Retired Davidson County General Sessions Judge Daniel B. Eisenstein received the Tennessee General Sessions Conference’s Lifetime Achievement Award earlier this month at the group’s fall meeting. The award is given to a conference member who exemplifies the traits of an outstanding judge as well as the characteristics of a noble and selfless life. Eisenstein joined the court in 2004 and served until 2014. He headed the effort to create the position of senior judge, worked on the Nashville mayor’s Behavioral Wellness Advisory Council and often presented on mental health issues at judicial conference meetings. He is a past president of the Nashville Bar Association’s Pro Bono Program and the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee & the Cumberlands. Read more about his accomplishments from the Administrative Office of the Courts.

Nashville’s role in the Civil Rights Movement will be the subject of new research fueled by a $50,000 federal grant, WPLN reports. The city’s Historical Commission is receiving the money from the African American Civil Rights grant program, which is overseen by the National Park Service. Local staffers and a consultant will work for the next two years to survey local historic sites and gather archival research related to the movement from 1944 to 1966. Supporters say the effort could mean more sites are nominated as historic places and new historical markers are installed. The research will include lunch counter sit-ins, Freedom Rides, school integration, bombings by the Ku Klux Klan, and the role Nashville’s four historically Black colleges and universities played in preparing students to lead nonviolent protests.

The Memphis Lawyers’ Chapter of the Federalist Society will host a webinar with Jonathan H. Adler, director of the Coleman P. Burke Center for Environmental Law at Case Western Reserve University School of Law, on Nov. 4 from noon to 1 p.m. CDT. Adler, who also teaches environmental, administrative and constitutional law at the school, will speak on the topic “Federalism in the Age of Pandemic Health Measures.” Those interested in attending can register online or contact Greg Grisham, 901-333-2076.

Legal Aid of East Tennessee (LAET) will hold its next weekly phone clinic to help those with questions about eviction actions on Oct. 26. The clinic will run from 2-5 p.m. EDT. Volunteer lawyers will provide advice only on topics such as repairs, security deposits and tenant rights. Those who are interested in providing direct legal representation for tenants in detainer court should contact LAET to be added to a list of available advocates. To volunteer for either opportunity contact Caitlin Torney, 865-251-4951.

The University of Memphis School of Law has launched its first podcast: Show Cause, which will offer insights from faculty, students, alumni and community partners around cultural and legal developments. The first episode examines how name, image, and likeness rights are changing the landscape of college athletics and amateurism. Find the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Soundcloud, as well as on the law school’s website.

The Tennessee Supreme Court recently granted review to five cases. The latest issue of the Raybin Supreme Court Hot List reviews the cases, which raise issues involving the Health Care Liability Act, opinion testimony of expert defendants, the criminal savings statute, prosecutorial misconduct, and arrests outside of officers’ jurisdiction.

Knoxville area lawyer James Anthony “Jim” Ridley III died Oct. 12 at the age of 79. A graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law, Ridley first served as a law clerk for U.S. District Judge Robert L. Taylor. He later became a partner at Kramer Rayson and worked there until he started a solo practice in Fountain City. Ridley was active in Alcoholics Anonymous for more than 40 years and founded a local chapter of the "Lawyers for Concerned Lawyers" to help recovering lawyers deal with substance abuse problems. A celebration of life will be held Monday at noon EDT at the Episcopal Church of the Ascension, 800 S. Northshore Dr., Knoxville 37919. Burial will follow on Tuesday at Gallatin City Cemetery, 250 Cemetery Ave., Gallatin 37066. Memorial donations may be made to the Fish Pantry at FISH Hospitality Pantries, 800 Northshore Dr., Knoxville, TN 37919.

Eleven members of Congress sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland this week requesting the U.S. Justice Department open an investigation into the Rutherford County juvenile justice system, WPLN reports. The group took the action following allegations by WPLN News and ProPublica that the county has illegally arrested and detained children for years. The signers, all Democrats, included Rep. Steve Cohen of Memphis, who is on the House Judiciary Committee and chairs the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. Read the letter here.

Examine and identify the characteristics needed to be a leader during the TBA’s 2021 Leadership Academy Nov. 11 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. CDT. This live virtual event will offer an interactive curriculum designed to help develop leadership skills, build characteristics of effective leadership and identify strategies to overcome challenges. Knoxville attorneys Buck Lewis, William Lockett Jr. and Douglas Blaze, interim dean of the University of Tennessee College of Law, will lead the group discussions.

An attorney representing former University of Tennessee football coach Jeremy Pruitt is threatening to sue the university if it doesn't reach a settlement by Oct. 29, the Knoxville News Sentinel reports. Michael Lyons, Pruitt’s Texas-based attorney, says the suit has the potential to “cripple UT’s athletic programs for years.” The university fired Pruitt in January over evidence that officials say shows members of Pruitt's football staff engaged in conduct likely to result in serious NCAA rules violations, and that Pruitt failed to monitor their actions or promote an atmosphere of compliance. Pruitt did not receive any of the $12.6 million buyout that was part of his contract due to being fired for cause. University general counsel Ryan Stinnett wrote Monday in response to Lyons that UT has no intention of settling and is prepared to defend its actions.