Among the many initiatives announced today by newly-installed TBA President Sherie Edwards is a new four-month program for entrepreneurial lawyers, solo practitioners or newly formed solo/small firms looking to strategically and sustainably scale and modernize their law practice. Focused on business education and development, the Scaling Small Law program will cover issues such as business planning, marketing, finance and budgeting, client service and experience, ethical considerations, and outsourcing and leveraging technology. The program, which offers 15 hours of dual CLE credit, will run from mid-August to mid-December. Applications are due by Aug. 2.

State Rep. John Ragan, R-Oak Ridge, has reportedly asked the state attorney general for a formal opinion on whether Davidson County District Attorney General Glenn Funk’s public statements that he will not enforce a new law are grounds for disciplinary action or removal. In May, Gov. Bill Lee signed into a law a new requirement that businesses and government facilities open to the public post a sign if they let transgender people use multi-person bathrooms, locker rooms or changing rooms associated with their gender identity. Funk has been vocal that his office will not pursue charges against anyone who refuses to hang the sign. Ragan says he understands prosecutors have discretion with regard to the cases they bring but takes issue with Funk announcing such decisions in the media, the Tennessean reports.

Shelby County District Attorney General Amy Weirich announced yesterday there would be no charges filed against three Germantown police officers who fatally shot a man last year while responding to a domestic disturbance, the Commercial Appeal reports. Weirich brought in the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to look into the shooting. The Violent Crime Response Team found that the shooting was justified based on witness interviews, videos, crime scene photos, ballistics and autopsy results. The police were responding to a 911 call from Brian Cooper’s wife who said he had assaulted her and fired gunshots. The officers found Cooper in the backyard with an AR-style rifle and a handgun in his front pocket. When ordered to drop the weapons, Cooper refused to cooperate and instead began raising a weapon.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the city of Philadelphia violated the free exercise clause when it refused to contract with a Catholic foster care agency that does not place children with same-sex couples or unmarried couples. The decision was unanimous, although three justices concurred in the judgment rather than joining the opinion by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., the ABA Journal reports. In the majority opinion, Roberts wrote that Catholic Social Services, “seeks only an accommodation that will allow it to continue serving the children of Philadelphia in a manner consistent with its religious beliefs; it does not seek to impose those beliefs on anyone else.”

The Holistic Legal Incubator of The Justice Initiative in Knoxville is a program that teaches new lawyers and social workers a holistic, client-centered, interdisciplinary representation model. The incubator is now accepting applications for the 2021-2022 class. The program will begin in late August/early September. Learn more online or for questions contact Greyson Dulaney.

Franklin Republican Robby Starbuck Newsom (who goes by Robby Starbuck) plans to enter the race for Nashville's congressional district so long as his home or farm end up in a possibly-redrawn 5th District, the Tennessean reports. Starbuck, 32, is a California transplant who moved with his family to Williamson County two years ago. A former director and producer of music videos and commercials, he currently is an investor in real estate and the stock market. Starbuck says his Cuban heritage and plans to campaign in areas of Nashville previously neglected by Republicans will provide in-roads with Latino residents and other minorities in the district. If eligible to run, he would face Quincy McKnight in the Republican primary. The 5th District seat has been held by Rep. Jim Cooper since 2002. Cooper is also facing a primary challenge from Odessa Kelly.

The Tennessee Bar Association will be closed on Monday following our week-long Annual Convention. The TBA staff continues to work remotely and you can find contact information for each of them on the TBA.org website. Full listings of continuing legal education courses are also available online and can be taken at any time.

Knoxville attorney Tasha C. Blakney will take office as president-elect of the Tennessee Bar Association (TBA) tomorrow during the group’s annual convention in Memphis. A partner at Eldridge & Blakney PC in Knoxville, she earned her law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law and has more than 20 years of experience in the legal profession. She has also been an active member of the TBA, serving in a variety of positions with the association, including second district governor for the TBA’s Board of Governors, co-chair of the Public Education Committee, member of the TBA’s House of Delegates and executive committee member of the Environmental Law Section. Blakney will assume the presidency of the TBA in 2022.

The fourth day of the TBA’s Annual Convention started with the Bench/Bar Program, produced by the Administrative Office of the Courts, which featured panels on how lawyers can protect their mental health when working with troubled clients, how neurodiverse people process information in different ways and often need accommodation from the legal system, and how bias affects the sentencing phase of criminal trials. The Bench/Bar Luncheon followed with remarks from Brandon Gibson, chief operating officer of the state, and Lang Wiseman, deputy and chief counsel to Gov. Bill Lee. They talked about how the state responded to the COVID-19 crisis and how the pandemic impacted the legislative process. The afternoon’s activities included the Better Right Now program, which focused on the harmful effects of stereotyping, discrimination, marginalization and microaggressions. The first panel focused on what bias is and how lawyers can help clients and colleagues who have experienced it. The second panel shared personal stories about their own experiences and how they responded to past offenses, including what they did to protect their mental health. The day wrapped up with a panel exploring how bar associations in the state are working to improve diversity in the profession and address racial and social injustice.

Nashville lawyer and Sherrard Roe Voigt & Harbison member Cornell Kennedy will lead the firm’s new healthcare services group focused on dentists, optometrists and veterinarians. Kennedy said the new group will focus on helping clients with issues related to operating as a small business owner and health care provider. At the firm, Kennedy practices in the areas of general corporate law and health care. For corporate clients, he handles business formation and dissolution, acquisitions, employment matters and covenants not-to-compete. For health care clients he also handles transactional matters, including practice start-ups, practice acquisitions and equity buy-ins. Read more in a press release from the firm.