The Tennessee Bureau of Workers' Compensation announced today that it has created a Certified Physician Program (CPP) to provide specialized training to doctors and chiropractors who treat injured workers. The bureau argues that work-related injuries present unique challenges and that traditional medical training does not always cover the issues physicians encounter. The centerpiece of the program is a free, online, self-paced course focused on successfully evaluating and treating injured workers. Once certified, doctors are eligible to receive enhanced fees for visits and for providing final impairment ratings. Read a press release from the bureau for more details.

Davidson County General Sessions Court Judge Lynda Jones has been elected as the District 7 member of the American Judges Association (AJA) Board of Governors. She will serve for two years and represent Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee and West Virginia. Jones also serves on the group’s Education Committee. The AJA works to promote and improve effective administration of justice and maintain the status and independence of the judiciary. Read more in a release from the group.

The TBA Animal Law Section's free webinar on the relationship between animal cruelty and family violence has been rescheduled for Sept. 29 from noon to 1 p.m. CDT. Presented by Erin Aiello, a law enforcement trainer with the Humane Society of the United States, and University of Tennessee College of Law Professor Joan Heminway, the event will provide insights into intimate partner violence cases and offer strategies to help keep people and their pets safe. The free event is open to everyone but registration is required. Connection information will be sent the week of the program. One hour of CLE credit is available for TBA members for a fee of $50. Contact jword@tnbar.org about that option.

The Nashville office of Lewis Thomason is seeking an associate or special counsel to join its health care liability team. Candidates should have deposition, discovery and motion practice experience. Trial experience and experience advising and representing health care facilities and providers on a broad range of litigation is preferred. See the full job description and instructions for applying on the TBA’s JobLink platform.

The 2022 Creditors Practice Annual Forum will be held in person Wednesday at 1212 Germantown, located at 1212 6th Ave. N., Nashville 37208. Practitioners in the creditors practice field can earn three general and one dual CLE credits. The program will cover Regulation F, navigating ethical issues in a remote work world, an update on landlord tenant law and developments in bankruptcy law. After the program, stay and mingle with fellow attendees, speakers and section executive council members at a casual reception.

The first floor library in the John Sevier State Office Building in downtown Nashville, which has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2011, has been renamed the “Solicitor General Andrée Sophia Blumstein Room” in honor of General Blumstein. Since 2014, Blumstein — the first female solicitor general for Tennessee — has overseen all appellate litigation practice in the Tennessee Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Court of Criminal Appeals, U.S. Supreme Court and U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, as well as all published opinions by the attorney general's office. Blumstein serves as chair of the Tennessee Bar Journal Editorial Board.

Gov. Bill Lee was in Memphis today, following a week of violent crimes that shook the city, the Commercial Appeal reports. Lee praised Memphis-area law enforcement officers for their work then took aim at "convenient plea deals," and called for more cops on the streets, more funding for police departments and stiffer penalties for violent offenders. “Plea deals have real consequences ... and those consequences were on full display Wednesday night,” Lee said, referencing a night of shootings by an individual who had previously been released early from prison. It is “time to have a conversation about plea deals.” Tennessee's top Republican legislative leaders also weighed in on the situation this week, pledging to double down on the state’s new "Truth in Sentencing" law and press new measures targeting violent crimes. The Times Free Press has that story.

The TBA Animal Law Section today held its annual forum at the Nashville Zoo. Attendees heard from zoo director Rick Schwartz, who has been heavily involved in the world of conservation for 30 years, and met several zoo animals including spotted leopard cubs and a flamingo. Other speakers included veterinarian and lawyer Robert Simpson with the Kingston Animal Hospital, who spoke about legal issues facing veterinarians; Juvenile Court Judge Sheila Calloway, who talked about court programs involving animals; Eric Swafford with Best Friends Animal Society, who discussed dog breed restrictions; Lauren Curry with Sherrard Roe Voigt & Harbison, who spoke on conservation issues; and Steven Christopher with the Board of Professional Responsibility, who provided an ethics update. See photos from the day.

K&L Gates has named Lauren Patten managing partner of its Nashville office, the Nashville Business Journal reports. Patten, a Nashville native, joined K&L Gates in early 2021 when the firm opened an office in Nashville. She previously spent six years at Butler Snow. Patten is a trial lawyer and a member of the firm’s complex commercial litigation and disputes group. When K&L Gates announced its Nashville office, Mary Beth Johnson, managing partner of the firm’s Research Triangle Park offices and co-leader of the health care practice, was named leader of the Nashville office.

Nashville's biggest law firm, Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis LLP, is reportedly exploring a potential combination with Florida-based Holland & Knight LLP, the Nashville Business Journal reported today. Holland & Knight, one of the nation's 30 largest legal firms, would be the latest and largest in a string of law firms to land in Nashville if a deal is completed. Both firms declined to comment. Waller currently has offices in Nashville, Chattanooga, Austin and Birmingham.