The Tennessee Bar Association’s online renewal for 2021-2022 is now open! Renew your membership to continue your access to CLE programming with three pre-paid credits, TBA’s new Practice Management Center, free online legal research through Fastcase and timely information through TBA Today, TBA Podcasts and the Tennessee Bar Journal. Also now available is access to the TBA’s Group Health Insurance Plan, with open mid-year enrollment available now. Renewal emails are being sent now with a direct link to quickly renew your membership, or you can login and access renewal information through your MyTBA dashboard. 

The TBA Entertainment & Sports Law Section will host its annual CLE program on May 13 from 11 a.m. until 4:45 p.m. CDT. Presenters will provide up-to-date information and inside knowledge on some of the hottest topics in the entertainment and sports industries, including: catalog sales and the related financial and ethical components that come into play on both the buyer and seller sides; sports betting in Tennessee; the new age of artist development through TikTok; and the impact of cancel culture and morality clauses when it comes to holding artists accountable for their actions. The program is virtual and attendees will be able to ask questions through Zoom’s chat feature. Read more about the program and get registered.  

"As you point out in your article, lawyer mental health is still taboo, and I’m not sure anyone has written about it so nakedly before," a lawyer wrote in response to Kent Halkett's recent Tennessee Bar Journal article. "We can tell our firms when we need parental leave or medical leave, or even when we have a body ailment. No one feels like we can tell our firm(s) that the pressure of the job is affecting our mental health." This letter and many more were sent to Halkett about his article, “Mental Health in the Legal Profession: A Crisis, a Case Study and a Call to Action." The publication Above the Law covered the article, which urged "the profession take mental health seriously, particularly in the wake of COVID-19. It’s a sensitive subject and Halkett’s article’s had a tremendous impact, not just because mental health has historically been verboten, particularly at high-powered law firms, but because of the death by suicide of Sidley partner Gabe MacConaill." Above the Law then followed up by writing about the responses the Journal received. Read all of the personal and sometimes gut-wrenching letters here. 

The case of death row inmate Pervis Payne is garnering nationwide interest, from celebrities to TikTok users, the Commercial Appeal reports. Payne, who has maintained his innocence, was convicted of the 1987 deaths of Millington woman Charisse Christopher and her daughter, Lacie. He was scheduled for execution on Dec. 3 but was granted a reprieve by Gov. Bill Lee until April 9 due to COVID-19. Now, as state legislators work to pass a bill that would allow Payne to plead his case that he is intellectually disabled — and thus ineligible for the death penalty — thousands are supporting him online and in person. “A lot of attention is being paid to the case on social media and the word is getting around," said Payne's attorney Kelley Henry. The Innocence Project has gathered more than 600,000 signatures in support of Payne while a TikTok video in support of Payne has received more than 9.3 million views. National news stories also are garnering interest, while an opinion piece from Martin Luther King III urges the governor to spare Payne’s life. A spokeswoman for Lee said this week that the governor is still reviewing the case.

President Joe Biden is out with a list of his first set of judicial nominees. The 11 nominees include three Black women who would join federal appellate courts. They are U.S. District Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who would take now-Attorney General Merrick Garland's place on the D.C. Circuit; Tiffany Cunningham, a Perkins Coie partner who would join the Federal Circuit; and Candace Jackson-Akiwumi, a Zuckerman Spaeder partner who would join the 7th Circuit. Others named include Deborah Boardman, Lydia Griggsby, Julien Neals, Florence Y. Pan, Rupa Ranga Puttagunta, Zahid N. Quraishi, Regina Rodriguez and Margaret Strickland. Read more about them from National Public Radio.

The Trial Court Vacancy Commission yesterday clarified that the location for its hearing on candidates to fill a vacancy on the 14th Judicial District Circuit Court is still pending. The commission says the hearing will be held May 14 at 9 a.m. CDT at a location to be announced at a later date. The corrected announcement is posted online.

U.S. News & World Report released its latest law school rankings this week, with Yale Law School again taking the top spot, followed by Stanford Law School and Harvard Law School, Law.com reports. In Tennessee, Vanderbilt University tied with The University of Texas at Austin for 16th place — up from 18th place last year. The University of Tennessee ranked 60th, up from 70th place last year. Belmont University dropped to 134th place from 129th last year. And the University of Memphis slipped to 144th place from 141th last year. The Duncan School of Law at Lincoln Memorial University was not ranked and the Nashville School of Law was not on the list, which only ranks schools fully accredited by the American Bar Association. See the full rankings.

The Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims is seeking input on the reappointment of four judges: Judge Robert Durham of Cookeville, Judge Audrey Headrick of Chattanooga, Judge Amber Luttrell of Jackson and Judge Dale Tipps of Murfreesboro. These judges were first appointed in 2015 and will be considered for reappointment in June. Those who would like to submit input should send comments to Bureau of Workers’ Compensation Administrator Abbie Hudgens by April 23.

The Alcoa School District has grown so frustrated with the epidemic of vaping among students that officials have decided to sue e-cigarette manufacturers, Tennessee Lookout reports. School board members recently voted to join a lawsuit against JUUL Labs and Altria for their role in popularizing e-cigarettes and vaping among underage children. The Knoxville-based law firm Owings, Wilson & Coleman is representing the school district but is also part of a larger legal team representing 140 schools in the suit against JUUL. According to lawyer John Owings, Alcoa will have its own case but also will be “part of several cases across the country.” JUUL told National Public Radio in 2019 that it has never marketed its products to children.

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland has appointed Carolyn Watkins to a vacant position on the Memphis Municipal Court, Division One. Her appointment is subject to city council approval, WREG reports. According to the mayor’s announcement, Watkins has been a lawyer for over 30 years with the Shelby County government and the Public Defender’s Office.