The Tennessee Court Talk podcast is out with a new episode that explores the work of the state’s general sessions courts. In Tennessee, these courts have broad jurisdiction over civil claims and play a key role in almost every criminal prosecution in the state. Join Judges Lee Bussart of Marshall County, Lynda Jones of Davidson County, Alex McVeagh of Hamilton County, and Kee Bryant-McCormick of Sumner County as they discuss the role of general sessions courts in the state judicial system. The podcast is available on the court's website, or anywhere podcasts are normally available.

Georgia attorney Jason Wesley Lawless was reinstated to the practice of law in Tennessee last week after having been on inactive status for more than five years. The court took the action on Friday after the Board of Professional Responsibility reported that it found the petition for reinstatement to be satisfactory.

Due to the recent death of 21st Judicial District Attorney General Kim Helper, the governor’s office is accepting applications to fill the office until the next biennial election takes place in August 2024. To be considered, interested attorneys should submit a resume and cover letter by mail to Chief Counsel to the Governor Erin Merrick, State Capitol, First Floor, 600 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Nashville, TN 37243 or by email to Katelin.Brown@tn.gov by 5 p.m. CDT on April 14. Applicants must have been a resident of the state for five years and of the judicial district for one year. The 21st Judicial District serves Williamson County. Read the full announcement.

The deadlines for nominating individuals for three of the TBA’s annual awards have been extended due to technical issues with the online forms. Nominations for the Claudia Jack Award and Justice Frank F. Drowota III Outstanding Judicial Service Award are now due on Wednesday. Nominations for the Judge Pamela L. Reeves Tennessee Professionalism Award are due on Friday.

The Board of Professional Responsibility on Friday released two proposed formal ethics opinions and asked the legal community to provide comments on them. The first, FEO 2023-F-169, deals with the ethical obligations of attorneys and their firms to notify clients of their options when an attorney leaves a firm. The second, FEO 2023-F-170, deals with updated guidelines for an attorney’s acceptance of electronic payments. Comments should be submitted no later than May 1 by email to Laura Chastain or by mail to The Board of Professional Responsibility, 10 Cadillac Dr., Ste. 220, Brentwood, TN 37027.

Kevin G. Ritz, U.S. attorney for the western district of Tennessee, has launched a new initiative aimed at educating high school students on identifying, reporting and preventing hate crimes and other civil rights violations. “Civil rights enforcement is a priority of the United States Attorney’s Office,” Ritz said. “Ensuring that our citizens, even the young ones, understand the law and how to report what they believe are civil rights violations or hate crimes is essential.” The first event was held at Central High School in Memphis. Learn more about the program or read the full release from Ritz’s office.

Former Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice William Muecke Barker died Monday morning at the age of 81. Barker, from Chattanooga, spent 25 years on the judicial bench and 10 as a justice on the state Supreme Court. His experience included service with the Deetsen Firm, as circuit court judge in Hamilton County and on the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals. He was named to the Supreme Court in 1998 and retired in 2008. He then joined the Chambliss Law Firm, where he served until fully retiring in 2021. Barker is a former president of the Chattanooga Trial Lawyers Association and is a fellow of both the Chattanooga Bar Foundation and the Tennessee Bar Foundation. The Administrative Office of the Courts has more on his life. Funeral details are pending.

Memphis-based federal Judge Thomas Parker late Friday imposed a temporary restraining order on implementation of the state’s new law limiting drag show performances, the Commercial Appeal reports. The law was set to go into effect on Saturday. Parker heard three hours of arguments on Thursday and on Friday said the law as written is too vague. A law is unconstitutionally vague if individuals of “common intelligence must necessarily guess at its meaning and differ as to its application," he wrote. The decision came in a suit filed by Friends of George's, a Memphis-based LGBTQ theatre group.

The TBA’s Litigation Section will host its annual forum on May 4 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. CDT as a live virtual event. This year’s forum will offer essential and useful material for litigators. It is being produced by Litigation Section Section Chair Tannera Gibson with Burch, Porter & Johnson. Confirmed speakers include Will Perry with Butler Snow and Stephen Shields with Jackson, Shields, Yeiser, Holt, Owen & Bryant. All three practice in Memphis. Topics include court-mandated ADR, economic loss doctrine and ethical implications of artificial intelligence in the legal landscape.

The TBA is bringing its award-winning CLE programming to Savannah on April 26. The Court Square program is designed to provide attorneys with the latest developments in multiple areas of the law. Start the afternoon with a lunch and learn networking session with TBA leadership. Other topic areas will be announced soon. The event will run from 11:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. CDT at the Venue on Main, 454 Main St., Savannah 38372.