The TBA is hitting the road and coming to Covington! This three-hour program on Sept. 21 is designed to provide attorneys with the latest developments in multiple areas of the law. Kickoff the afternoon with a lunch and learn networking session with TBA leadership. Register here.

Do you want to help domestic violence and crime victims while working in a collaborative environment? Looking for a job that is more than just a job and truly makes a difference in people’s lives? Wanting to use your law license but seeking work/life balance? West Tennessee Legal Services has an immediate opening for an attorney in its Victim Rights Project. The attorney will provide civil legal assistance to domestic violence and crime victims. Litigation experience and prior work with victims or low-income communities is preferred but not required. Read more and apply on the JobLink portal.

The TBA Animal Law Section will host a free webinar on the relationship between animal cruelty and family violence on Aug. 23 from noon to 1 p.m. CDT. Presented by Erin Aiello, a law enforcement trainer with the Humane Society of the United States, and University of Tennessee College of Law Professor Joan Heminway, the event will provide insights into intimate partner violence cases and offer strategies to help keep people and their pets safe. The free event is open to everyone but registration is required. Connection information will be sent the week of the program. One hour of CLE credit is available for TBA members for a fee of $50. Contact jword@tnbar.org about that option.

Former U.S. Sen. Bob Corker will lead a statewide, bipartisan coalition of elected leaders urging Tennesseans to approve a ballot measure that would delete a reference to slavery from the Tennessee Constitution. The “Vote Yes on 3” campaign is aimed at removing language that allows slavery and involuntary servitude as punishment for a criminal conviction. The exact provision reads: “That slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime, whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, are forever prohibited by this State.” The amendment will be on the Nov. 8 ballot, Tennessee Lookout reports.

A retirement gathering for Sixth Judicial District Clerk and Master Howard G. Hogan will take place Sept. 1. The event will be held from 8-10 a.m. EDT in the Probate Courtroom of the City-County Building, 400 W. Main St., Knoxville 37902. Light refreshments will be served. Hogan has served in the role since 1998.

Vanderbilt University Law School has added two new faculty members for the upcoming academic year. Sean Seymore joins the school as Centennial Professor of Law. Seymore is an expert in patent law whose research focuses on how patent law and policy should evolve in response to advances in science and technology. He previously taught at the school from 2010 to 2021. In addition, Francesca L. Procaccini joins the faculty as assistant professor of law. She will teach constitutional law and federal courts. Procaccini most recently was with Harvard Law School, where she focused on political rights and the courts. She previously oversaw the Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic at Yale Law School, worked in the U.S. Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and was a legal fellow in the White House Counsel’s Office.

Hamilton County’s next sheriff, Austin Garrett, has named Brian Bush to be the department’s general counsel. He will replace Coty Wamp, who was elected Hamilton County district attorney last week, the Times Free Press reports. Bush ran for Chattanooga city court judge but lost to incumbent Sherry Paty. Bush is a Chattanooga native who earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law. He currently handles civil litigation cases at Spears, Moore, Rebman & Williams. He previously served as an assistant district attorney in the Hamilton County District Attorney's Office.

A University of Tennessee professor falsely accused of being a spy is criticizing the nomination of Casey Arrowood for U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee. In an interview with Tennessee Lookout this week, Dr. Anming Hu said the president should rescind the nomination and, if not, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee should reject Arrowood, who headed up the prosecution of Hu under the Trump administration’s “China Initiative.” That effort focused on rooting out spies from American universities. The Biden Justice Department has since halted the program and Hu has been reinstated to this former job.

The Memphis Bar Foundation is accepting grant applications for projects and programs that further its mission. Applications for up to $2,500 per project should be submitted by 5 p.m. CDT on Aug. 31. To be eligible for a grant, an organization must be a 501(c)(3) and must provide a copy of its IRS determination letter. The foundation is a nonprofit organization that promotes philanthropy among members of the Memphis Bar Association (MBA), promotes social justice and legal education, and advocates for and supports public awareness of the legal system. For more information contact the MBA Executive Director Mary Ann Upchurch.

Wilson County lawyer Jennifer M. Porth was temporarily suspended today after the Tennessee Supreme Court found that she misappropriated client funds, failed to respond to the Board of Professional Responsibility regarding a complaint of misconduct, and posed a threat of substantial harm to the public. Porth is immediately precluded from accepting any new cases and must stop representing existing clients by Sept. 10.