John Williams reviews Unexampled Courage: The Blinding of Sgt. Isaac Woodard and the Awakening of America by federal Judge Richard M. Gergel.

In this installment of The Buddy System, Buddy Stockwell examines how, in the legal profession, periods of anxiety are inescapable in an adversarial system that routinely pits practitioners against one another and sometimes clients against their own lawyer. 

In this issue's Legal Life section, TBA shares news of communications awards, YLD Board appointments and elections, a new episode of the BarBuzz podcast, the first ever conference on artificial intelligence and the law, 2024-2025 committee chairs, and more!

Small businesses play an essential role in the U.S. economy. Colton Adams, Leah Bennion and Eric Lyons explain that as businesses adapt to the requirements of the Corporate Transparency Act, it is critical to understand its implications and take proactive steps to ensure compliance, particularly for businesses with complex organizational structures that need to decipher the intricacies of beneficial ownership.

In Crime & Punishment, Wade Davies looks at the massive amount of disinformation online these days and argues that is something we must consider if we want to make sure we do the best job for our clients at trial and more broadly try to protect the jury trial.

Are you interested in serving on TBA's Board of Governors, House of Delegates or as TBA's delegates to the American Bar Association (ABA) House of Delegates? The 2025 Election Notice has more information on what positions are open and the qualifications for each. Questions? Visit the TBA’s website at www.tba.org/election_guidelines.

TBA President Ed Lanquist Jr. had the opportunity to speak to attendees of Equal Justice University (EJU) in August. He underscored TBA's commitment to continue to advocate for increased legal aid funding, encourage commitment to pro bono programs, deliver quality education and outreach, engage law students, explore new ways to utilize technology and provide support for self-represented litigants, as well as the importance of continuing to work with policymakers to explore, implement and evaluate new approaches and additional resources for those who cannot afford legal representation.

On Oct. 30, Maury County lawyer James Michael Marshall was suspended from the practice of law for five years, with four years to be served on active suspension and one year on probation. During the probationary period he is required to retain a practice monitor. The Tennessee Supreme Court found that Marshall failed to reasonably communicate with his client, act in a diligent manner, expedite litigation, pursue in a timely fashion the objectives of his client, communicate with his client that he accepted new employment, place client funds into trust, properly withdraw from representation, and failed to take reasonable steps to protect the client’s interest after terminating representation. His conduct was determined to violate Tennessee Rules of Professional Conduct 1.2(a), 1.3, 1.4, 1.15, 1.16(c), 3.2, 3.4(c) and 8.4(a). The court also issued an order temporarily suspending Marshall for failing to respond to the Board of Professional Responsibility about a complaint of misconduct. This suspension will remain in effect until dissolution or modification by the court.

KAREN NELSON MOORE, Circuit Judge. Safiya Tayo Tukur Seldon (“Seldon”), a native of Nigeria, entered the United States in 1992 using her sister’s passport and a tourist visa. In 1997, she married a U.S. citizen and obtained conditional permanent resident status. But two years later, when she petitioned for removal of conditions, the Immigration and Naturalization Service concluded that her marriage was a sham. And when she was confronted with tough questions by officials, she ended the interview, resulting in termination of her conditional status and an order of removal from the United States. Fast forward two decades, Safiya Seldon appeared for a removal hearing before an immigration judge (“IJ”), who ordered her removed from the United States. She contested that decision to the Board of Immigration Appeals (“BIA”) on the grounds that the IJ failed to inform her of her rights to apply for a waiver of removal and to seek asylum. The BIA dismissed her appeal, and we now DENY her petition for review.

Defendant, Kevin Davidson, appeals the trial court’s order revoking his probationary sentence for ten drug-related convictions in two separate cases. Following our review of the entire record and the briefs of the parties, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.