The Tennessee Supreme Court reinstated five lawyers yesterday who had been suspended for failing to complete annual continuing legal education requirements. Three had been suspended in 2023, one in 2019 and one in 2014.

The Tennessee Supreme Court recently rejected a motion from the Board of Professional Responsibility for additional information in its disciplinary investigation of Sumner County lawyer Andy Lamar Allman. The court directed the BPR to conduct an investigation for the sole purpose of determining the final discipline to be imposed after Allman was convicted of one count of felony theft of property valued at $60,000 or more. The BPR had requested permission to seek “facts potentially material” to the case.

The Tennessee Supreme Court recently considered two petitions for reinstatement to the practice of law. On Oct. 2, the court ruled on a petition from Carter County attorney Amy D. Williams, finding that she had outstanding obligations with the Board of Professional Responsibility and the CLE Commission. The court gave Williams until Nov. 17 to resolve those issues or said it would dismiss the petition. On Oct. 9, the court dismissed a petition from Campbell County lawyer Jody Rodenborn Troutman, who had been suspended on Feb. 3, 2022, for one year of active suspension and three years of probation. Troutman filed the reinstatement prematurely on Nov. 8, 2022.

A portrait unveiling for former Court of Appeals Judge Richard Dinkins will take place this Friday at 2 p.m. CDT at the Nashville Historic Courthouse, One Public Square N., Nashville 37201. The event will take place in Room 411. Dinkins died Oct. 1 at the age of 71. Before being named to the appellate court, Dinkins served as a Davidson County chancellor. View the invitation to the event.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti recently announced that 19 other states joined Tennessee in submitting a comment to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) opposing a rule related to the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA). The PWFA was passed by a bipartisan coalition of Congress to protect the rights of pregnant workers and their babies, requiring workplace accommodations for “pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions." The comment opposes the rule due to the inclusion of "abortion-accommodations" language.

The TBA Attorney Well Being Committee on Oct. 25 will provide a free webinar on combating burnout. Panelists will discuss practical, preemptive and restorative strategies that legal professionals can add to their regular routine. Topics include creating boundaries, professional exhaustion and other mental health considerations. Learn more and register for the free event using this link.

The 35th Annual Health Law Forum will feature a deep dive into this year's False Claims Act (FCA) developments. A panel of experts, including Brian Roark of Bass Berry & Sims, JD Thomas of Barnes & Thornburg, and Kathryn Sasser of HCA Healthcare, will discuss major FCA decisions and the implications for lawyers. Panelists will address U.S. Supreme Court decisions in U.S. ex rel. Schutte v. SuperValu Inc. and U.S. ex rel. Polansky v. Executive Health Resources, Inc., which clarify the scienter standard the government’s right to dismiss and declined qui tam cases, respectively. The Sixth Circuit’s decision in U.S. ex rel. Martin v. Hathaway, describing the proof required to prove causation in an Anti-Kickback Statute case, will also be covered. Register for the forum here.

Lawyers gathered in downtown Chattanooga last week for the TBA Young Lawyers Division’s Civil Rights Walking Tour CLE. Sites toured by the group included the historic third floor courtroom in the Joel W. Solomon Federal Courthouse, the Abby Crawford Milton Suffrage statue, the Ed Johnson Memorial and the site of civil rights protests at the former Woolworth Store on Market Street. The event concluded with a discussion of the future of civil rights law. Speakers included Judge Curtis Collier, former TBA President Sam Elliott, Immediate Past YLD President Brittany Faith, and Chattanooga lawyers Michael Jones, Donna Mikel and YLD Board member Claire Tuley. Last spring, the YLD held its first Civil Rights Walking Tour in Nashville. See photos from last week's event.

The panel considering if Tennessee should walk away from federal education funding for K-12 schools has set its meeting schedule for November. The Federal Education Funding Working Group will meet Nov. 6, 7, 8, 14 and 15. Panel co-chair Sen. Jon Lundberg, R-Bristol, tells Chalkbeat that, "There is no predetermined outcome for this working group, or for what the information we gather is going to show. We want to look at what federal education money we get, where it goes, what we're required to do to get those funds, and ultimately what's the return on the investment."

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti issued a statement yesterday condemning the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel. He joined with attorneys general from 25 other states in expressing outrage over the attack and support for Israel as it defends itself. Earlier in the week, Skrmetti announced that 19 other states joined Tennessee in submitting a comment to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) opposing a rule related to the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA). The PWFA was passed by a bipartisan coalition of Congress to protect the rights of pregnant workers and their babies, requiring workplace accommodations for “pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions." The comment opposes the rule due to the inclusion of "abortion-accommodations" language.