Madison County lawyer Marcus Allen Lipham was censured today by the Tennessee Supreme Court. The court conditioned the censure on the payment of fees to the Board of Professional Responsibility. The court found that Lipham agreed to represent a client in pursuing claims against a homeowner’s association board but his fee agreement did not adequately specify the scope of representation. Lipham also failed to deposit the client’s unearned fee into his trust account. Later, he failed to timely investigate the merits of the claims, respond promptly to requests for information and notify the client that he was declining to file suit. Lipham entered a Conditional Guilty Plea admitting his conduct violated Tennessee Rules of Professional Conduct 1.1, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5(b) and 1.15.

Metro Nashville government has filed a motion for a temporary injunction that would pause implementation of the state’s Education Savings Account (ESA) program, the Nashville Post reports. A spokesperson for the Metro Nashville Public School System said officials are concerned that the state is “rushing to implement a voucher scheme with very few details or infrastructure in place.” The school system also says it has already set its budget for the coming year and could not afford to redirect funds to private schools. The Shelby County School System also filed to halt implementation of the program, Tennessee Lookout reports. The school choice program passed the legislature but was held up in the courts for years. Last week, the Davidson County Chancery Court lifted an injunction, allowing the program to go into effect. Gov. Bill Lee has been pushing for the program to be in place for the new school year, which starts in just a few weeks.

The National Bar Association (NBA) kicked off its 2022 Convention in Memphis yesterday — the first time in two years the group has held the gathering. "It was intentional to come to Memphis because of the history, all of the things going on downtown and the renaissance of Memphis, Judge Carlos Moore told The Commercial Appeal. Moore, NBA president and a managing partner of the Cochran Firm, said events throughout the week include keynote addresses, award ceremonies and social events. Individual tickets are available for certain events, including a Dru Hill concert tonight at 9 p.m. CDT, the Power 50 Luncheon on Wednesday and the NAACP Memphis Branch Freedom Fund Luncheon on Saturday. See all ticketed events here.

Memphis Area Legal Services Inc. (MALS) will host a ribbon cutting ceremony for its new offices on Friday at 4 p.m. CDT. The new offices are located at 200 Jefferson Ave., Memphis 38103, on the corner across from the state civil courthouse. The move is a key piece of MALS’s plan for enhanced provision of legal services to those most in need, according to a statement released about the event. The association has plans to reinstitute clinics — including the second Saturday legal clinic, Attorney of the Day courthouse clinic and Orange Mound Legal Clinic —that were paused during the pandemic. For more information about the event contact Kayron Bibbs-Newman, 901-255-3452.

The Anderson County Bar Association will host a portrait unveiling and reception honoring Judge Donald Layton on Aug. 4 from noon to 2 p.m. EDT at the Anderson County Courthouse, 100 N. Main St., Clinton 37716. The event will place in the General Sessions 1 Courtroom. The judge will be honored for his service as clerk and master from 1991 to 1998 and as General Sessions Division 1 judge from 1998 to 2022. Refreshments will be provided. Contact Channing Miller for more information.

West Tennessee Legal Services will host a legal clinic on Aug. 12 for clients needing simple wills and powers of attorney. Attorney participation in the clinic will be completely remote. Attorneys will be able to use WTLS software to autogenerate documents for the clients. To volunteer, email Andy Cole.

Alex Friedmann, a criminal justice advocate in Nashville, was found guilty last week of felony vandalism valued at $250,000, News Channel 5 reports. A jury found Friedman guilty of breaking into the Davidson County jail while it was under construction in 2019 and hiding weapons, ammunition and tools throughout the building. Sentencing will take place in September. For more than a decade before his arrest, Friedmann worked to become an advocate for criminal justice issues, taking up the cause after he was sentenced to 10 years in prison on an assault charge. Since then he has written and spoken about reform, including testifying at the U.S. Capitol and at the Tennessee State Capitol.

A reprise of the 2014 Shelby County Juvenile Court Judge election is underway, with incumbent Judge Dan Michael running for reelection against his primary opponent, Memphis City Court Judge Tarik Sugarmon. Both recently spoke to the Commercial Appeal about why they want to preside over juvenile court.

East Ridge News Online posed a series of questions to municipal court judge candidates Tracy Cox, Chris Dixon, Rich Heinsman and Kevin Wilson. Read responses about their background, why voters should support them and what they hope to accomplish if elected.

Former Sullivan County teacher Jeremy McLaughlin — suspended for three days without pay over posts he made on social media while off-duty — is set to become the first test case in Tennessee of a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that granted First Amendment speech protection to the prayers of a Washington state high school football coach. McLaughlin claims that his expletive-laced posts about COVID and masking are also protected, Tennessee Lookout reports. The case is set for trial before U.S. District Judge Clifton Corker in September.