Did you miss the TBA's "Work Smarter Not Harder" session on how to better manage your email workload? Catch up next month with a replay of the program on Dec. 6 from noon to 1 p.m. CST. The webcast explores how to efficiently batch process emails to get them out of your inbox without losing important messages. Attendees are encouraged to have their laptops or other mobile devices handy to try out proposed solutions.

Tennessee Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III announced today that all legal challenges to the state’s 48-hour waiting period for abortions have been exhausted after the plaintiffs did not seek review of a 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court. In August, the court of appeals upheld the 48-hour waiting period saying the plaintiffs could not show specific women were harmed by the law. It also said there was no evidence that abortion rates fell in the state during the five years the law was in effect. Former Gov. Bill Haslam signed the bill into law in 2015 as part of a package of measures aimed at regulating abortion in the state.

The Tennessee Supreme Court will hold virtual admission ceremonies next week for individuals who recently passed the Tennessee bar exam. The court begins the process on Monday with four sessions, followed by sessions on Tuesday and Thursday. Sessions will take place at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. CST each day. TBA President Sherie Edwards and President-elect Tasha Blakney will be introducing and making motions on behalf of applicants across the state. Want to tune in for the proceedings? Ceremonies can be watched on the court's YouTube channel.

Three firms with offices in Tennessee have been named to Bloomberg Law's inaugural Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) Framework. The list acknowledges firms that meet or exceed an established threshold of diversity, equity and inclusion. Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz PC, Frost Brown Todd LLC and Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart PC were among 28 firms in the listing. Firm considered for the list were scored in both the level of disclosure of diversity-related metrics, as well as distinguished performance against standards in each of the six pillar areas: demographics, leadership and talent pipeline, recruitment and retention, business innovation and strategy, marketing, and diversity and inclusion (D&I) in the community. 

There are no court opinions in today's issue of TBA Today as state courts were closed in observation of Veterans Day. 

The Nashville branch of the NAACP today called for the closure of the Trousdale Turner Correctional Center in Hartsville for what it calls “barbaric treatment” of  inmates, the majority of whom are Black, News Channel 5 reports. The organization also called for the state and U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the private prison. NAACP Nashville President Sheryl Guinn said they have received an "inordinate" number of complaints about the facility, including reports about guards beating inmates until they are “bloody,” and inmates receiving inadequate medical care, if they’re allowed medical services at all.

In honor of Veterans Day, the Administrative Office of the Courts is highlighting the state’s Veterans Treatment Courts and the services they offer. Tennessee’s six Veterans Courts are located in in Blount, Davidson, Knox, Montgomery, Shelby and Williamson counties. Though each court operates differently, they share a common goal of treating and rehabilitating veterans and removing them from the criminal justice system. A crucial part of treatment are wrap-around service, which can include behavioral and substance abuse therapies as well as social services that focus on housing, job skills, and more. “It’s a powerful program. I haven’t seen anyone not improve with it,” said Ted Scalise, Williamson County Veterans Treatment Court Mentor Coordinator. 

The Davidson County District Attorney’s Office yesterday asked the county’s criminal court to vacate the convictions of Joyce Watkins and Charlie Dunn and exonerate them of child murder and rape, the Nashville Scene reports. The motion was filed based on an extensive report from the office’s Conviction Review Unit (CRU), which found that Watkins and Dunn were wrongfully convicted after being prosecuted on circumstantial evidence and since-discredited methods by disgraced medical examiners. The couple was convicted of first-degree murder and aggravated rape after Watkins’ four-year-old great-niece Brandi Jessie died of head trauma in their care. In the report’s conclusion, CRU director Sunny Eaton wrote, "When stripped of demonstrably unreliable testimony, facts misrepresented to the jury and Post-Conviction Court and faulty medical conclusions, even the minute circumstantial case against Ms. Watkins and Mr. Dunn is devoid.” The couple was given a life sentence in 1988. Dunn died in prison in 2015 while awaiting release on parole. Watkins was granted parole in October of that year after serving more than 27 years in prison.  

The Arts & Business Council's Volunteer Lawyers and Professionals for the Arts is joining the law firm of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings in providing free legal services for Black-owned small businesses and nonprofits at a clinic on Nov. 18. Issues to be covered include questions about business formation, corporate governance, contract review and navigating local ordinances and state regulations. Eligible businesses may receive up to one hour of assistance. Companies may sign up online. To volunteer, email vlpa@abcnashville.org.

Nominations are now being accepted for the TBA’s Public Service Awards. The annual awards recognize outstanding commitment to access to justice in three categories: work performed by an attorney employed by an organization primarily involved in providing legal representation to the indigent; pro bono work performed by a private attorney; and a strong commitment to pro bono service by a Tennessee law student or recent graduate. Nominations are due no later than Dec. 3. Nominators are welcome to include supplemental information including letters or videos of support. For more information, contact TBA Director of Access to Justice & Special Projects Liz Todaro.