Candidates who passed the February 2022 Tennessee Bar Exam are being admitted to the practice of law at ceremonies across the state this week. Today, in-person ceremonies were held in Knoxville and Nashville, and will continue tomorrow in Memphis. Virtual ceremonies will be held Thursday and Friday. TBA President Sherie Edwards, YLD President Billy Leslie and Executive Director Joycelyn Stevenson were on hand at the Nashville ceremony. Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Jeffrey Bivins administered the oath of office. In Knoxville, YLD Board Member Zack Walden with Eldridge & Blakney introduced new admittees on behalf of the TBA, while Justice Sharon Lee administered the oath of office. In addressing the new lawyers, Lee encouraged them to “Remember to keep your personal and professional life in balance. Use your license for good and your time to help others.” See photos from today's events.

Hackers are targeting lawyers with malicious “phishing” emails according to several bar associations. According to a warning sent by the Georgia Bar Association today, these emails have several “red flags”: the sender is not an employee of the association, the email of the sender includes a reference to the “americanbar.org” and the phone number in the email is not operational. Members of the Indiana State Bar and Mississippi State Bar also have reported receiving the same message. Please be careful before opening emails that contain the subject line “Request for Info” and look suspicious.

Gov. Bill Lee announced today that Stuart McWhorter, the longtime entrepreneur and venture capital investor who once ran the Nashville Entrepreneur Center, will replace Bob Rolfe as Tennessee's economic development commissioner. Currently, McWhorter is chairman of Nashville-based FirstBank. The move marks McWhorter's return to the Lee administration. He previously served as Lee's first commissioner of the Department of Finance and Administration, before leaving that role in 2020. Bob Rolfe is leaving the administration on July 10. The Nashville Business Journal looks at the role Rolfe played in securing two of Nashville's largest jobs announcements: Oracle and Amazon.

A California resident has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly telling officials he wanted to kill U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, The Hill reports. The suspect, identified as 26-year-old California resident Nicholas John Roske, called 911 from near the justice’s home, allegedly saying he was having suicidal thoughts and intended to kill Kavanaugh. He also allegedly told a detective that he was upset about the leak of a recent draft court opinion on abortion and the recent school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. Roske appeared in a Maryland federal court today. He could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

Nashville lawyer Luther Ernest “Pete” Cantrell Jr. died Monday at the age of 88. Following high school graduation, Cantrell was drafted by the U.S. Army and was stationed in London, where he played in the Army band. Following discharge, he attended the University of Tennessee and the YMCA Night Law School (now known as the Nashville School of Law). After passing the bar, Cantrell joined Thomas O.H. Smith in his law practice. They later formed the firm of Smith, Davies, Cantrell, which eventually evolved to Davies, Cantrell, Humphries & McCoy. He also worked at the Nashville School of Law for many years. The school recognized that service by naming the bookstore after him. Cantrell also received the school’s alumni award in 1996. Visitation will take place Friday from 2-7 p.m. and Saturday from 10-11:30 a.m. A funeral service will be held Saturday at 11:30 a.m. followed by a committal service at 12:30 p.m. CDT. All events will take place at Woodlawn-Roesch-Patton Funeral Home & Memorial Park, 660 Thompson Ln., Nashville, TN 37204.

The Nashville YWCA will hold the next installment in its “Stand Against Racism” series on June 21 from noon to 1 p.m. CDT. The virtual program will focus on "Constitutional Liberties & Justice in Our Day." Speakers include James Blumstein, professor of law at Vanderbilt University Law School; Charles Grant with Baker Donelson; and Abby Rubenfeld with the Rubenfeld Law Firm. Download a flyer or register here for the free event.

The Middle Tennessee law firm of Hammond Zettersten & Associates is seeking an associate attorney to practice mainly in family law. Candidates should be licensed in Tennessee or be registered to take the Bar Exam in July. They also should be proficient with general computer use and Microsoft Office and have experience with legal writing. The firm has offices in Brentwood and Murfreesboro and practices in many counties in the surrounding areas. See the full job post on TBA’s JobLink. To apply, email a cover letter and resume to Christina Zettersten. Call 615-896-5720 with questions.

Ever get to the end of a week and ask “Where did all the time go?” Turns out you are not alone. A recent survey of more than 2,000 professionals by Reclaim.ai found that only 12% dedicate more than six hours a day to task work, and only about half of that time is spent on “productive” work. Henry Shapiro with the company provides five tips to keep workdays more focused and productive. Among his recommendations: reduce interruptions by using technology to your advantage, utilize capacity planning to be honest about available time, set “core collaboration hours“ when coworkers are expected to be online and when meetings can be scheduled, embrace the benefits of automation, and build balance into your schedule. Read more about these tips in Shapiro’s recent article for Fast Company.

Next up from the Communications Team, meet Technical Systems Administrator Dave Bevis! If it requires a phone or a computer at the TBA, Dave’s your guy! When he’s not maintaining, developing and supporting the computer and comms systems at the TBA, Dave’s special hobby is woodworking, or as some of his co-workers might say, “buying woodworking equipment.”

The #TeamTBA series offers members a behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of the TBA and how each staff members makes the association run. Check back every Wednesday for a new staff profile in TBA Today and on the TBA's Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.

The Tennessee Republican Party is appealing last week’s decision to reinstate 5th Congressional District hopeful Robby Starbuck to the primary ballot, the Murfreesboro Post reports. Davidson County Chancellor Russell Perkins ruled last week that the party’s private meeting to remove Starbuck from the ballot violated the state’s open meetings act. He ordered Starbuck’s name be returned to the ballot. The Court of Appeals must first decide if they will hear the appeal and then potentially hear the case this week. The deadline to finalize ballots for the Aug. 4 primary is Friday.