Benton County attorney Terry Leonard has announced his intention to run for one of two 24th Judicial District Circuit Court seats, The Paris Post-Intelligencer reports. Leonard is seeking the Republican nomination for the Division 2 seat currently occupied by Judge Donald Parish, who is set to retire at the end of the term. Leonard earned his law degree in 1986 from the Nashville School of Law. According to his campaign, he has practiced both civil and criminal defense law in 40 of Tennessee’s 96 counties. In addition to his legal practice, Leonard is a small business owner and farmer.

The Southeast Tennessee Lawyers Association for Women (SETLAW) recently presented its annual Lioness of the Bar Award to Hamilton County Clerk & Master Robin Miller. Those who tried to roast Miller during the ceremony, however, came up short, the Hamilton County Herald reports. “Robin is a difficult person to roast,” said Circuit Court Judge Marie Williams. “She’s well-spoken, incredibly kind, gracious, beautiful and cares deeply about her fellow human beings and her profession.” Miller began her career in Chattanooga as a child abuse investigator, earned her law degree, and became the first female litigator at Gearhiser, Peters, Elliott & Cannon. She spent 20 years there before moving to Spears, Moore, Rebman & Williams. She was named clerk & master in 2014.

Gov. Bill Lee on Friday extended Tennessee's state of emergency for the coronavirus for two weeks, the Tennessean reports. Lee also extended an executive order that allows parents to opt their children out of mask regulations at schools, regardless of local restrictions. Lee said he extended the orders by two weeks while he analyzes the impact of a number of bills recently passed by the state legislature. The orders will now expire on Nov. 19.

Chattanooga City Judge Sherry Paty was named the state’s Municipal Judge of the Year by the Tennessee Municipal Judges Conference on Friday, Chattanoogan.com reports. Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Sharon Lee, for whom the award is named, announced the award as part of the municipal judge’s fall meeting in Chattanooga. Paty was elected to the court in 2004 as the first female city judge. Since 1990, she has been in private practice with the law firm of Paty, Rymer and Ulin. She previously served as law clerk for the Hamilton County district attorney and for Chancellors Howell Peoples and R. Vann Owens. She earned her law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law.

Three people were arrested and charged with federal offenses as part of an international, multi-agency effort to locate and charge individuals who sell illicit, lethal drugs using the dark web and cryptocurrency. Investigators say the defendants shipped methamphetamines that were misleadingly labeled as Adderall from Texas to a Shelby County post office box, the Commercial Appeal reports. A Memphis defense attorney tells the paper he thinks the pills were mailed unknowingly to an undercover DEA agent. The seizure is part of a larger initiative that has recovered 500 pounds of drugs since it was launched.

The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals on Saturday ordered a temporary halt of President Biden’s coronavirus vaccine mandate for businesses with 100 employees or more, saying there are "grave statutory and constitutional” issues with the rule. The ruling came in a challenge to the mandate from the states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Utah and South Carolina, The Hill reports. A similar challenge was filed Friday in the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals by Tennessee Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III and six other attorneys general.

The Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands will hold four clinics this week. A phone clinic will be held tomorrow at 2 p.m. to provide general advice. The first 15 callers will be accepted. On Wednesday, LAS will hold a clinic specifically for veterans from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Operation Stand Down, 1125 12th Ave. S. Nashville 37203. On Thursday, a clinic will be held from 3 to 4:30 p.m. at Greenhouse Ministries, 309 S. Spring St., Murfreesboro 37130. And on Saturday, a clinic will be held from 8:30-10:30 a.m. at the McHugh Clinic, 2005 12th Ave. S., Nashville 37204. All times central. To volunteer contact Kendra Cheek, 615-780-7131. See all November clinics.

The TBA's popular ethics CLE with Brian Faughnan of Lewis Thomason, normally known as the Ethics Roadshow, is back as the "Homeshow" with two days of virtual content on Dec. 7 and 14. Each day will feature a one-hour program that utilizes a game format to delve into 30 unique topics of ethical discussion. Attendees may register for Day 1, Day 2 or both days.

Retired Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Alan E. Glenn died unexpectedly last week at the age of 79, the Administrative Office of the Courts recently announced. Glenn served on the Court of Criminal Appeals for more than 22 years, taking the bench in 1999 and serving until his retirement on July 1, 2021. Prior to joining the court, Glenn served as an assistant district attorney general in Shelby County from 1971 to 1982. He was in private practice in Memphis from 1982 to 1999 and taught trial advocacy at Harvard Law School from 1986 to 1999. Colleagues on the court say Glenn was known as a prolific, engaging and meticulous writer, often jumping at the chance to author the toughest cases. During his time on the court, Glenn wrote more opinions than any other judge. Glenn also served as chair of the Judicial Ethics Committee from 2005 to 2019, drafting over a dozen ethics opinions on issues posed by judges across the state.

Labor and employment law firm Littler Mendelson has named Bradley Strawn as the new regional office managing shareholder for its Nashville office. Strawn replaces Jennifer Robinson, who is stepping down to focus on her practice. In addition to leading the Nashville office, he will continue to lead the firm’s Atlanta office where he advises employers on a broad range of matters including, contingent workforce and independent contractor relationships, employment discrimination claims, harassment and retaliation complaints, restrictive covenants, trade secrets litigation, and class actions related to overtime and wages.