U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis, today endorsed Memphis City Council member JB Smiley Jr. in the 2022 Democratic gubernatorial primary. In a statement, Cohen touts Smiley’s connection to the state’s major cities. “Having a governor who understands the needs and importance of the cities as well as the towns is of importance for benefits to be extended equitably,” Cohen said. Read more in the Daily Memphian.

City Councilwoman Demetrus Coonrod said the pay of the city court judge should be cut in half from the current $180,000 to $90,000, Chattanoogan.com reports. Coonrod said the $180,000 salary was based on city court having the same jurisdiction as the general sessions court, but that has not been the case for many years. City Council Chair Chip Henderson recommended that the council not take action until the city conducts a comparative pay study. City Attorney Emily O'Donnell also noted that a judge’s pay may not be cut during their current term. The council recently voted to suspend the court's Division II, leaving Division I to handle all matters. Two candidates — former local prosecutor Brian Bush and current city judge Sherry Pati — have announced their intentions to run for that seat.

The Belmont College of Law’s Legal Aid Society is hosting a fundraising event to support its efforts to help law students provide pro bono assistance in the state. The group reports that former U.S. attorney general and current law school dean Alberto Gonzalez has agreed to participate in a “Pie a Professor” event if the society raises $10,000 for summer legal aid stipends. Gonzalez also has agreed to challenge Vanderbilt University Law School Dean Chris Guthrie to the same arrangement. To support the group’s efforts email belmontlas@gmail.com for additional details and ways to donate.

After 56 years representing the Southern Baptist Convention, the Springfield law firm of Guenther, Jordan & Price resigned this week, the Tennessean reports. The firm made the decision after the convention’s executive committee voted to waive attorney-client privilege for a third-party investigation into its handling of sexual abuse claims. The firm argued that attorney-client privilege is an essential aspect of legal service and waiving it would not benefit the investigation. “The attorney-client privilege has been portrayed by some as an evil device by which misconduct is somehow allowed to be secreted so wrongdoers can escape justice and defeat the legal rights of others,” wrote attorneys James Guenther and James Jordan. “There is nothing sinister about it. It does not corrupt justice; it creates the space for justice." 

Memphis Area Legal Services will hold a power of attorney and advanced directive clinic next week. Attorneys will draft and execute documents over the course of the week. Contact Constance Brown at cbrown@malsi.org to volunteer.

Shelby County lawyer Erin Massey Everitt was reinstated to the practice of law on Sept. 20 after being placed on inactive status more than five years ago. Everitt filed a petition seeking reinstatement and the Board of Professional Responsibility determined that the petition was satisfactory. The Tennessee Supreme Court filed the order today.

Attorneys and judges gathered this afternoon for the Nashville Bar Association’s annual Law Day celebration at the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Nashville. This year’s program theme was Advancing the Rule of Law Now. U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Jane Stranch provided the keynote address and the NBA awarded the Jack Norman Sr. Award to Federal Public Defender Henry Martin and the Liberty Bell Award to Davidson County Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle. Court of Appeals Judge Frank Clement served as the master of ceremonies. TBA President Sherie Edwards and Executive Director Joycelyn Stevenson were on hand for the celebration.

Nashville lawyer and former TBA President Gail Vaughn Ashworth will receive the ABA Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section’s Edmund S. Muskie Pro Bono Service Award this week at the section’s fall meeting. The award recognizes section members who demonstrate a commitment to justice and dedication to pro bono service. Ashworth is a member of the section’s council, mentor for its leadership programs and past chair of its Medicine and Law Committee. She is a founding member of Wiseman Ashworth Law Group PLC where she handles personal injury, insurance coverage, employment law and medical ethics. Ashworth was TBA president in 2009-2010.

A news item in yesterday’s issue of TBA Today included the wrong date for an upcoming International Law virtual webinar. The program will be offered Thursday from 9 a.m. to noon CDT. Topics will include trade promotion, a panel discussion on diversity and inclusion, international investments and other hot topics.

Williamson County has launched a $281 million construction project to overhaul its judicial, juvenile and jail facilities, the Tennessean reports. Changes include renovating and expanding the courthouse in downtown Franklin; replacing and expanding the adult jail in its current location; building a new Juvenile Justice Center that will encompass courtrooms, juvenile services and a detention and respite center in a new location; building a Williamson County Schools alternative learning center; repurposing the current recycling center as a special operations unit for the sheriff’s department; adapting a warehouse into new administrative office space; and expanding the sheriff department's gun range. The project is slated to be completed in late 2025.