Concerned that longtime Community Corrections providers were pushed out of the bidding process by Gov. Bill Lee’s administration, lawmakers are set to hold hearings to look into the issue, Tennessee Lookout reports. State Sen. Todd Gardenhire, a Chattanooga Republican who co-chairs the Fiscal Review Committee, confirmed he will schedule meetings later this summer to learn more about why the Tennessee Department of Correction modified the bid process for contracts on Community Corrections services, which he says were working well. State Sen. Ed Jackson, R-Jackson, echoes those concerns and says multiple matters need to be resolved in the state’s decision to shift offenders to state probation. He questioned whether offenders would be treated fairly and if the department would have enough staff to handle new cases.

In addition to honoring civil rights attorney Fred Gray, President Joe Biden will present the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Nashville civil rights icon Diane Nash at a ceremony tomorrow, WKRN reports. Nash came to Nashville in 1959 to study at Fisk University and became a leader in nonviolent protests that desegregated the city's lunch counters. She helped found the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and participated in the Freedom Rides. Nash also worked closely with Martin Luther King Jr., who described her as the “driving spirit in the nonviolent assault on segregation at lunch counters.”

An item in Tuesday's TBA Today on the death of longtime Nashville attorney Wilson “Woody” Sims gave an incorrect age for him. Mr. Sims was 97 when he died on June 26.

The TBA Estate Planning Section is back with its popular Tee-Off CLE at Nashville’s Topgolf! The Aug. 31 program will feature three hours of programming, breakfast, lunch and two hours of golf. Speakers include Newman Bankston with Egerton, McAfee, Armistead & Davis in Knoxville; Lebanon attorney James Barry Jr.; Jennifer Exum with Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel in Chattanooga; and Aaron Flinn with Waller Lansden in Nashville; and Ashley Stearns with Trail, Coleman & Stearns in Murfreesboro. Make plans now to join colleagues for this unique program. Thanks to sponsors Pendleton Square Trust Company and American Cancer Society for their support.

Columbia-based law firm Dale, Hutto & Lyle is seeking an associate attorney to handle real estate, estate planning and probate matters. The firm serves the southern Middle Tennessee region with real estate, estate planning, probate and business formation needs. The firm partners also own Maury County Title, which has provided residential and commercial closing services for almost 40 years. Up to three years of experience is preferred but candidates who are seeking licensure are welcome to apply. For consideration, submit a cover letter, resume, legal writing sample and references to bevin@muletown.law no later than Aug. 12. See the full job description on TBA’s JobLink platform.

The Tennessee Supreme Court yesterday issued an order extending the deadline for comments on a proposal to change the requirements for comity. Comments for all parties, except the Board of Law Examiners, is now Aug. 12. Under a previous order, the board has until Aug. 19 to file its comments. The proposal, submitted by The Network of Enlightened Women, would amend Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 7, Section 5.01(c) to remove the requirement that a lawyer maintain a full time law practice or full time law school teaching position. Comments should reference the docket number and be e-mailed or mailed to: James M. Hivner, Clerk, Tennessee Appellate Courts, 100 Supreme Court Building, 401 7th Ave. North, Nashville, TN 37219.

The practice of law is a high stress profession that often creeps into life outside of working hours. When workdays get busy, it can become difficult to set aside time for yourself. But taking time at the end of the workday to unwind and be creative has proven to improve your mental health, which in turn is good for professional performance. Legal Innovators offers three activities to try. First, journaling in the evening can help you process the day and get down any worries before bed, so you are less anxious and have a more restful sleep. To start, try writing three things that you were grateful for today, and three things you would like to accomplish tomorrow. Second, listening to a guided meditation podcast is a great way to start practicing mindfulness. And third, try a new hobby that lets you be creative such as drawing, knitting or working on a home improvement project.

A number of lawyers have been reinstated after being suspended for various administrative violations. Four were reinstated after completing required CLE hours: three from 2021 and one from 2013. In addition, 11 were reinstated after paying their annual professional privilege tax: eight from 2022, one from 2021, one from 2020 and one from 2018. Finally, 26 were reinstated after paying their annual BPR fee and/or notification that funds are held in IOLTA-approved accounts: 19 from 2022, three from 2021, and one from each of the years 2020, 2019, 2018 and 2009. The TBA has records of all administrative suspensions and reinstatements going back to 2005. See all lists here.

U.S. Supreme Court Marshal Gail Curley in a series of letters is calling on officials in Maryland and Virginia to "enforce" state and local laws that, she wrote, "prohibit picketing outside of the homes of Supreme Court Justices,” NPR reports. Curley's requests come after weeks of protests and picketing outside the homes of the court's conservative justices in the Maryland and Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., set off by the leaked Roe v. Wade draft decision in May. Federal and local law enforcement have been present at the homes, but governors of both states have recently said that responsibility for managing the protests falls to federal law enforcement. The two governors wrote to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland in May, urging him to enforce a federal law that forbids the demonstrations.

Nashville attorney Wilson “Woody” Sims died on June 26. He was 97. Sims joined Nashville law firm Bass, Berry & Sims in 1948 after graduating from Vanderbilt University Law School. Sims remained with the firm for more than 50 years, practicing in a variety of areas. Sims is a former president of the TBA and a House of Delegates member, as well as a former president of the Nashville Bar Association and the founding president of the Nashville Bar Foundation. He was a member of the Tennessee legislature in 1959 and 1960 and was appointed by the governor in the 1960s to chair the Tennessee Commission on Human Relations, which dealt with troubled areas of race relations in the state. Services for Sims will be held at West End United Methodist Church on July 6 at 11 a.m. CDT. Visitation will be held from 9:30-11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, remembrances can be made to The Webb School, P.O. Box 488, Bell Buckle, TN 37020; Vanderbilt Law School, 131 21st Ave South, Nashville, TN 37203; or West End United Methodist Church, 2200 West End Ave, Nashville, TN 37203.