the newspaper that Lee intends to have the bust moved to the Tennessee State Museum by the weekend. Lee has called a news conference ahead of tomorrow’s vote and will make a rare appearance at the meeting. State law required Lee’s office to wait 120 to take action after the Historical Commission’s March vote to relocate the bust. That waiting period ended July 9. The meeting is scheduled to begin tomorrow at 11 a.m. CDT.

Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery today announced that state and local governments are on the verge of signing a $26 billion agreement with the nation’s three largest pharmaceutical distributors and drugmaker Johnson & Johnson for their role in the nation’s opioid crisis. Per the agreement, distributors Cardinal, McKesson, and AmerisourceBergen will pay up to $21 billion over 18 years and must establish new systems to help prevent and identify suspicious opioid orders. Johnson & Johnson will pay up to $5 billion over nine years and must stop selling opioids for 10 years. Over two-thirds of the settlement money is required to be spent on opioid treatment and prevention The agreement hinges on a “critical mass” of participation from states and local governments. According to the Tennessean, states have 30 days to join the deal and local governments have five months. If governments don’t opt in, the settlement total will go down. Slatery, who has been a leader in the settlement efforts, said Tennessee will be signing the agreement and reaching out to encourage participation.

In a recent article for Reuters, Chicago attorney Ed Shapiro suggests several ways law firms can promote professional development, while simultaneously supporting the mental health of attorneys. Shapiro emphasizes the importance of mentor groups within law firms “that advance professional development while creating safe spaces within which attorneys can share their struggles and get the support they need.” He acknowledges that, while the legal profession as a whole might have thrived during the pandemic, some attorneys may feel as though they didn’t “crush it” during quarantine and that they could’ve done more. It’s important, he says, for those attorneys to know they’re not alone and to offer them a space in which they can be vulnerable. Read the full article here.  

It's not too late to join the Federal Practice Section for its 2021 Annual Forum on Friday. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear speakers on a variety of topics including federal judicial selection, use of evidence in federal courts, the role of the Senate Judiciary Committee and concepts of originalism and textualism. The virtual program will run from 9 a.m. to noon and offer four general CLE credits. Section members receive a discount for this program. Not a Federal Practice Section member? Join here for additional savings and benefits.

Already considered one of the major health law programs in the country, the 33rd Annual TBA Health Law Forum will be even more prominent this year as it moves to downtown Nashville on Oct. 21-22 for a bigger and better program. Planners are excited to bring back the forum as a live, in-person event after the COVID-19 pandemic forced it to be held virtually last year. The two-day event will take place at the Music City Center. Planners already are working closely with center officials to ensure the safety and security of all attendees. The agenda also is already taking shape with sessions planned on regulatory fraud and abuse, physician discipline and licensing, privacy law developments, biomedical research regulation, ethics and case law updates, and more. The forum will offer 12 general hours and three dual hours of CLE credit. Overnight hotel accommodations will be available at a discounted rate. Contact cle@tnbar.org for more information.

In addition to the forum, the Health Law Section is also producing the annual Health Law Primer for the 21st year. This program, curated for newer health law practitioners, will be held virtually on Oct. 20 and provide four hours of general CLE credit.

Since severe storms and flooding struck Nashville in March, members of Nashville Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) have been focused on assisting survivors. The group’s next recovery outreach event is planned for Thursday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. CDT at Plaza Mariachi, 3955 Nolensville Pike, Nashville 37211. Food boxes, stress kits and hygiene kits will be available. Experts also will be on hand to discuss mold exposure, long-term recovery and trauma care. Legal advice on predatory landlords, contractor fraud and renters rights also will be available. Volunteers can sign up here to help. For more information call 615-270-9244, email erika@hon.org or visit nashvilleresponds.com.