U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. says that judicial ethics, financial disclosures and inappropriate workplace behavior will receive “focused attention” by the judiciary’s policymaking body in the coming months, Law.com reports. The court’s year-end report released last month also says Roberts will direct the U.S. Judicial Conference to address how venue is chosen for patent cases. Questions about that process have been raised by a number of U.S. senators who say the “extreme concentration” of patent cases in Waco, Texas, may be an indication of forum-shopping. Reuters looks at that issue.

The TBA this week launched the SOLACE Program to support all members of the legal community, including judges and court personnel, attorneys, law clerks, paralegals, legal secretaries, and their families. Started in 2002 by the Louisiana Bar Association, SOLACE is a voluntary program that matches those in need — due to a death, catastrophic illness, injury or other loss — with those who can help. Several bar associations across the country have adopted this program and the stories of how the legal community is helping are inspiring. In Tennessee, the program will accept requests for financial assistance, clothing, housing, transportation and medical community contacts. Requests should be sent to SOLACE@tnbar.org. The TBA will review requests and share them in TBA Today, allowing volunteers to connect directly with the parties in need. The TBA will not collect donations or facilitate any transactions. The program, which stands for “Support of Lawyers/Legal Personnel — All Concern Encouraged,” is one of TBA President Sherie Edwards’ initiatives for 2022. Learn more about the program and how it works at TBA.org/solace.

The #FreeBritney movement garnered much media attention in 2021, focusing on the negative aspects of conservatorships ­— loss of individual rights — while ignoring its primary purpose, which is protection of the vulnerable. In the new Tennessee Bar Journal, Beth Weems Bradley and Sarah Hearn Sexton write about the many safeguards that are in place with conservatorships. President Sherie Edwards writes about the TBA's initiatives Your Path to Well-Being, the Women in the Profession Committee, and the SOLACE program. Poppy O'Guinn Steele examines how the U.S. Supreme Court and the state of Tennessee have addressed the unique needs of deaf children, and Kevin Balkwill writes about what a lawyer can expect to go through on the difficult, but possible, road to recovery from addiction and the road to license reinstatement. There is a lot more in this issue; read the January/February online.

Legal tech blogger and Massachusetts lawyer Bob Ambrogi has released his annual list of top 10 legal trends from the last year. When examining 2021, Ambrogi names uncertainty as the number one trend, “as if we are serving time in a legal tech limbo.” Unlike 2020, Ambrogi also adds lack of progress in the world of regulatory reform to the list. The inequalities of remote work, lack of diversity in the legal profession and the courts’ adaptation of new technology are also featured on the list. Ambrogi rounds out the top 10 by asserting that the hybrid legal industry isn’t going anywhere. “The key takeaway from the past two years is that hybrid is actually better in most cases,” Ambrogi writes. “For legal professionals, it offers healthier work-life balance without diminishing productivity.” Read the full list here.

The City of Chattanooga’s Department of Equity and Community Engagement will hold its annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service on Jan. 17, the Chattanoogan reports. Honoring the 2022 theme, “The Beloved Community … ”It Starts With Me!”, a short program will be held to kick off a donation drive that will be open from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. EST at City Hall. Mayor Tim Kelly will give welcome remarks, followed by music by The Littleton Mason Singers, a spoken-word performance by Jayden Coleman and reflections on service from the Mayor’s Youth Council. The NAACP will also be in attendance to conduct voter registration and a membership drive. Donations will benefit organizations located in the ML King Boulevard and 11th Street area, including Arts Build, The Community Kitchen, Patten Towers residents and more. Items needed are gently-used clothing, non-perishable food items, art supplies and personal hygiene products such as toilet paper, paper towels, soap and disposable masks.      

President Joe Biden’s administration on Wednesday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to rule on whether it must keep the Trump-era “Remain in Mexico” policy, Reuters reports. Under the policy, migrants must wait weeks and sometimes years in Mexico for a U.S. court date on their bid for asylum. Biden attempted to end the policy in January, but a federal judge ruled it must be reinstated. An appeals court earlier this month agreed with the ruling. Biden’s Justice Department now seeks a ruling from the high court on whether the appeals court erred in their decision.

Still needing last-minute CLE credit before the midnight deadline? The TBA’s annual Year End CLE event is available in your hour of need. Choose from a variety of live virtual or on-demand programs, CLE packages and much more. The Year End CLE event is all virtual and allows attendees to earn up to 15 or more hours of CLE from the remote workplace of their choosing. Head over to the cle.tba.org to register for last-minute courses.

Beginning Jan. 1, beauty professionals in Tennessee are required to undergo anti-domestic violence training, WSMV reports. The bill was sponsored by Rep. Sam Whitson, R-Franklin, Sen. Becky Massey, R-Knoxville, and the YWCA of Nashville & Middle Tennessee. International disinfectant maker, Barbicide, and the YWCA teamed up to create the Shear Haven Domestic Violence Training – a training video for salon owners and stylists on how to recognize the signs of domestic violence and navigate conversations with clients who might be in danger. The Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance and the state Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners are playing significant roles in launching this initiative, which will cost employees nothing.

A report published by the Tennessee Justice Center (TJC) yesterday says Tennessee ranks 20th in the nation for number of state inmates infected with COVID-19 per capita, WSMV reports. According to statistics in the report, as of July, one in every 515 state prisoners who contract the virus had died and one in every 300 staff members who tested positive have died. TJC says COVID-19 poses a unique challenge for prisons due to the close confinement, restricted access to personal protective equipment, overstretched health services and more. In the report, TJC recommended that lawmakers consider meaningful healthcare reform to meet the needs of those behind bars. “As with so many systems, COVID-19 has laid bare the inequities and challenges that have long existed for some of the most vulnerable Tennesseans,” Just City Memphis Executive Director Josh Spickler said.

Mel Fowler-Green, executive director of the Metro Human Relations Commission, has announced she will step down from her role after seven years, WPLN reports. Throughout four mayoral administrations, Fowler-Green led the agency’s work on policies related to inclusion, equity, LGBT right and immigrant access to government services. Out of her accomplishments, Fowler-Green points to completing more community-based research, like a three-part booklet series on Nashville’s affordable housing crisis. She will return to private practice at Yezbak Law Offices, a firm that specializes in plaintiff-side employment and civil rights cases.