Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law will hold a virtual open house for prospective students on Feb. 16 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. EST. Sessions will include an overview of the law school, career services and student organizations as well as presentations on admissions, financial aid, academic support and opportunities for experiential learning. Those interested in attending the virtual open house should register here. Then on March 2, the school will hold an in-person open house from 5:30 to 8 p.m. EST. Register here for that event.

President Joe Biden last week announced he is nominating federal judge Stephanie Dawkins Davis to the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. Davis currently serves on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. She was named a district court judge in December 2019 after serving as a magistrate judge in the district for three years. Before joining the bench, she worked as an assistant U.S. attorney and in private practice at Dickinson Wright in Detroit. Davis earned her law degree from Washington University School of Law in 1992. If confirmed, she would be the first Black woman to serve on the court from Michigan, and only the second Black woman – behind Judge Bernice Donald of Tennessee – to serve on the court. In May, Judge Donald notified President Biden that she intends to take senior status as soon as her replacement is sworn in on the court. In November, Biden nominated Memphis lawyer Andre Mathis for the seat.

Ogletree Deakins has elected Nashville shareholder Liz Washko as the firm’s new managing director. Washko succeeds Joe Beachboard, who completed a six-year term. Washko joined Ogletree Deakins in 2000 as an associate and was elected shareholder in 2003. She previously was managing shareholder for the Nashville office and member of the firm’s compensation committee and board of directors. She also was founder and co-chair of the firm’s Pay Equity Practice Group. Her practice focuses on representing employers in single plaintiff and class/collective action litigation and in matters before state and federal agencies. She has particular experience defending employers in Fair Labor Standards Act and pay discrimination cases. She also conducts proactive pay audits and pay equity analyses.

Under redistricting maps approved by the General Assembly, a new 35th House district will cover Hendersonville, most of Gallatin, Bethpage, Castalian Springs and all of Trousdale County. The seat has already drawn interest from at least two candidates, Mainstreet Nashville reports. Deanne DeWitt, a Republican on the Sumner County Commission, has already announced her intention to run for the open seat while William Slater, dean of adult and online studies at Welch College, plans to formally kick off his campaign for the Republican nomination this weekend. DeWitt was elected to the commission in 2018. She will not seek reelection to that body. Slater worked in business consulting services for IBM for 16 years and was headmaster at Hendersonville Christian Academy for 21 years. In 2011, he ran unsuccessfully in a special election for the 18th District Senate seat now held by Ferrell Haile.

Law.com’s Corporate Counsel and ALM Intelligence are conducting their first annual legal department diversity survey and are seeking input. The survey is intended to be completed by legal department leadership and includes four sections: (1) Company Data and Legal Department Structure, (2) Legal Department Headcount and Diversity Data, (3) Individual Respondent Demographics and (4) Legal Department Diversity Policies and Programs. Responses are requested by Feb. 18. All information, including company names, will remain anonymous. For more information contact Steve Kovalan, senior director of research at ALM Intelligence, or Heather Nevitt, editor-in-chief at Corporate Counsel.

State wildlife officials say they now plan to raze a different portion of forest on public land in White County after their original plan met with resistance from local residents, a threatened lawsuit and demands from lawmakers to “stop all action on the plan immediately.” In a letter sent to members of the General Assembly, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency now says it will clear other parts of the Bridgestone Firestone Centennial Wilderness Area, Tennessee Lookout reports. Opponents of the original plan were surprised by the move after the agency indicated it was backing away from the effort. “TWRA informed a member of our community that they were stopping the entire project. Less than 48 hours later, they have changed their story again,” said attorney Austin Warehime, who has been retained to represent the county’s interests in the matter.

A recent episode of the Legal Services Corporation’s Talk Justice podcast looks at how 2021 impacted access to justice issues, the adoption of new technology and legal regulatory reform in the country. The episode also highlights the Biden administration’s reinstitution of the Office of Access to Justice at the Department of Justice and renewed discussions in the White House Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable. LSC Emerging Leaders Council member Jason Tashea hosts the conversation with legal technology guru Bob Ambrogi; Zac DeMeola, director of legal education and the legal profession at the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System; and LSC President Ron Flagg. Tune in here.

Knoxville lawyer Robert Phillip Murrian died Jan. 24 at the age of 76. His family recently announced that a celebration of life service will be held April 9 at noon EST at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 6500 S. Northshore Dr., Knoxville TN 37919. The Knoxville Bar Association shared the news today.

The Tennessee Supreme Court recently reinstated a number of lawyers suspended for not paying their annual registration fee or professional privilege tax. Of the group, 16 were suspended for fee violations in 2021, two in 2020, one in 2019, three in 2018, one in 2013, one in 2011, one in 2009 and one in 2006. They are now noted as reinstated on these suspension lists. In addition, two lawyers have been reinstated after paying their professional privilege tax: one in 2021 and one in 2009/2010. The TBA has records of all administrative suspensions and reinstatements going back to 2005. See all lists here.

The TBA will welcome ethics expert Stuart Teicher next Thursday from 9 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. CST for "Turning Up the Heat: Ethical Times Are Getting Tougher," a three-hour ethics webinar that addresses every lawyer's expanding ethical duties. Among the many topics covered, Teicher will discuss issues with technology and the emerging duty to look into the potential misdeeds of employers/clients. Reserve your spot now!