On Dec. 4, the Tennessee Supreme Court reinstated Utah attorney Danielle Cristene Droitsch to inactive status noting that all required reinstatement fees and delinquent annual inactive registration fees have been paid to the Board of Professional Responsibility.

The Tennessee Supreme Court recently took action on two reinstatement petitions. On Dec. 10, the court reinstated Sullivan County lawyer Joseph Salvatore Imburgia, who had been on inactive status since Dec. 10, 2019. On Dec. 9, the court reinstated the law license of Georgia attorney Sarah Elaine Willis, who had been on inactive status since July 23, 2019.

Knox County Chancellor John Weaver directed that documents concerning the state’s execution procedures and recent executions be provided immediately to the legal team of Harold Nichols, who was executed Dec. 11. The October lawsuit from Nichols alleges that the Tennessee Department of Correction has refused to release key records. Nichols’ attorneys cite months of unanswered or denied requests. Weaver heard arguments in November and required all contested documents be submitted by Dec. 3. A future hearing will determine whether the records were withheld willfully, WATE reports.

The American Alliance for Equal Rights filed a federal lawsuit against the Women of Knoxville and its nonprofit community fund, The Women Foundation, claiming the group’s initiative to provide small loans to Black-owned businesses is discriminatory, Knox News reports. The program requires applicants’ businesses to be at least 51% Black-owned. In September, a white woman affiliated with the alliance sued the nonprofits in federal court, arguing the program discriminates by awarding money exclusively to Black-owned businesses. The funds, raised through private fundraising, do not include taxpayer dollars. The Southern Poverty Law Center and the Global Black Economic Forum have joined the lawsuit defending the Knoxville organizations. On Nov. 4, the alliance sent a letter to Knox County commissioners threatening legal action against the county. The nonprofits said the alliance misreads federal law and showed a “willful disregard” for the program’s specifics, adding that private charitable funds are not subject to the review the group seeks.

The Knoxville Bar Association (KBA) held its annual meeting Friday, during which the president’s gavel was passed from Jonathan Cooper to Knoxville attorney Rachel Park Hurt, a member of Arnett, Baker, Draper & Hagood LLP. Hurt earned her law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 2007. Her practice focuses on insurance defense, health care liability defense and health care regulation. Also during the meeting, new officers were named for 2026. They are: President-elect Ursula Bailey, Treasurer Cathy Shuck, Secretary M. Samantha Parris, and board members Joshua D. Hedrick, Allison Jackson, Matthew Lyon and Shannon van Tol. In addition, Courteney Barnes-Anderson was named president of the Knoxville Barristers. Awards also were presented during the event. Cooper presented his President’s Awards to KBA Professionalism Committee Co-Chairs James Stovall and Chancellor John Weaver, and to KBA Executive Director Tasha Blakney. Reggie E. Keaton received the KBA's highest award, the Governors' Award; Dana C. Holloway received the Courage in the Face of Adversity Award; William D. Vines III received the Don Paine Lawyer Legacy Award; and Robbie Pryor received the KBA’s award for outstanding legal writing. Read more about these recognitions in a news release from the organization.

The TBA is offering a Law Practice Management CLE Package providing six hours of credit designed to help attorneys complete remaining CLE requirements through approved online courses. The package features practical, real-world programming on topics such as responsible use of AI in law offices, time and workload management, law office accounting, firm sustainability, emerging technology trends and professionalism. Check out the specific courses included on the TBA website. Looking for something else? TBA also has six, eight, 10, 12 and 15-hour packages based on specific topics or practice areas, live webcasts and on-demand video all month long. Explore all the Year End options to complete your CLE requirement by Dec. 31.

The TBA will host a one-hour webcast, “Crystal-Clear Communication for Lawyers: Five Techniques to Avoid Ambiguity,” on Dec. 18 from noon to 1 p.m. CST, focusing on practical strategies to improve clarity in legal writing. Led by communication expert Ryan Standil of Write To Excite, the program will use before-and-after examples to demonstrate techniques for explaining legal concepts in plain language, avoiding ambiguous phrasing, and drafting clear emails and legal documents, even in complex matters. The session is designed for attorneys seeking to strengthen everyday written communication. Register on the TBA website.

The TBA Pro Bono Portal provides a centralized source for lawyers and law students to find pro bono opportunities across Tennessee, like this one through Memphis Area Legal Services. In this case, a senior citizen needs help with an affidavit of heirship to receive a deceased sibling's settlement. Get more information about the requirements associated with this opportunity and browse other pro bono needs.

In the Tennessee Supreme Court’s Sept. 16 order soliciting comments from the legal community, the court asks whether there are "less costly alternatives to the traditional three-year law school curriculum that would adequately prepare individuals for the practice of law" and (2) whether the court "should consider adopting alternative pathways for admission to the Tennessee Bar — for example, by allowing applicants to satisfy the minimum educational requirements and/or examination requirement in part by completing an apprenticeship or serving with a legal aid organization.” California, Vermont, Virginia and Washington all have variations of legal apprenticeship programs. Utah offers a program that requires 240 hours of supervised work and assessments. Wisconsin has taken a different approach with its “diploma privilege” system. Graduates of that state’s two ABA-accredited law schools may become licensed attorneys without taking either the traditional bar exam or the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE). Students must satisfactorily complete a designated curriculum, which tracks traditional first-year requirements and offers numerous options for upper-level courses.

Feedback on Tennessee's potential modification of education requirements and pathways to attorney licensure may be sent to TBA's newly formed Legal Access & Regulatory Reform Task Force at townhall@tnbar.org as well as directly to the court. Watch TBA Today through the month of December to learn more about the seven points in the Supreme Court’s order and specific ways to engage with the task force. Visit TBA's Legal Access & Regulatory Reform resource page for more information.

The Shelby County District Attorney’s Office said Tuesday it will not pursue criminal charges against General Sessions Court Clerk Tami Sawyer following an October dispute with Shelby County sheriff’s deputies. Deputies and Sawyer clashed verbally over whether her private security guard could carry a firearm inside the D’Army Bailey Shelby County Courthouse, according to the Daily Memphian. Video of the encounter circulated on social media, prompting calls for Sawyer’s resignation from Sen. Brent Taylor, R-Eads, and other Memphis leaders. Taylor alleged Sawyer tried to facilitate bringing a gun into the courthouse, while Sawyer said her security guard had previously been allowed inside with a permitted weapon. The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office conducted its own review before referring the matter to District Attorney General Steve Mulroy. “There is simply no evidence that Clerk Sawyer solicited, aided or directed her security guard to bypass courthouse security,” the DA’s office said in a statement.