The TBA Young Lawyers Division has opened its 2024-2025 leadership appointment and election filing process. Those interested in an appointed position on the division's board should review available positions and complete the online application by Feb. 28. For positions subject to election, nominating petitions should be filed with YLD Secretary Ross Smith no later than Feb. 15. We are still looking for petitions for West Tennessee Governor and for District Representatives in even-numbered districts (2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 14). District Representatives will be elected for two-year terms. For more information about these positions or to download a nominating petition visit the YLD Election Guidelines webpage. Elections for any contested races will take place between March 1 and April 1 by electronic voting. 

Join YLD President Quinton Thompson and YLD Fellows Liaison Nicole Grida for a dive into the nuances of personal injury law. In this webcast you will be able to explore essential topics such as liability determination, damage assessment, and negotiation tasks. Grace the intricacies of litigation from both plaintiff and defense perspectives on Dec. 19 from 1-2 p.m. CST by registering here.

Are you still looking for ethics credits before Dec. 31? Look no further! We’ve got our 12 Days of Ethics coming in hot with innovative programming you won’t want to miss. Be sure to check our social media channels over the next 12 days to see which programs you can choose from. Visit Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn to get more information using the hashtag #TBA12Days. Or go to the TBA CLE Course Catalog to get a full preview of more than 200 CLE programs by Tennessee lawyers for Tennessee lawyers.

The Knoxville Bar Association (KBA) held its annual meeting last month at which Carlos A. Yunsan of the University of Tennessee College of Law was sworn in as president. Executive Director Marsha S. Watson was recognized for her 33-year tenure at the helm of the KBA by the creation of a special lifetime membership for her and the renaming of the KBA’s conference room in her honor. New KBA Executive Director and former TBA President Tasha Blakney will step into the role full-time in mid-January. A press release from the KBA has more information, including new officers for the 2024 bar year and award winners.

The Knoxville Bar Association (KBA) held its annual meeting last week at which Carlos A. Yunsan of the University of Tennessee College of Law was sworn in as president. Executive Director Marsha S. Watson was recognized for her 33-year tenure at the helm of the KBA by the creation of a special lifetime membership for her and the renaming of the KBA’s conference room in her honor. New KBA Executive Director and former TBA President Tasha Blakney will step into the role full-time in mid-January. A press release from the KBA has more information, including new officers for the 2024 bar year and award winners.

Shelby County Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr. is seeking a court order of protection against fellow commissioner Mickell Lowery in what appears to be a dispute from August about the timing of a recess during commission meetings. The Daily Memphian reports that Ford filed for the protection order, citing an argument during a Aug. 14 meeting over whether the group’s break was at 5 p.m. or 5:30 p.m. Two weeks later, Ford claimed in an open-commission session that there was almost “an alleged assault” but provided no details or names. The General Sessions Court Clerk’s office is not releasing the affidavit seeking the protection order on the advice of the county attorney’s office.

Today, the Tennessee Supreme Court temporarily blocked a lower court’s decision that lawmakers must redraw the state’s Senate maps. The ruling means that the current legislative districts will likely remain in place for the 2024 elections. In November, a three-judge panel ruled that new Republican-drawn maps were incorrectly numbered and violated the state constitution. The Associated Press reports the state argued that the plaintiffs in the case had no standing to sue and that the state wanted to exhaust all of its appeals options before having to reconfigure district lines. The Supreme Court’s ruling today sides with the state. The redrawn maps will stay in place as the appeals process runs its course.

The Petitioner, Antoine Hinton, appeals from the Shelby County Criminal Court’s denial of his petition for post-conviction relief from his convictions of first degree felony murder, especially aggravated kidnapping, aggravated kidnapping, employing a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony, and reckless aggravated assault. The Petitioner is serving an effective life sentence. On appeal, the State contends that the post-conviction court erred when it denied the State’s motion to dismiss the petition. The Petitioner contends that the post-conviction court erred when it denied relief for the Petitioner’s ineffective assistance of counsel claim against: (1) pretrial counsel for advising the Petitioner to give a statement to law enforcement when counsel had a conflict of interests; (2) trial counsel for failing to raise marital privilege, and (3) trial and appellate counsel for failing to secure at trial a jury instruction pursuant to State v. White or to raise on appeal the lack of the instruction. We affirm the judgment of the post-conviction court.

Defendant, Deirdre Marie Rich, appeals from her conviction for first degree premediated murder, for which she received a sentence of life imprisonment. Defendant contends that: (1) the evidence is insufficient to support her conviction; (2) the trial court erred by failing to instruct the jury on self-defense; and (3) the trial court erred in admitting entries from the victim’s ex-wife’s journal in violation of Defendant’s right to confrontation. Following a thorough review, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.

“Big Law” firms are moving into Nashville at a steady pace. Several have merged with local firms or have started a new office from the ground up, staffing it with attorneys from established Nashville firms. As part of a series on Big Law’s movement to, and influence on, developing markets, The American Lawyer reports that with Nashville’s huge population growth, thriving health care sector and booming economic growth, national law firms have “an extra incentive to plunge into the market.” Local firms like Bass Berry & Sims and Baker Donelson continue to grow their practices and regional presence, which managing partners say gives them a competitive advantage with clients. Observers of Nashville’s legal market say that “clients don’t generally choose a law firm as much as they choose a lawyer and often remain with that lawyer, even if they move to another firm.”