The Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands has announced that Charles Clark will be the keynote speaker for its 2023 Breakfast of Champions fundraiser on April 5 at 8 a.m. CDT. Clark is a motivational speaker and creator of the Thrive Planner. Before becoming an international speaker, Clark was a three time NCAA National Champion and USA Track and Field Championships silver medalist. He now focuses his career on teaching others how to use adversity to build greater strength, success and fulfillment. Registration for the breakfast ends on March 28 at 11 p.m.

An attorney from Kansas City is seeking to do away with Tennessee’s professional privilege tax according to the Tennessee Journal. Thomas West has filed suit in Sumner County challenging the $400 tax for lawyers, investment advisers and lobbyists. He argues in the suit that the annual fee is “arbitrary, capricious and wholly unreasonable.” In 2021, Sumner County was designated as the court of origin for civil cases in which the plaintiff lives out of state. The case will be heard by a three-judge panel. In recent years, the state has eliminated the tax for other professions. The TBA is continuing its lobbying efforts to have the tax eliminated for Tennessee-licensed lawyers.

The late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was remembered Friday during ceremonies at the high court, the Associated Press reports. Speaking at the event, Chief Justice John Roberts called Ginsburg a “woman of conviction, courage and quiet compassion,” while Attorney General Merrick Garland called her the “chief tactician in the campaign for equal rights for women.” A number of Ginsburg’s law clerks, including Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, also spoke. All nine of the court’s current members attended the ceremony as did former justices Anthony Kennedy and Stephen Breyer. In related news, the National Judicial College recently held its annual Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg lecture as a free virtual event on what would have been the justice’s 90th birthday.

At a news conference Friday, the family of Tyre Nichols joined the family of Gershun Freeman in calling for justice for Freeman, who died after a “physical altercation” with officers at the Shelby County Correctional Facility. Shortly before the news conference, the families and attorneys, including noted civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, met with Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy, who has recused himself from the case. The investigation is being handled by Nashville District Attorney Glenn Funk. His office released video earlier this month showing Freeman being punched, kicked and pepper sprayed after running out of his cell. Eventually, officers can be seen kneeling on his upper back, the Commercial Appeal reports.

Recent episodes of Legal Services Corporation’s "Talk Justice" podcast have featured conversations with tech experts, attorneys and directors of innovative legal solutions — all focused on expanding access to justice through technology. Topics include using remote partnerships to develop a court forms database, utilizing a virtual assembly line to accelerate access to justice projects, an overview of the LSC’s Innovations in Technology Conference, and a new technology fellowship for judicial innovation. Check these and other episodes on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and other popular podcast platforms.

Nashville-based Montgomery Bell Academy (MBA) was named the 2023 Tennessee State High School Mock Trial champion Saturday night after two days of preliminary trial rounds. It was the school's second back-to-back win and sixth win overall. The school prevailed over Signal Mountain High School of Hamilton County. Tennessee Court of Appeals Judge Jeffrey Usman presided over the round while members of the TBA YLD Executive Committee and TBA Board of Governors, including President Tasha Blakney, served as jurors. Earlier in the day, Farragut High School of Knoxville was awarded the 2023 Sportsmanship Award, the top 10 teams were announced, individual awards were presented to the best advocates and witnesses, and an MVP for each team was recognized. Special thanks to Mock Trial Committee Chair Judge Zack Walden, Vice Chair Ashley Tipton and members of the committee for organizing this year's event, which involved 14 teams, close to 200 participants and more than 100 volunteers, including sitting Tennessee judges, lawyers and law students. MBA will now represent Tennessee at the National High School Mock Trial Competition in Little Rock, Arkansas, in May. The team is coached by Nashville lawyers Wade Cowan and Tracy Hancock.

Recordings from the first part of TBA’s 2023 International Law Forum are now available on-demand as a 1-click CLE package. Programming includes sessions on foreign direct investment in Tennessee and international perspectives on ransomware. Earn two general CLE credits with just one click. Read more and purchase the CLE here.

The Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands will hold two clinics this week. On Wednesday, the group will hold a veterans clinic from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Operation Stand Down, 1125 12th Ave. S., Nashville 37203. On Saturday, a general advice clinic will be held from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. at Belmont University, 2005 12th Ave. S., Nashville 37204. All times central. To volunteer for these clinics, contact Kendra Cheek, 615-780-7131. See all March clinics.

The TBA is getting ready to hit the road again for the spring/summer season of its Court Square Series. Programming in each city will provide networking opportunities, developments and updates in multiple areas of the law and more. Save the date for events in Jamestown on April 12, Savannah on April 26 and Gallatin on June 7. Make plans now to attend!

A number of lawyers have been reinstated after being suspended for not paying required fees. They include 27 lawyers who did not pay their annual registration fee to the Board of Professional Responsibility — 15 in 2023, eight in 2022, one in 2021 and two in 2019 — and one who did not pay the inactive status fee in 2016. The TBA has records of all administrative suspensions and reinstatements going back to 2005. See all lists here.