Knox County lawyer Troy Lee Bowlin was reinstated to the practice of law yesterday. The Tennessee Supreme Court conditioned the reinstatement on continued compliance with an order of enforcement entered April 20. Bowlin was suspended that day for three years with 30 days to be served on active suspension and the rest on probation. On May 10, he filed a petition to terminate the period of active suspension. The Board of Professional Responsibility found the petition to be satisfactory and submitted a reinstatement order to the court.

The Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services (TALS) is accepting nominations for its three annual Access to Justice Awards: Janice M. Holder Award, B. Riney Green Award and New Advocate of the Year Award. Nominations and any supporting documents must be submitted by June 30. The awards will be presented at the 2023 Equal Justice University Conference. Learn more about the awards process.

Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Melissa Boyd will be off the bench for a few months dealing with an undisclosed illness, the Commercial Appeal reports. Her predecessor, Senior Judge Mark Ward, will fill in during the absence. Prior to losing reelection to Boyd in 2022, Ward spent 18 years on the court. He is slated to take over on June 7. "I am thrilled to have the opportunity to serve the people of Tennessee in this new role," Ward said about the appointment.

An exciting addition to the TBA's Annual Convention is an event featuring several Tennessee lawyers and friends who have recently published new books. Convention attendees will have the opportunity to meet and talk with the authors, and purchase those books and have them signed. The book signing will take place on June 15 in the Atrium of the Knoxville Marriott from 10:30 a.m.-noon EDT and 1:30-2:30 p.m. EDT. Authors in attendance will include Wendy Bach, 'Prosecuting Poverty, Criminalizing Care;' Ben Barton, 'The Credentialed Court;' Amanda Swanson and Bill Haltom, 'Full Court Press;' Angelia Nystrom, 'Legal Ease and Life Hacks,' Nick McCall, 'Pogiebait's War,' Suzanne Craig Robertson, 'He Called Me Sister;' Georgiana Vines, 'East Tennessee Newsmakers;' and Ashley Wiltshire, 'Everyday Justice.' Our thanks to Union Ave. Books in Knoxville for their assistance with this event.

Vanderbilt University School of Law graduate Beth Cruz, class of 2010, has been named assistant dean and the Martha Craig Daughtrey director for public interest. Cruz will be responsible for creating public interest law opportunities and facilitating public interest law careers for students. She also will oversee pro-bono programs and contribute to the school’s externship and summer public interest stipend programs. Cruz returns to the school from the Nashville Public Defender’s Office, where she led the Education Rights Project. The public interest position honors Daughtrey and recognizes her commitment to public service, contributions to the school as a professor, and service as a judge in both federal and state courts. Spring Miller, who served as the inaugural assistant dean for public interest, has left to join the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition. Read more from the school.

The 21st Judicial District Recovery Court in Williamson County has received a $5,000 “Helper Grant” from the Nashville Predators Foundation. The grant is named for Predators Senior Vice President Gerry Helper. His wife, Williamson County District Attorney Kim Helper, died in March. She had been an original member of the recovery court board and was a strong supporter. The funds will be used for “reentry baskets,” which are given to those entering the recovery court program, 99% of whom come directly from jail. Read more from the Administrative Office of the Courts.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has three cases set for its June 1 docket. The first two cases will be heard in Nashville beginning at 1 p.m. CDT tomorrow. The final case will be submitted on briefs. The cases are: Peggy Mathes et al. v. 99 Hermitage, LLC, Thomas Edward Clardy v. State of Tennessee, and Loring E. Justice v. Board of Professional Responsibility. Arguments will be livestreamed to the TNCourts YouTube page. Read more about the cases from the Administrative Office of the Courts.

Graduation ceremonies at law schools across the state are wrapping up this month with special keynote addresses and award recognitions. At the University of Tennessee College of Law’s ceremony, Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Sharon G. Lee encouraged graduates to lead with integrity and use their law degrees for good. At the Duncan School of Law, 91 graduates heard from federal Judge Curtis L. Collier, who urged them to consider the law as a form of public service. A number of students also received awards. At Vanderbilt University Law School, 23 graduates were recognized with academic and citizenship awards while 31 were recognized for pro bono work. And at the Nashville School of Law, students heard from Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Sarah Campbell, who praised the sacrifices many of them made to attend law school while continuing to work.

The plaintiff filed this personal injury action following an automobile accident in which the other driver died. The plaintiff originally named the defendant as “John Doe, as Administrator of the Estate of [the deceased driver].” The trial court dismissed the action on the basis that the plaintiff failed to timely commence the action against the personal representative of the estate within the applicable statute of limitations. We affirm and remand.

CLAY, Circuit Judge. For the second time, Defendant Calvin E. McReynolds Jr., appeals his sentence for his 2017 conviction for conspiring to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 846. In his first appeal, McReynolds argued that the district court erred in attributing to him a quantity of drugs substantially higher than the quantity of drugs that the jury attributed to him. This Court vacated McReynolds’ sentence and remanded the case for resentencing. On remand, the district court attributed the same quantity of drugs to McReynolds as it had at the first sentencing. McReynolds now appeals the district court’s resentencing. For the reasons that follow, we VACATE McReynolds’ sentence and REMAND for resentencing in accordance with this opinion.