Indiana lawyer Carla Sheree Johnson was reinstated to the practice of law in Tennessee on July 25. She had been placed on inactive status more than five years ago on Dec. 23, 2019. The Board of Professional Responsibility reported that it found the petition for reinstatement to be satisfactory.

California lawyer Emily D. Fulham was reinstated to the practice of law in Tennessee on July 31. She had been placed on inactive status more than five years ago on May 27, 2020. The Board of Professional Responsibility reported that it found the petition for reinstatement to be satisfactory.

Tennessee state Sen. Brent Taylor, R-Memphis, has announced that 30 state inmates will be moved from the Shelby County Jail to state facilities this week. That is in addition to 41 inmates who were moved last week, according to Local Memphis. Taylor said he toured the jail earlier this year and was asked by the sheriff’s office to help get a “high number” of state inmates moved to state facilities to cut down on overcrowding. Recent reports have shed light on crowded conditions at the jail.

The city of Chattanooga intends to appeal a judge’s finding that laws were violated during nonpublic meetings on redrawing local voting districts, the Times Free Press reports. According to the paper, the move comes after a judge found that an ad hoc redistricting committee met on three occasions without any public notice or minutes taken. Finding in support of the paper — which had brought suit — the court directed the city council to follow the state’s Open Meetings Act, submit to one year of oversight and write a semiannual report regarding its compliance. The paper is represented by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, a nonprofit group focused on First Amendment issues.

Brick Church Middle School in Nashville has been renamed to honor the late Judge Richard H. Dinkins, a civil rights pioneer who helped reshape public education in Nashville. Dinkins played a critical role in desegregating the city’s public schools and advocated for educational equity throughout his life. The Nashville Board of Education voted unanimously in March to rename the school. Metro Nashville Public Schools held a dedication ceremony Saturday that included remarks from city leaders, a student presentation and the unveiling of displays honoring Dinkins’ life and impact. The Tennessean has photos.

New lawyers in the class of 2024 faced a lot of competition in the job market — the class was 12% larger than its immediate predecessor — but they have fared well according to a report from the National Association for Law Placement (NALP). A year after graduation, a record 93.4% had jobs, the highest employment rate ever. In total, 20,810 graduates obtained jobs in private practice — also the largest number on record — passing the previous peak of 20,611 law firm jobs for the class of 2007. Other data also indicates that these graduates are satisfied with their work. A record low of 6.8% of those with jobs were seeking other opportunities. Looking ahead to predictions for the classes of 2025 and 2026, NALP says many firms pulled back on their 2024 and 2025 summer associate hiring, which could suggest there could be a contraction coming. The ABA Journal has more on the summer associate hiring situation.

Registration will close Friday for the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services (TALS) Equal Justice University (EJU) conference. The annual event, co-sponsored by the TBA, is set for Aug. 27-29 at the Embassy Suites in Murfreesboro. This year’s conference will include more than 50 CLE sessions, inspiring keynote speakers. Check out the full schedule.

Byron Black, the 69-year-old man convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend and her two daughters in 1988, was put to death Tuesday morning after Gov. Bill Lee and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene. According to The Tennessean, witnesses said he showed both visible and audible signs of distress as the state administered lethal injection drugs. Black's attorneys had argued a medical device implanted in his chest could shock him as he died and had sued to have the device deactivated. Speaking after the execution, Black’s attorney said she believes the lethal injection drug did not work as intended and that Black was tortured before his death. He is just the second individual to be executed in the state using a new protocol that relies solely on pentobarbital. Several Tennessee death row inmates have filed suit arguing that the new protocol brings a high risk of torturous death.

The American Bar Association (ABA) will consider a proposal during its annual meeting next week in Toronto that would end the practice of reserving five seats on its governing board for women, racially and ethnically diverse, LGBTQ+ and disabled lawyers. If adopted, the board instead would set aside three board seats for lawyers committed to “advancing the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion,” regardless of the individuals’ demographic backgrounds. Reuters reports the change is part of a larger proposal to reduce the size of the board, which oversees management of the association, from 43 members to 32 members. The ABA says the changes are needed to help the organization become more nimble and efficient amid declining membership.

The TBA Construction Law Section will host the inaugural Joint Georgia/Tennessee Construction Conference Oct. 9-10 in Chattanooga. The two-day event will kick off with a welcome networking reception followed by a day of high quality CLE sessions for both Georgia and Tennessee lawyers. Topics include regional differences in construction law, a view from the bench session featuring judges and arbitrators, a case study session and more. Speakers confirmed so far include Atlanta lawyer Mark Carter with Buchalter, Cobb County Superior Court Judge Julie Jacobs, Memphis lawyer Regan Steepleton with Evans Petree, and Chattanooga lawyers William G. Colvin and Elisa Fox and Timothy Gibbons with Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel. The program will offer 6.75 total CLE hours, including one dual hour. CLE credit will be submitted to both Georgia and Tennessee. Get more information and register on the TBA website.