The TBA’s 2021 Health Law Primer, offered virtually last month, is now available for on-demand viewing as a 1-Click offering. The four-hour program, designed especially for newer health law practitioners, provides a general overview of health law, explores several hot topics in the practice area, and offers practical tips for avoiding the pitfalls of this heavily regulated industry.

Retired Judge Donn Alan Southern died Thursday. He was 87. A native of Knoxville, Southern moved to Memphis after graduating from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1957. He was in private practice until 1989 when he was appointed to the Shelby County Probate Court. Southern served on the court for more than 17 years, including two terms as presiding judge. He was also active in the Memphis Bar Association, serving two terms on the board of directors and as president in 1982, and was part of a group that began offering legal services to those in need. That effort later resulted in formation of Memphis Area Legal Services. A celebration of life service and reception will be held Nov. 17 at 11 a.m. CST at Idlewild Presbyterian Church, 1750 Union Ave., Memphis 38104. Burial will be private. Memorial donations may be made to the church; The Trezevant Foundation, 177 N. Highland St., Memphis, TN 38111; or the W.H.H. Southern Scholarship Foundation at the University of Tennessee, 1502 Cumberland Ave., Knoxville, TN 37922.

Gov. Bill Lee’s chief of staff Blake Harris will leave the office to work on Lee’s reelection and other Republican campaigns after the first of the year, the Nashville Post reports. Harris was a strategist on Lee’s successful 2018 campaign and executive director of his transition team. Replacing him will be Joseph Williams, currently director of the governor’s Office of External Affairs. Deputy Chief of Staff Alec Richardson will add the position of director of external affairs to his portfolio.

Gautam Hans, director of Vanderbilt University Law School’s First Amendment Clinic, will compete on Jeopardy! Dec. 6 as part of the show’s inaugural “Professors Tournament,” the school reports. He will face off against Hester Blum, an English professor at Penn State University, and Gary Hollis, a chemistry professor at Roanoke College. A total of 15 college professors will participate. The champion will be determined in a showdown set for Dec. 17. Hans says he grew up watching the quiz show and shouting answers at the television. He even dressed up once as show host Alex Trebek for Halloween. In addition to being a trivia star, Hans makes ice cream and chronicles his creations on the Habeas Custard blog.

Save the date for the 2022 Basket Auction and Spring Lunch benefiting the Knox County Juvenile Court’s Volunteer Advisory Board and its Annual Foster Care Appreciation Dinner. Money raised also goes to help meet the emergency needs of children in foster care. The event is scheduled for April 8, from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. EDT. For more information or to donate, contact Patrice Staley, administrative assistant to Juvenile Court Judge Tim Irwin.

A newly released white paper from Thomson Reuters examines the state of small U.S. law firms, including how they are taking advantage of the digital economy and the impact of marketing and business development challenges. Access the full report.

With news that Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee would sign new legislation regulating school mask mandates, Shelby County yesterday asked a federal judge for an emergency ruling on how the new law will affect its mask requirement, the Commercial Appeal reports. Among its provisions, the recently passed legislation would prohibit public schools and governments from requiring masks unless local conditions reach a high level of COVID-19 cases. The county filed the motion yesterday with U.S. District Court Judge Sheryl H. Lipman, who ruled in September that the governor’s executive order requiring school districts to give parents an opt-out of mask mandates violated federal disability law.

Gov. Bill Lee signed new pandemic restrictions into law today, but will seek changes in the next legislative session, the Tennessean reports. Among its many provisions, the bill limits when mask mandates can be applied in public schools, prevents businesses from mandating vaccines, and allows hospital visitation for COVID patients who are nearing the end of their lives. Lee says that the hospital provision needs to be clarified to make sure it reflects the intent of the General Assembly. Though lawmakers intended to limit the provision to patients near death, it was written to apply to all hospitalized patients. Other affected industries opposed to specific components of the bill did not push for a veto, instead turning their focus to making amendments to the legislation next year.

State Rep. Bruce Griffey, R-Paris, will be vacating his seat in the state legislature to run for circuit court judge in the 24th Judicial District, The Paris Post-Intelligencer reports. Griffey announced the decision to seek the position held by Judge Donald Parish yesterday. Parish is retiring at the end of his current term next year. Griffey was elected in 2018 to the 75th House District, which includes Henry, Benton and Stewart counties. He previously served as an assistant district attorney and an assistant Tennessee attorney general. Two other candidates, Vance Dennis of Savannah and Terry Leonard of Camden, also have announced their candidacies to fill Parish's spot.

The Knox County General Sessions Court will hold an informal reception honoring the retirement of Judge Geoffrey Emery on Dec. 10 from 1 to 3 p.m. EST. The event will take place in the Small Assembly Room of the City-County Building, 400 Main St. SW, Knoxville 37902. Light refreshments will be served. Emery is retiring Dec. 31, choosing not to complete his full term, which would expire in August 2022.