The American Bar Association (ABA) has released a comprehensive set of data on bar passage outcomes for ABA-approved law schools. The new data shows that in the aggregate, 90.40% of 2021 law graduates who sat for a bar exam passed it within two years of graduation. That percentage is down from the 91.85% figure for 2020 graduates. The data also shows that first-time takers in 2023 achieved an aggregate 79.18% pass rate, an increase from the 78.15% pass rate for 2022. Additional data shows aggregate results by ethnicity and gender. The information is available on the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar’s website under “Legal Education Statistics.”

The Tennessee Supreme Court on Feb. 28 issued an order suspending two Tennessee lawyers for failure to comply with CLE requirements. The order supplements an order from Aug. 17, 2023, suspending 143 Tennessee-licensed lawyers for failure to meet CLE requirements in 2022. See the full list of those suspended and reinstated, including one from the Feb. 28 order, who was reinstated last week.

The Lawyers Association for Women (LAW) Marion Griffin Chapter has announced its 2024 award recipients. The Nashville-based group will present its 2024 Martha Craig Daughtrey Award to Davidson County General Sessions Judge Robin Kimbrough Hayes, while Rachel H. Berg will receive the 2024 Rising Star Award. Hayes was elected to the bench in 2022. She previously served as an associate general counsel for the Tennessee Department of Children's Services and legal counsel for the Tennessee Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence. She is a past co-chair of LAW’s Litigation and Legislation Committee and was instrumental in reinstating the group’s Diversity Essay Scholarship Contest. Berg is a staff attorney at the National Center for Lesbian Rights. She previously was in private practice in New York and Nashville, focusing on class action litigation. She also serves on the LAW Board as treasurer and has been co-chair of the group’s Mentoring/Member Development Committee.

Don Ridgeway of Paris died March 2 at the age of 76. A graduate of the University of Tennessee at Martin, Ridgeway worked in the insurance business and as a licensed funeral director. He was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives in 1984 and served there for 18 years, holding the positions of Democratic caucus chair and chair of the Transportation and Conservation & Environment committees. After retiring from the House in 2002, Ridgeway joined the Northwest Tennessee Economic Development Council, where he served as director for 21 years. A celebration of life was held on March 7. Memorial donations may be made to Henry County Helping Hand, 2025 Auction, PO Box 22, Paris, TN 38242 or Todd Latta Junior Golf League, c/o Andy Collins, 204 W. Washington St, Paris, TN 38242.

The Tennessee Bar Association and Tennessee’s American Inns of Court are now accepting nominations for the 2024 Judge Pamela L. Reeves Tennessee Professionalism Award. The annual award is presented to a lawyer or judge whose life and practice display sterling character and unquestioned integrity, coupled with ongoing dedication to the highest standards of the rule of law and the highest standards of the legal profession in Tennessee. This year's award will be presented to a lawyer or judge residing in the West Grand Division. Nominees must be alive when nominations are submitted but they need not be an active member of an American Inn of Court or the TBA. The award will be presented at the TBA's Annual Convention, which will be held in Memphis June 12-15. The deadline for submitting nominations is April 8. See past recipients of the award.

Save the date for TBA's 28th Annual Labor & Employment Forum, set for May 3 in Nashville. The annual program brings together professionals, labor and employment attorneys and in-house counsel, and features top labor and employment professionals who will provide practical insight on emerging trends and critical issues. This year’s program features topics such as non-competition agreements, emerging labor trends, new pregnancy accommodation laws, case law updates and the use of artificial intelligence in discovery and beyond.

The Tennessee Supreme Court on March 4 suspended 60 attorneys who did not pay the annual professional privilege tax as required. The attorneys include those living in Tennessee as well as 16 other states. View the order or see the list with reinstatements noted.

The following attorneys were suspended by the Tennessee Supreme Court on March 4, 2024, for failing to pay the state professional privilege tax pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated 67-4-1702. Pursuant to Supreme Court Rule 9, Section 26, attorneys who are deemed noncompliant for 90 days or more are summarily suspended. Those who since have complied with the rule are noted as reinstated.

The Board of Judicial Conduct suspended Sullivan County Circuit Court Judge William K. Rogers for 30 days last Wednesday. The suspension will run from March 13-31 and April 20-30. The board took the action after Rogers was arrested for and plead guilty to driving under the influence. The board reports that Williams underwent an evaluation for substance abuse but the Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program did not find that he required treatment for a substance abuse problem. After conducting a full investigation, the board determined that these actions violated Rules of Judicial Conduct 1.1, 1.2, 3.1(A) and 3.1(C).