The Tennessee Supreme Court yesterday suspended 32 attorneys who did not pay the annual professional privilege tax as required. The attorneys include those living in Tennessee as well as 12 other states. Download the order. See the list with any reinstatements noted here.

Knoxville Legal Ministry and Administer Justice will hold a legal clinic on March 12 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. EST. The groups will offer the clinic on the second Saturday of each month. Volunteer attorneys are needed to staff the clinic. If you are interested contact Crystal Schrof. The state’s first Administer Justice Gospel Justice Center — a national non-profit that works with local churches to provide legal services for those in need — was established in West Knoxville at Cokesbury United Methodist Church this past fall.

K&L Gates has named Lauren Patten as the new managing partner for its Nashville office. Patten, a Nashville native, joined the firm when it opened the office in early 2021. A member of the firm’s Complex Commercial Litigation and Disputes group, Lauren is a trial lawyer who handles complex commercial disputes, arbitrations and internal investigations, representing clients in both jury and bench trials in state and federal courts. Having recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of its establishment, the Nashville office now includes more than 40 lawyers across a variety of practice groups. She earned her law degree from Vanderbilt University Law School in 2008.

The Senate Judiciary Committee said this week that confirmation hearings for U.S. Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson will begin March 21, keeping the Senate on track for a possible final vote next month, the Associated Press reports. As is tradition, the hearings will last four days, with opening statements on March 21, testimony and questioning on the second and third days, and testimony from outside witnesses on the fourth day. If confirmed, Jackson would be the first Black woman to serve as a justice in the court’s 200-plus year history. WBIR has the AP story.

Sen. Brian Kelsey, R-Germantown, has decided to not seek reelection, the Nashville Post reports. In October, a Nashville federal grand jury indicted Kelsey on campaign finance charges related to his unsuccessful 2016 run for Congress. His trial has been pushed back to 2023. In social media posts, Kelsey said he is looking forward to spending more time with his family. He added that he will continue “fighting for American values in the court system" and hopes to run for elected office again “in the coming years.” Kelsey was first elected to the state House in 2004 and the Senate in 2009. He has chaired both the Senate Judiciary Committee and Education Committee. Those already filing for the seat include Democrat Ruby Powell-Dennis and Republicans Brent Taylor and Brandon Toney.

TBA Director of Public Policy & Government Affairs Berkley Schwarz and Adams and Reese attorneys and TBA lobbyists, Brad Lampley and Ashley Harbin, tackle this week’s news from the General Assembly on the latest episode of the TBA’s Legislative Updates. New this week: a meeting with House Speaker Cameron Sexton regarding elimination of the Professional Privilege Tax and the committee passage of two of TBA’s legislative initiatives, HB2357/SB2385 and HB2070/SB2056. To see a list of all of TBA’s bills, visit our online bill tracker. Legislative Updates airs every Thursday on the TBA’s Facebook page. It is also released as a podcast on the same day and can be found on the TBA’s website or wherever you listen to podcasts.

The Tennessee Supreme Court yesterday temporarily suspended Janet Monique Okoye from the practice of law after finding she failed to respond to the Board of Professional Responsibility concerning three complaints of misconduct. Section 12.3 of Supreme Court Rule 9 provides for the immediate summary suspension of an attorney’s license for failure to respond to a complaint of misconduct. The suspension will remain in effect until dissolution or modification by the court.

The Tennessee Supreme Court yesterday suspended Sir Ashley James Harrison of Huntersville, North Carolina, from the practice of law for five years, retroactive to December 8, 2015. The court took the reciprocal action after the North Carolina State Bar suspended Harrison for five years. Harrison must comply with Sections 28 and 30.4 of Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 9 regarding the obligations and responsibilities of suspended attorneys and must pay the costs and expenses of the proceeding prior to any reinstatement.

The Tennessee Supreme Court today held that probation revocation proceedings involve a two-step inquiry on the part of the trial court. The “two separate exercises of discretion” that should take place after a trial court finds that a defendant has violated the conditions of probation are: (1) determine whether to revoke probation, and (2) determine the appropriate consequence to impose upon revocation. When reviewing these decisions, appellate courts must consider each decisions separately. The court also held that if the trial court has properly placed its findings on the record, the standard of appellate review for probation revocations is abuse of discretion with a presumption of reasonableness.

TurnSignl, an app that helps drivers record roadside interactions with law enforcement and immediately access lawyers via videoconferencing, won the Startup Alley pitch competition at the ABA Techshow 2022 this week, the ABA Journal reports. Jazz Hampton, CEO and general counsel at TurnSignl, said, “Our mission is simple and three pronged: It’s to protect drivers’ civil rights, to de-escalate roadside interactions and third, and most importantly, ensure every driver and law enforcement officer returns home safe at the end of the day.” App users gain 24/7 access to a network of attorneys who have all gone through third-party de-escalation training as a condition of being allowed onto the platform. The app is currently available to drivers in California, Georgia and Minnesota, but the company’s goal is to expand to all 50 states.