Twenty-four lawyers this month completed the TBA’s inaugural Scaling Small Law program – a four-month comprehensive business education and development program for entrepreneurial, small firm and solo practitioners. Beginning in August, the cohort set aside two to three hours each week through December for weekly assignments, which included roundtables with experts, small group activities and self-guided work. The assignments were focused on distinct units of study including strategic planning, business planning, marketing, solo/small firm finance and budgeting, client service and experience, ethical considerations and outsourcing and leveraging technology. Read more on the inaugural group.

Whether you’re in a virtual courtroom, professional conference or informal Zoom meeting, TBA CLE’s Virtual Presentation Skills for Attorneys will help enhance the skills needed to deliver a first-rate presentation. Mimi Bliss of Bliss Communications will cover topics like sharpening your message and engaging your audience and will include important recommendations for technology tools, lighting and set-up, voice, gestures and eye contact you can use for an effective presentation. This program is part of the TBA’s annual Year End CLE Event, which offers a variety of live virtual or on-demand programs, CLE packages and much more to help meet your last minute CLE needs. 

Congratulations to our Week 2 Giveaway Winner Nashville lawyer Tamanna Qureshi, who will receive a $50 Amazon gift card! Don’t miss the opportunity to get in on next week’s drawing. Those who purchase a course in December will be entered in our weekly drawings made possible by event sponsors Clio and Geico. This month’s Year End CLE event provides a range of packages, on-demand courses and live programs. Check out the options.

The Tennessee Supreme Court today issued an order amending Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 8, RPC 7.6 and Rule 44, dealing with attorney use of an “intermediary organization” to connect with prospective clients. The court solicited comments on proposed changes to the rules on Sept. 1 and received suggested revisions from the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility and the Tennessee Bar Association (TBA). The TBA supported the court’s proposed deletion of Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 44 and amendments to Tenn. Sup. Ct. R. 7.6 and suggested one edit. Upon consideration of the comments, the court concluded that the suggestions were well-taken and adopted them today as part of the larger package. The revisions will be effective Jan. 1, 2022.

Tennessee Sen. Ferrell Haile, R-Gallatin, is continuing to gather information in a series of statewide meetings focused on reforms to the bail system, Tennessee Lookout reports. Hearings held during the summer study session pitted criminal law reformers, who argued defendants are kept in jail only because they can’t afford to make bail, against victim advocates, who argued that dangerous defendants need to stay in jail to protect the public. Others expressed concern about no-bail or low-bail programs in some of the nation’s largest cities they say are causing a spike in violent crime. And bail agents expressed concern that their business would be in jeopardy under some of the proposed changes. Observers expect Haile to introduce new legislation in the new session.

Tennessee House Majority Whip Johnny Garrett, R-Goodlettsville, has named Rep. Greg Vital, R-Harrison, as deputy whip for the 112th Tennessee General Assembly, Chattanoogan.com reports. In his new role, Vital will assist in counting votes as well as communicating with members about the party’s position on issues or important legislative initiatives. Vital joins other deputy whips Rebecca Alexander, R-Jonesborough; Tandy Darby, R-Greenfield; John Gillespie, R-Memphis; Tim Hicks, R-Gray; Eddie Mannis, R-Knoxville; Lowell Russell, R-Vonore; and Todd Warner, R-Chapel Hill.

The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled today that it will hear consolidated challenges to the Biden Administration’s vaccine mandate for private businesses with more than 100 employees first by a three judge panel. Opponents of the mandate had pushed for the full court to hear the cases. In its ruling today, the court said it had received several petitions for an initial hearing to be conducted en banc but a majority of the judges on the court did not support that approach. 

A three-judge panel of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals today reinstated the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for health care workers in 26 states, saying the lower court did not have authority to apply its stay nationwide but only to the 14 states that had sued: Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah and West Virginia. The administration’s mandate requires that health care facilities vaccinate staff against the coronavirus or lose funding from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which administers two large government health care programs. Yahoo News has the story from Reuters.

U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals Judges R. Guy Cole and Helene White announced plans yesterday to take senior status upon Senate confirmation of their successors. That makes three judges so far (including Judge Bernice Donald) who have announced their intent to take senior status during the current presidential administration, the 6th Circuit Appellate Blog reports. Cole was appointed to the court in 1995 by former President Bill Clinton to represent Ohio on the court. White was appointed in 2008 by former president George W. Bush to represent Michigan on the court.

As we head into the holidays after a very stressful year, many are struggling with burnout. The Harvard Business Review has a number of resources for those who are facing such feelings. A podcast from Coaching Real Leaders tracks the journey of “Ellie,” who is ambitious and has always leaned into opportunities to lead. But her responsibilities just keep growing, and now she feels like she cannot keep up and is questioning whether she even wants to be in a leadership role at all. Executive coach Muriel Wilkins helps Ellie implement strategies for increasing energy and scaling up efforts at work. Three other articles on the site also offer tools for burnout. Check out 6 Causes of Burnout, and How to Avoid Them; If You’re Overworked, Learn Which Tasks to Hand Off; and Stop Doing Low-Value Work.