The Memphis Bar Association last week held its annual Access to Justice CLE & Pro Bono Awards program. MBA’s Access to Justice Committee holds the event each year to recognize judges, attorneys, law firms, legal departments and law students who have displayed a commitment to pro bono service and the pursuit of ATJ. Recipients of the 2022 Champion of Justice Awards were: Judge Deborah Henderson, Judiciary Category; Robin Warren, Public Interest Category; Dominique Defreece, Law Student Category; Memphis Area Legal Services, Law Firm Category; International Paper, Legal Department Category. Attorney Danielle Woods was honored with the Melanie R. Yelder Champion of Justice Award. See pictures from the event on the MBA’s Facebook page.

Thirteenth District Criminal Court Judge Gary McKenzie, a former Judge Advocate General (JAG) officer, presides over the district’s Veterans Treatment Court. After being elected to the bench in 2014, McKenzie established the VTC program with the help of Judge Seth Norman. The program provides treatment, counseling and therapy for substance abuse as an alternative to incarceration. McKenzie credits the program’s success to a structure similar to that of the military. He also believes being a veteran himself is beneficial for the program. “I can communicate with them in a similar language, if you will,” McKenzie said. To date, the program has experienced success with only a 3% recidivism rate versus the average of 33% for other programs. Read the story from the Administrative Office of the Courts.

Memphis attorney Varonica Cooper was this week elected Division 2 Judge of the Memphis Municipal Court for an eight-year term, the Daily Memphian reports. Cooper faced off against eight candidates to replace Judge Tarik Sugarmon, who resigned after being elected to the Shelby County Juvenile Court. Cooper is an attorney at the Cooper Law Firm. She has been in private practice for 25 years. Prior to moving to Memphis, she worked as an entertainment attorney. She is a former professor at the Borough of Manhattan Community College.

Following scrutiny over the slow turnaround of sexual assault kit testing, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has asked for a $45.3 million budget increase, the Daily Memphian reports. TBI Director David Rausch asked Gov. Bill Lee for the increase yesterday during the fist day of the state government’s fiscal year 2024 budget process. Much of the increase would be spent on enabling faster processing times for the kits as well as funding 71 positions. Rausch asked for $5.8 million to fund 25 forensic scientists and 14 support personnel and another $27.6 million for “salary modernization.” Lee pushed Rausch for more details on how much faster turnaround times would be, but Rausch was unable to answer.

Tennessee state government offices and state courts will be closed tomorrow in observance of Veterans Day. See a full list of holiday office closure on that state’s website.   

TBA Young Lawyers Division members Patrick Morrison and Angela Williams visited Vanderbilt University Law School on Nov. 14 to meet with more than 30 law students. This event completed the YLD visits to the six law schools in Tennessee for 2022. During these visits, YLD members shared the benefits of getting involved with the TBA YLD early for networking and professional development. They also encouraged students to apply for the Diversity Leadership Institute, TBA's six-month leadership and mentoring program for Tennessee law students in their second, third or fourth years of study.

The TBA’s Federal Law Section will hold a one-hour webcast on Dec. 15 from 1-2 p.m. CST. The session will cover Ruan v. United States charging considerations, expert witness testimony in opiate prosecutions and sentencing guideline considerations/compassionate release. The program will be worth one general credit hour of CLE. Learn more and register here.

Witness an all-star lineup of women attorneys discuss resiliency in our profession during times of change, nontraditional legal careers, women supporting other women and much more during the “Raising the Bar” program tomorrow. Produced by the TBA Women in the Profession Committee, the in-person event will kick off with a keynote address from retired Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle now with JAMS: Mediation, Arbitration and ADR Service on withstanding career adversity, overcoming challenges and growing from those experiences. Programming will run from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. CST at Baker Donelson’s Nashville office and will be immediately followed by a networking reception. Learn more and register for the program.

A memorial service for Andrew C. “Andy” Branham will take place Saturday at 11 a.m. CST at The Church of The River, 292 Virginia Ave W., Memphis 38103. Branham died Nov. 3 at the age of 69. A graduate of the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, he enjoyed a long tenure at International Paper before developing the Memphis office for Counsel on Call. Most notable, however, were the countless hours of service he gave both as an attorney and as a pillar of the recovery community. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to MidSouth Sober Living — which Branham founded —at 1950 Madison Ave., Memphis, TN 38104. Read the full obituary in the Tennessean.

Republican leaders in the General Assembly filed a bill today to prohibit health care providers from performing medical procedures on minors for the purpose of transitioning or treating gender dysphoria, the Nashville Post reports. House/Senate Bill 1, introduced by House Majority Leader William Lamberth, R-Portland, and Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, R-Franklin, would allow a minor or parent of a minor to sue a health care provider for damages. In addition, a minor could sue a parent who consented to surgery or other gender-affirming treatment on the minor’s behalf. Violating the law would be a civil offense with penalties up to $25,000 for health care providers for “knowingly violating the law.” The 113th Tennessee General Assembly is scheduled to convene on Jan. 10, 2023.