Thank you to our Tennessee Bar Association Patron Members. Patron members show their support for programs that assist in the development of the profession and provide meaningful access to justice initiatives such as the TBA tuition assistance program, mentoring program, practice management center, civics education support and online pro bono development. We are grateful for these members who make a difference for others by choosing this “above and beyond” dues level.

Nashville lawyer Laura Kidwell will receive the Tennessee Bar Association’s prestigious Justice Joseph W. Henry Award for Outstanding Legal Writing on June 13 during the group's Annual Convention in Franklin. The award is given each year to the lawyer who writes the most outstanding article published in the Tennessee Bar Journal for the preceding year. Kidwell is being honored for her article It Is So Ordered: A Primer on Tennessee’s Final Judgment Rule, which appeared in the March/April 2024 issue of the Journal. Kidwell is a legal consultant for the University of Tennessee (UT) – Municipal Technical Advisory Service where she serves cities and towns in Middle Tennessee. Read more in a press release from the TBA.

The Trump administration has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to halt an order allowing migrants to challenge their deportations to South Sudan. According to the Associated Press, Massachusetts-based U.S. District Court Judge Brian Murphy ruled that immigrants must get the chance to raise any concerns that being sent to that country could put them in danger. The government had argued that such a requirement would be a major setback to its efforts to deport migrants who cannot be returned to their home countries. The judge also found that the administration sent eight immigrants to South Sudan without giving them the opportunity to present their case, but said it could hold those hearings in Djibouti as long as the men remained in U.S. government custody.

Petitioner, Richard Townsend, appeals the denial of his post-conviction petition, arguing that the post-conviction court erred in denying his claim that he received the ineffective assistance of counsel and that his plea was not knowingly and voluntarily entered. Following our review of the entire record and the briefs of the parties, we affirm the judgment of the post-conviction court.

Petitioner, Curtis Keller, appeals the Shelby County Criminal Court’s summary dismissal of his petition for writ of error coram nobis as “utterly devoid of accuracy.” Following our review of the entire record, the briefs of the parties, and the applicable law, we affirm the judgment of the coram nobis court.

The Nashville School of Law (NSL) celebrated 72 graduates during the school’s 117th commencement ceremony on May 24. Dean William C. Koch Jr., Board of Trust Chair Aubrey B. Harwell Jr. and commencement speaker Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Dwight Tarwater shared inspiring and encouraging messages. The school recognized seven students who were inducted into the prestigious Cooper’s Inn Honor Society, reserved for those in the top 10% of their graduating class while nine students were recognized for completing 50 hours of pro bono service during their law school career. Koch also presented the Founder’s Award, which is given to the student with the highest grade-point average, and the Dean’s Certificate of Excellence for recording the most pro-bono hours to Jennifer Burch. Read more about the award recipients in a release from the school. See photos from the event.

Knox County Mayor Glen Jacobs today called for "immediate state intervention" at the Richard L. Bean Juvenile Detention Center, requesting that Gov. Bill Lee shift control of the center's operations from the current board of trustees to the Department of Children's Services (DCS). Jacobs says that move will protect the center while more permanent arrangements can be made for the Knox County Sherriff's Office to take control. Knox News reports that issues surfaced this week after the center fired its sole registered nurse and an information technology specialist under what Jacobs and Juvenile Court Judge Tim Irwin called "questionable circumstances." In a letter to the center, Jacobs and Irwin demanded the two employees be reinstated. The nurse, Stephanie Clowers, told the paper she had been documenting errors in medication distribution and poor practices, including one instance when a juvenile lost consciousness after ingesting another's medication. No one at the facility took his vitals, called poison control or summoned an ambulance, she stated. An investigation by ProPublica and Nashville Public Radio in 2023 found that the center had been using seclusion as a punishment for years, rather than as a last resort as the law requires.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division will continue its CLE Exploration Series this fall. On Oct. 10 the group will hold a program at Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park outside Memphis, which will also serve as the kick-off to the "Does It Please the Court?" CLE series. The event will return to Middle Tennessee at Long Hunter State Park on April 10, 2026. Don't miss these opportunities to combine learning with nature and networking. Also, it's not too late to register for tomorrow's event at Fall Creek Falls. The weather is improving and the program will go on rain or shine.

The Tennessee Workers Comp Appeals Board will hear in-person oral arguments in Taylor v. Dale’s Recycling on June 13 in Murfreesboro. The case involves a claim of brought by the wife of Darrell Taylor, who died of cardiorespiratory arrest related to chronic hypertension and diabetes while driving a trailer of scrap metal for Dale’s Recycling. The trial court awarded benefits. Both parties rely on Mitchell v. Bunge North America, the only post-Reform Act appellate opinion about heart attacks, to support their positions. Arguments will begin at 9:15 a.m. CDT.

The 3rd Judicial District Chancery Court is reminding attorneys that when they file orders in the Electronic Court Filing System (ECF), a certificate of service must be included as part of the order listing all parties just as if it had been filed on paper (Rule 11 Local Rules of Electronic Filing). This includes orders to close estates unless the parties have waived service of final order under oath. The court also reiterates that the Notice of Electronic Filing (NEF) does not replace the need for service of process. The NEF satisfies the responsibility of a filer to send service to other parties that are registered in the ECF System. Non-registered parties must be served via conventional means through USPS or email from the attorney. The case information contains a service list which will identify those registered users and those who must be served by traditional method. The email received as a registered user lists that same information as well. Attorneys are encouraged to refer to the local rules for more information on e-filing.