In advance of tomorrow’s Law Day celebration, the Knoxville Bar Association announced that Spencer Fair with London Amburn has won its 2021 Law & Liberty Award. Fair was honored for organizing monthly Veterans Legal Advice Clinics, which provide legal services to veterans and their families. Over the past five years, more than 100 attorneys and law students have assisted close to 500 in need. Watch the presentation ceremony here. Also read the ABA's statement on Law Day and get resources for marking the day.

Rutherford County attorney Benjamin Douglas Groce was reinstated to the practice of law on April 19. The Tennessee Supreme Court approved the petition for reinstatement saying Groce had paid all delinquent fees. He had been suspended for fee violations in 2011 and 2013. Florida attorney Jason Matthew Mayberry was reinstated to the practice of law in Tennessee on April 21, retroactive to April 12. He was placed on inactive status more than five years ago.

A medical marijuana bill that was the main remaining vehicle for advancement of cannabis legislation in 2021 failed in a House committee this week, Nashville Post reports. The bill, which would have decriminalized possession of limited amounts of medical marijuana for certain conditions, lost on a 8-9 vote in the House Criminal Justice Committee despite support from committee chair Rep. Michael Curcio, R-Dickson, and Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville. The legislation had previously passed the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Tennessee Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims Chief Judge Kenneth M. Switzer will hold a “listening tour” in May with sessions beginning at 1 p.m. CDT on May 7 and 14. There is no agenda. Open discussion about any subject dealing with the court, the future of settlement procedures, trials, courtroom protocols and comments on rules are encouraged. To get your personal invite please email Clerk Penny Shrum. Let her know which date(s) you would like to attend and she will send the link to join the discussion on the morning of the event.

The TBA’s Business Law Section will host a two-day forum May 20-21 from 9 a.m. until 12:15 p.m. CDT both days. Join this virtual program for an examination of the critical aspects of valuation rules and guidelines in the context of M&A deals. Forum faculty includes certified valuation experts, business law professors, M&A attorneys, investment bankers and venture capital firms focusing on early-stage investments. Register now for the forum worth one dual and five general CLE credits.

An amendment to HB1072/SB915 that was set for discussion by the Senate today has been pushed to May 3. The legislation from Sen. Brian Kelsey, R-Germantown, and Rep. Michael Curcio, R-Dickson, would ban local governments from filing lawsuits to challenge the constitutionality of state laws. It would also allow the state to file an interlocutory appeal in any case in which the constitutionality of a statute is challenged and stay any injunction issued by the court pending the final outcome of the appeal. TBA has been expressing concern to bill sponsors and committee members.

The Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office has created a Cold Case Unit (CCU), the Chattanoogan reports. District Attorney Chris Arnt said the unit will work "with local and state law enforcement agencies to review evidence and bring a fresh perspective to unsolved murders and sexual assaults in the circuit." The CCU will leverage scientific and technological advancements as well as assistance from the public to move these cold cases forward. The team will be led by Assistant District Attorney Clay Fuller. Anyone with information about an unsolved crime can contact lmjcda@pacga.org.

The Lawyers’ Association for Women – Marion Griffith Chapter has announced that 20th Judicial District Chancellor Anne C. Martin is this year’s recipient of the Judge Martha Craig Daughtrey Award. The award is given each year to “active LAW members who model personal and professional achievement in the practice of law.” Martin practiced with Dodson, Parker & Behm PC and later with Bone McAllester Norton PLLC before she was elected to the Chancery Court bench in 2018. Daughtrey was the first woman to become a judge on a court of record when she was appointed to the Court of Criminal Appeals in 1975 and was also the first female justice on the Tennessee Supreme Court. She is now a senior judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

The resolution to add Tennessee’s “right to work” law to the state Constitution today cleared the General Assembly and will now appear on the 2022 ballot, the Associated Press reports. The resolution’s sponsor, Sen. Brian Kelsey, R-Germantown, says the constitutional amendment is needed because it will make it harder to repeal or weaken the “right to work” law. Opponents counter that the measure discourages workers from joining unions, while others argue that right-to-work states have more workplace fatalities and lower wages. To amend the state Constitution, changes must pass by a majority in both chambers during one two-year General Assembly, and then pass by at least two-thirds of the vote in the next. The amendment would then go before the voters in the year of the next gubernatorial election.

The Nashville Bar Association will host its spring memorial service virtually on May 27 at 11 a.m. CDT via Zoom. A project of the NBA’s Historical Committee, the memorial service honors the memory of those Nashville lawyers and judges who have recently passed away. Attendees must RSVP in order to receive a link to view the service. See the NBA’s extensive collection of memorial resolutions.