Former state senator Morgan “Brown” Ayres Jr. died Jan. 21 after a fall. He was 90 years old. Growing up in Knoxville, Ayres attended Knoxville public schools, the Kentucky Military Institute and the University of Tennessee. After serving in the Air Force as a staff sergeant during the Korean War, Ayres returned to Knoxville and joined his father as an investment banker with Cumberland Securities. In 1968, he was elected state senator, representing Knox County for eight years. Last March, Ayres received the University of Tennessee’s Accomplished Alumni Award. His grandfather, also named Brown Ayres, was the 12th president of the university. A memorial and celebration of life service will be held at Sequoyah Hills Presbyterian Church at 4 p.m. EST on March 25. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the church, the University of Tennessee or a charity of the donor’s choice.

Earlier this month, the National Conference of Bar Examiners announced that pilot testing for the “Next Gen Bar Exam” will begin sometime in 2026. The revised test will do away with the Multistate Bar Exam, the Multistate Essay Exam and the Multistate Performance Test to focus on knowledge and skills rather than rote memorization, according to Above the Law. The new exam also will be taken entirely on a computer. “Computer-based testing is more flexible than paper-based testing, and is more in line with the integrated assessment of knowledge and skills we will use for the new exam,” conference president Judith Gundersen said in announcing the news.

The Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments today filed amended notices for vacancies in the Court of Criminal Appeals Eastern Section and Court of Appeals Middle Section. The application deadline for the Court of Criminal Appeals is now noon CST on Feb. 21. The hearings dates remain March 3 and March 4. The application deadline for the Court of Appeals is now noon CST on Feb. 28. The hearing dates for those applicants will now be March 17 and March 18. More information and instructions for applying are available online.

The TBA Administrative Law Section has announced its Third Annual Writing Competition for Law Students. All students enrolled in a Tennessee law school during the 2021–2022 school year are eligible to enter. Submissions are now due April 25. The section offers this yearly competition to promote an interest in and understanding of both state and federal administrative law. The winning submission will be published in the Administrative Law Section newsletter and the winner will be awarded $1,000. Get more information and rules for the competition.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division will host an expungement clinic on Feb. 23 in partnership with Belmont University College of Law and the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands. The event, which will begin at 4 p.m. CST, will take place in Murfreesboro at Doors of Hope, a nonprofit that provides transitional housing and other reentry help to women released from incarceration. Volunteer attorneys and law students are needed to assist clients complete expungement paperwork. No prior experience is required. Organizers will provide a training video in advance of the clinic. To volunteer, contact YLD Pro Bono Coordinator Alix Rogers, 615-460-8250.

Knoxville lawyer Karmen Latrice Waters died Jan. 5 after struggling for several months with a sudden medical condition. She was 50 years old. A graduate of the University of Notre Dame, she earned her law degree from the New England School of Law in Boston. She started her practice in 2004 and focused mainly on criminal defense. Later in her career, Waters transitioned to immigration law, founding the International Immigration Solutions Law Group with offices in Knoxville, Atlanta and Miami. Waters also served as a magistrate judge on the Knox County General Sessions Court. A service for family will be held tomorrow at 11 a.m. EST at the West End Church of Christ, 8301 Walker Springs Ln., Knoxville, TN 37923. Memorial donations may be made "In Memory of Karmen Latrice Waters" to the church’s Hispanic ministry.

The American Bar Association kicks off its virtual Midyear Meeting on Feb. 9. Topics to be covered at legal programs include racial inequity, implicit bias, redistricting, land use and zoning and law enforcement-assisted diversion programs. The ABA House of Delegates also will meet online Feb. 14. It’s agenda is available here. Finally, the association will recognize five legal professionals with its 2022 Spirit of Excellence Award for commitment to racial and ethnic diversity in the profession. Among those being honored is Carlos E. Moore with the Ridgeland, Mississippi, office of The Cochran Firm, which also has offices in Memphis and Nashville.

The Tennessee Supreme Court today announced the retirement of Judy Bond-McKissack as executive director of the Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education. Bond-McKissack has served in the role since January 2011. She previously worked as a Board of Review hearing officer with the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, as chief legal counsel in the Secretary of State’s office, and as managing attorney for the Clarksville office of Legal Services of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands. She earned her law degree from Vanderbilt University. During her time with the commission, Bond-McKissack supervised an office move from the TBA building in downtown Nashville to space near the airport, managed development of a new website, oversaw an extensive revision of Supreme Court Rule 21, pushed for awarding lawyers CLE credit for pro bono representation, implemented a mentoring program, and developed a training program for CLE speakers. 

The state legislature’s Join Study Committee on Refugee Issues has approved a final report, Chattanoogan.com reports. During four meetings held between June and November of 2021, the committee heard from a range of individuals and organizations concerned about the federal government’s immigration program in the state, with a focus on the transfer of unaccompanied and undocumented children. The report recommends that the state suspend all license holders involved with the placement of migrant children “due to the complete lack of any follow-up to guarantee any of these children are not being used for illegal sex trafficking purposes.” It also calls for new legislation to give the state Department of Children’s Services oversight and control of any migrant children who arrive in the state. Read the full report.

Rutherford County Commissioner Robert Stevens has announced his candidacy in the Republican primary for the new 13th district of the Tennessee House of Representatives, the Murfreesboro Post reports. The county will gain a fifth seat in the House as a result of redistricting. The new district includes portions of Blackman, Eagleville, Rockvale, LaVergne and Smyrna. Stevens earned his law degree from the University of Memphis Law School and has owned and operated a law practice in the county since 2009. He is the current president of the Smyrna Rotary Club and a graduate of Leadership Rutherford.