Knoxville attorney Jack H. "Nick" McCall Jr., 63, died April 13 on the final day of his family vacation in the Bahamas. McCall was a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army, serving as a Regular Army captain before receiving his law degree from the University of Tennessee, where he served as editor in chief of the Tennessee Law Review. He was of counsel with Hunton & Williams’ Knoxville office from 1994 to 2003, and served as general counsel and secretary of CTI Molecular Imaging Inc. from 2003 to 2005. During that time, he taught as an adjunct professor at UT Law. The author of various articles on legal, foreign policy and historical topics, and the author/co-author of three books, McCall served on the TBA Board of Governors as well as on the Knoxville Bar Association Board, and the founding board of Legal Aid of East Tennessee. He was a member of the TBA’s Leadership Law Class of 2005, among other honors, awards, activities and community service roles. In his last position, McCall served as a senior attorney and deputy designated agency ethics official with the Tennessee Valley Authority in Knoxville, from which he retired in 2021. Our thanks to the Knoxville Bar Association for its assistance with this story. Arrangements are pending.

Nashville native and rap/country artist Jelly Roll, whose real name is Jason DeFord, is being sued for alleged trademark infringement. Kurt L. Titchenell is the leader of a Pennsylvania-based dance band called Jellyroll, and in his suit, he states that his band has used that name since March of 1980, more than four years before DeFord was born. The band received a trademark in August of 2010, and renewed that trademark most recently in December of 2019. Rolling Stone has more.

The Diane Nash Plaza in front of the Metro Nashville Courthouse will be dedicated to the civil rights leader on April 20. The celebration will commence with a press conference at 8:30 a.m. CDT at the historic First Baptist Capitol Hill Church, immediately followed by a parade to the Plaza, featuring high school bands and many local organizations, civic leaders and other civil rights icons. The dedication will begin at 10 a.m. Nash rose to prominence as an activist, leader and strategist in the student wing of the Civil Rights Movement. The Tennessee Tribune has more information.

East Tennessee Lawyers’ Association For Women (ETLAW) will host its annual Tennessee Supreme Court Luncheon on May 21 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. EDT. Join the East Tennessee legal community at The Square Room, 4 Market Square, Knoxville 37902, to honor state Supreme Court justices and other members of the judiciary. Individual tickets are $50. A table of eight may be purchased/sponsored for $350. Register here by May 16. Contact Bianca White with questions.

Join your colleagues April 26 from 3-4 p.m. CDT for Pro Bono 101: Skills for Legal Volunteers. This webcast will cover helpful practice tips and cultural competency skills for working with clients, especially in pro bono and other access to justice contexts. Presenters will address various scenarios that may come up when working with legal service projects and pro bono clients. Get more information and register here. The program is free and offers one complimentary hour of CLE credit for TBA members.

In addition to compelling CLE, social events and networking opportunities, the 2024 TBA Annual Convention will include meetings of TBA's governing bodies. On June 12, the House of Delegates will meet in the afternoon, while new section chairs will meet to make plans for the 2024-2025 bar year. On June 14, the TBA Board of Governors and its Executive Committee will meet after the Lawyers Luncheon. Later that afternoon, the Tennessee Legal Community Foundation (TLCF) and TBA Member Insurance Solutions (TBAMS) will hold their respective board meetings. Wrapping up the day, the Young Lawyers Division's (YLD) Long Range Planning Committee will meet and all young lawyer members of the TBA will gather for the division's annual meeting. On June 15, members of the YLD Board will meet for committee breakouts and their summer board meeting. Check out the full convention schedule and make plans to be in Memphis June 12-15!

The Knoxville Bar Association and the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, in partnership with Legal Aid of East Tennessee (LAET), will hold a Debt Relief Clinic to provide pro bono legal services to income-eligible consumer debtors in Knox, Blount, Loudon and Sevier counties. The clinic will begin at 8:45 a.m. EDT at the Knox County Public Defender's Community Law Office, 1101 Liberty St., Knoxville 37919. Attorneys will volunteer to conduct initial meetings with the clients to discuss their situations and options. Those interested in helping, or those seeking advice, should call the LAET office at 865-637-0484. The deadline for client registration is April 26.

A lawsuit brought over the 2022 death of Landon Eastep will go forward after U.S. District Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw Jr. declined for now to grant immunity to police officers and state troopers accused of using excessive force while interacting with Eastep. Instead, Crenshaw reserved the issue until there is "further factual development" in the case. He did throw out one claim of failure to protect Eastep and all claims against the Metro Nashville and Mount Juliet governments. Nine law enforcement officials opened fire on 37-year-old Eastep after a 30-minute standoff on Interstate 65 when he pulled a metal object, later determined not to be a weapon, from his pocket. The Tennessean has more on the decision.

Two open positions on the TBA Board of Governors will be filled by the body when it convenes on June 14 at the TBA Annual Convention in Memphis. During its spring meeting this past weekend, the board declared the vacancies in accordance with Article 47 of the TBA Bylaws. The openings are for a West Tennessee Grand Division Governor and a Middle Tennessee Grand Division Governor, each of which will serve a one-year term. To be considered for either position, email TBA Executive Director Sheree Wright with your interest by June 1. Please include a resume with your submission as well as any other information you would like the Board of Governors to consider.

Gov. Bill Lee has signed three bills into law in the last few days. HB2124/SB2576 requires local police to work with ICE whenever an undocumented person is detained. The Associated Press reports on that measure. HB2169/SB1738 prevents the Department of Children’s Services from requiring foster parents to support LGBT rights, meaning the parents in question do not have to accept a child’s sexual orientation or gender identity to become the caregiver. Courthouse News has more on that bill. Finally, HB1726/SB2359 prohibits the Department of Children’s Services from requiring an immunization for foster parents. Before this change the families had to be vaccinated against the flu and whooping cough in an effort to protect medically fragile children, according to The Nashville Scene.