The TBA Young Lawyers Division’s special Juneteenth podcast series continues today with the release of its third episode featuring Shelby County Chancellor Will Perry. Incoming YLD President Elect Quinton Thompson talks with Perry about challenges Black attorneys face in the legal profession, his advice for young attorneys getting involved in the community and advice for lawyers who are considering making a move from their firm or in their career. The final episode in the Juneteenth series will premiere Saturday. It will feature a conversation between outgoing TBA YLD President Billy Leslie, YLD Diversity Committee Co-Chair Ariel Anthony, YLD Diversity Leadership Institute (DLI) Chair Dominique Winfrey and former DLI class member Anthony Adewumi on the DLI program and its many benefits. The Juneteenth series can be found on the TBA YLD’s podcast page or anywhere you listen to podcasts.

The first day of the 2022 Convention got underway today in downtown Nashville. The Tennessee Bar Association House of Delegates met for its quarterly meeting, while law students participated in programming designed specifically for them. Members of the Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program board also met and all convention attendees gathered for a Welcome Reception where TBA President Sherie Edwards offered opening remarks. See pictures from the event. Tomorrow, the day begins with law school alumni breakfasts, followed by the Bench Bar Program and Luncheon, Legislative Update CLE and joint social event at the Assembly Food Hall. Online registration has closed but walk-up registration is still available pending space. The TBA registration desk will be open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. tomorrow. It is located on the Mezzanine level of the Downtown Nashville Hilton.

The Tennessee Supreme Court yesterday extended the deadline for comments on a proposal to change comity requirements to Aug. 19 for one filer: the Board of Law Examiners. For all other comments, the deadline remains July 25. The court said it approved the extension at the request of the board. The proposed rule change was submitted by The Network of Enlightened Women. It would amend Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 7, Section 5.01(c) to remove the requirement that lawyers maintain a full-time law practice or full-time law school teaching position. Comments should be submitted to James M. Hivner, Clerk, Tennessee Appellate Courts, 100 Supreme Court Building, 401 7th Ave. North, Nashville, TN 37219-1407. Read the original petition.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a Supreme Court security bill yesterday, sending it to President Joe Biden for his signature, Bloomberg Law reports. The vote on the bill was 396 to 27. The Senate passed the Supreme Court Police Parity Act in May. The measure would authorize police protection for families of Supreme Court justices and for staff of the court if the court’s marshal decides it is necessary. Today, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Justice Department supports the legislation and the White House said the president would sign the bill into law, according to Reuters.

U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw yesterday declined to order an upcoming meeting of the Tennessee Judicial Conference to be opened to the public, the Associated Press reports. The decision came during an emergency hearing after the editor of a national news website filed suit Monday seeking access to this week’s Judicial Conference meeting. Tennessee Deputy Attorney General Janet Kleinfelter argued that such meetings are typically confined to educational sessions, with many of the conference’s policy decisions left to the court administrator. Crenshaw did, however, allow The Center Square's Executive Editor Dan McCaleb to proceed with this suit. McCaleb argues the meetings should be public if the group is discussing public policy.

Above the Law (ATL) has released its annual law school rankings for 2022. Two Tennessee schools made the list. Vanderbilt University Law School landed in fifth place, up 10 places since last year. The University of Tennessee College of Law came in at 48th place, down nine places from last year. ATL says it prioritizes outcomes above all other factors. These include employment success, law school cost and debt. Read more from ATL about its methodology or see the full list.

Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis has named Ron Snitker as the firm’s first chief diversity officer. In that new role he will be responsible for overseeing and executing the firm’s diversity, equity and inclusion strategy in concert with its Diversity Committee. Snitker previously led Waller’s financial services industry team and prior to that spent 15 years at UBS, where he co-chaired Pride Americas, a internal employee network developed to help sustain an LGBT-friendly environment. He is also a former president of the Nashville LGBT Chamber of Commerce. Read more from the firm.

Across our society today, norms of noisiness run deep. Demands like constant connectivity and maintaining a competitive advantage still prevail in most office cultures. But there are simple strategies for embracing cultures that honor the importance of silence. Justin Zorn and Leigh Marz write in their upcoming book, "The Power of Silence in a World of Noise," that the first step is to deliberately talk about it. Conversations must address expectations and group norms. Employees also must be willing to identify the noisy habits that bother them most and commit to helping others find the quiet time they need. The pair write more about becoming champions for quiet in this Harvard Business Review article.

The Tennessee Supreme Court suspended Shelby County lawyer Glenda Ann Adams from the practice of law yesterday after she pleaded guilty and was convicted in federal court of conspiracy to violate the travel act, and in state court of bribery of a public servant and official misconduct. The suspension will remain in effect until further order by the court. The court also referred the matter to the Board of Professional Responsibility to determine the extent of final discipline.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division’s Diversity Committee today premiered a special four-part podcast series honoring the first anniversary of Juneteenth as a federal holiday. Today’s episode features Nashville attorney Charles Grant. Interviewed by YLD Diversity Committee Co-chair Cherrelle Hooper and YLD member Darius Walker, Grant discusses his illustrious career as a trial lawyer, the mentors who helped him and the challenges and successes he faced along the way. One episode of the series will premiere each day of the TBA Convention. Listen to each episode on the TBA YLD Presents: War Stories podcast page or anywhere you listen to podcasts.