A number of judges were sworn into office this week in Hamilton County in robing and investiture ceremonies sponsored by the Chattanooga Bar Association. They included investiture of Stevie Phillips Persinger as judge of the Lookout Mountain Municipal Court, Tracy Cox as judge of the East Ridge Municipal Court, Boyd M. Patterson as Criminal Court Judge, Division 3, Larry Ables as judge in the General Sessions Court and Michael J. Dumitru as judge in the Circuit Court, Division 2. See photos of the events from the CBA.

For the first time, the American Bar Association and the National Bar Association are simultaneously led by Black women — Deborah Enix-Ross and Lonita Baker, respectively. In an interview with Bloomberg Law, the leaders discuss the legal profession’s diversity, their individual career paths, and how lawyers can press for social justice in a deeply divided society. “Lawyers are trained to be leaders. We are uniquely positioned to work toward solutions,” Enix-Ross tells Bloomberg. “We must lead the way in promoting civics, civility and collaboration — the cornerstones of our democracy — to restore confidence in our institutions.”

The Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility is seeking a motivated attorney for the position of disciplinary counsel in its Investigations Section. Located in the board’s Brentwood office outside of Nashville, the position is responsible for investigating attorney disciplinary matters and preparing and presenting ethics continuing legal education. Strong communication and writing skills are required. Working knowledge of the Tennessee Rules of Professional Conduct is preferred. Get the full job description and instructions for applying on the TBA’s JobLink platform.

Jonathan Skrmetti was sworn in as Tennessee’s 28th Attorney General at a private ceremony this morning. Skrmetti was appointed attorney general by the Tennessee Supreme Court last month. He will serve an eight-year term. Prior to his appointment, Attorney General Skrmetti served as Chief Counsel to Gov. Bill Lee and as Chief Deputy Attorney General. Prior to his time with the state, Skrmetti was a partner at Butler Snow LLP in Memphis and served as a federal prosecutor for almost a decade, first at the Civil Rights Division and then as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Memphis. He also taught cyberlaw as an adjunct professor at the University of Memphis. Skrmetti earned his law degree from Harvard Law School and afterward clerked for Judge Steven Colloton on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit.

Judges in the Sixth Judicial District were sworn into office during ceremonies Wednesday sponsored by the Knoxville Bar Association. KBA President Jason Long introduced the judges and Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Sharon Lee administered the oaths of office. Those sworn in included Chancery Court Judges John F. Weaver, Richard B. Armstrong Jr., Christopher D. Heagerty and Clerk & Master J. Scott Griswold; Circuit Court Judges E. Jerome Melson, William T. Ailor, Deborah C. Stevens and Gregory S. McMillan; Criminal Court Judges Steven W. Sword and G. Scott Green; Juvenile Court Judge Timothy E. Irwin; General Sessions Judges Charles A. Cerny Jr. Judson Kyle Davis and Patricia Hall Long; District Attorney General Charme P. Allen; District Public Defender Eric M Lutton; and Court Clerks Charles D. Susano III and Mike Hammond. See more photos or access the full photo collection provided by Brooke Govert of Shooting the Bar.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division will present “You’re a Lawyer, Right?” Estate Planning and Probate 101 to Avoid Committing Malpractice on Sept. 15 from 4 to 5 p.m. EDT at The Liberty Room, 605 Chestnut St., 3rd Floor, Chattanooga. This CLE will cover the fundamentals of estate planning, including wills, powers of attorney and advance directives, as well as common questions that lawyers — and their family members and friends — may have to be better prepared to address basic estate planning questions and avoid committing malpractice. The program will be followed by a networking reception co-sponsored by the Chattanooga Bar Association Young Lawyers Division from 5 to 6 p.m. EDT.

The Tennessee Supreme Court today suspended Thomas Allen Tansil Jr. from the practice of law for five years, with one year served as an active suspension and the remainder to be served on probation after the competition of evaluation by the Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program and compliance with a recommended monitoring agreement. Tansil was convicted of theft of property, tampering with government records and computer offenses in Carroll County. He is credited with the period of suspension served since the entry of the Order of Enforcement on Sept. 15, 2021, with the exclusion of the 60 days he was incarcerated.

Memphis attorney Aftan Strong has been named chief magistrate of the Memphis-Shelby County Juvenile Court, the Daily Memphian reports. Strong, a Memphis native with a master’s in counseling and forensic psychology, was appointed to the position by Juvenile Court Judge Tarik Sugarmon. Strong’s career has included counseling children at a juvenile detention center in Boston, working as a mental health counselor in an after-school program and working as a public defender in Nashville. She also worked in restorative justice practices in the Davidson County District Attorney’s office. Prior to joining Juvenile Court, Strong was managing partner of The Family Law Firm PLLC. Her appointment is the first step in Sugarmon’s determination of how many magistrates there should be and who he will appoint to those positions.

James Reynolds Cunningham of Mosheim died on June 30. He was 76. Cunningham earned his law degree from Florida State University College of Law in 1969 and was admitted to practice in Florida, New York and Tennessee. He practiced for 34 years in Orlando, focusing on general civil trial practice in state and federal courts. Cunningham was a member of the Republican Presidential Task Force Advisory Committee to President Ronald Reagan and the Republican Leadership Council under George W. Bush. Memorials may be sent to Amedisys Hospice Care, 127 Serral Drive, Greeneville, TN 37745 or the First Presbyterian Church of Greeneville, 110 N. Main St., Greeneville, TN 37743.

Frank Lee Watson Jr., an attorney who played a key role in bringing FedEx to Memphis, died on Aug. 25. He was 81. Watson practiced at some of Memphis’ most historic firms and represented many significant clients. While practicing in Little Rock, Watson was part of the legal team that helped the Rolling Stones enter the United States after their work visas were threatened due to some of the band members’ drug issues. After moving to Memphis, Watson joined Waring Cox as partner and helped secured landing rights for FedEx at the Memphis International Airport and helped take the company public. He later worked at Baker Donelson and retired in 2019. Funeral services will take place tomorrow at 10 a.m. CDT at St. Michael’s Catholic Church, 3863 Summer Ave. in Memphis. Read more from the Commercial Appeal.