What is happening in the Tennessee Legislature this week? Read Stephanie D. Coleman's summary in this week's Bill Watch.
Bill Watch is a service of the Knoxville Bar Association Legislative Committee. During each week of the legislative session, the KBA will distribute an updated report, through the support of Stephanie D. Coleman of Owings, Wilson & Coleman. The report will indicate progress and recent actions taken on the bills of interest to KBA members. Each week's report will be made available on the KBA Website and News.
Knoxville Bar Association Issues Statement on Independence of the Judiciary - March 4, 2021
Today the KBA joined other state and local bar associations to comment about the independence of the judiciary as it relates to HR 23, which was introduced recently in the Tennessee House of Representatives to consider a process to remove Davidson County Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle from the bench. For the long-term health of the legal profession and the judiciary and to promote public trust and confidence in the courts, the bar must lead the way in responding to unfair criticism of the judiciary and to support judicial independence.
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The Knoxville Bar Association (KBA) held its Annual Meeting virtually on Friday, December 11, 2020. The President's gavel was passed from Hanson R. Tipton, a member of the Knoxville law firm of Watson, Roach, Batson & Lauderback, PLC, to Cheryl G. Rice, a civil litigator with Egerton McAfee Armistead & Davis, P.C.
President Tipton thanked his fellow board members for their support of his year and recognized the KBA staff for their dedication to East Tennessee attorneys, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Incoming President Cheryl Rice thanked Mr. Tipton for his service to the Association, which included innovative virtual programming, construction of a Habitat for Humanity house, and regular town halls with court officials. Ms. Rice discussed how her term as President would focus on ways the Association can better serve members' needs to meet the challenges and struggles imposed upon local attorneys in the current moment, trying to work during the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the meeting, the following KBA members were elected as officers for 2021:
President-Elect - Jason H. Long, London Amburn, P.C. Treasurer - Loretta G. Cravens, Cravens Legal Secretary - Catherine E. Shuck, East Tennessee Children's Hospital
The membership elected the following KBA members to the four open positions on the Board of Governors:
Jonathan D. Cooper, Knox Defense Daniel L. Ellis, Disability Rights Tennessee Eric M. Lutton, Knox County Public Defender's Law Office Carlos A. Yunsan, Tennessee Appellate Courts
Dwight E. Tarwater, Paine | Tarwater | Bickers, LLP, was presented the KBA's highest award, the prestigious Governors' Award, which is given annually to a lawyer whose peers believe has brought distinction and honor to the legal profession. Mr. Tarwater has distinguished himself with a long and tremendous career of service to the bar and the community, including serving as General Counsel to Governor Bill Haslam.
Retired Criminal Court Judge Mary Beth Leibowitz was presented with the Judicial Excellence Award. The Award recognizes judges felt by the Association’s Board of Governors to be deserving of special recognition. The award has existed for many years. It has rarely been given.
The Presidents' Award for 2020 was presented to Denise Moretz of Woolf McClane Bright Allen & Carpenter. Ms. Moretz was recognized for her work on the recently published "Planning Ahead: A Guide to Protecting Your Clients' Interests in the Event of Your Disability or Death" to assist lawyers with succession planning. The awards for outstanding writing were presented to Phillip Hampton and William T. Ramsey for their column, which appears in the KBA monthly magazine DICTA. KBA member Nick McCall was recognized for his long-running series "The Last Word" in DICTA.
Amanda T. Tonkin, an attorney with the Social Security Administration, was introduced as President of the Knoxville Barristers, the Young Lawyers Division of the KBA. It was announced that during the elections earlier this week, the following were elected as Barristers Officers: Vice President - Meagan Collver, London Amburn, PC Secretary/Treasurer - Zack Walden, Eldridge & Blakney Members-at-Large - Matt Knable, Law Office of Matthew R. Knable Charles Sharrett, London Amburn, PC It was also announced that Mitchell Panter and Matt Knable, Co-Chairs of the Volunteer Breakfast Committee, were presented with the Barristers' Presidents' Award for 2020.
Researchers at UTC are conducting a study about attorney stress. We have surveyed members of the Chattanooga Bar Association and would love to hear from members of the Knoxville Bar too. The survey will take 15 to 20 minutes. By participating you’ll help us learn more about working in the legal profession so that we can develop helpful resources for managing stress and improving health. You’ll also be entered into a raffle for several $20 Amazon Gift Cards. The survey will close on Friday, March 12, and results will be shared with the KBA membership. To begin the survey, click here: https://attorneystress.questionpro.com. For more information, you can also contact Kristen Black at kristen-j-black@utc.edu.
Yesterday the Tennessee Supreme Court ordered that the July bar exam be held as a computer-based test due to continued concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic. The order explains that many of the test takers are in their 20s and not likely to be vaccinated by the July exam date. Restrictions on holding large, indoor gatherings that will still be in place also contributed to the decision. The National Conference of Bar Examiners is preparing a remotely administered Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) that will be utilized. Applicants who pass the online bar exam will be eligible for admission in Tennessee and any of the 35 other states that accept a UBE score. Registration for the July bar exam will open on March 1. The February bar exam was already set to be taken remotely. Read more from the Administrative Office of the Courts.
The Tennessee Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, the Knoxville Bar Association, and the Federal Bar Associations in the Eastern District of Tennessee, in partnership with Legal Aid of East Tennessee (LAET), the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services, and the Tennessee Supreme Court's Access to Justice Commission will host a virtual Debt Relief Legal Advice Clinic for pre-screened individuals on Saturday, March 13, beginning at 9:00 a.m. by Zoom. The advice clinic will be available to qualified individuals who live in counties in the Eastern District that are within the territory of LAET. Attorneys will volunteer to conduct initial meetings with the clients to discuss their situations and options.
Qualification for the free services will be income-based, with pre-screening by LAET in the various court divisions of the Eastern District of Tennessee. The clinic clients may also be eligible for free bankruptcy services.
Individuals who seek assistance may sign up by contacting the LAET listed below:
(865) 637-0484
if you live in Blount, Knox, Loudon, or Sevier County
(423) 928-8311
if you live in Carter, Cocke, Grainger, Greene, Hamblen, Hancock, Hawkins, Jefferson, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi, or Washington County
(423) 402-4766
if you live in Bledsoe, Bradley, Hamilton, Marion, McMinn, Meigs, Monroe, Polk, Rhea, or Sequatchie County
The deadline to call for qualification screening based on income is March 4. To qualify for the clinic, an individual in a household of 4, for example, could make no more than $5,458.33 monthly, depending on expenses. After a person is pre-screened and found to qualify for the clinic, the next step is completing a short questionnaire outlining the facts relevant to the question or problem. Each qualified participant who completes the questionnaire will be given the Zoom contact information and matched with a volunteer attorney. The clinic will begin with an introduction by Judge Bauknight to explain the purpose of the clinic and the basics of chapter 7 bankruptcy, including the pros and cons of filing for bankruptcy relief. After Judge Bauknight's short presentation, the clinic clients and volunteer attorneys will be paired in confidential Zoom breakout rooms for individual consultations.
Attorneys interested in volunteering to help in this clinic should click here. Veterans seeking advice can learn more about the clinic by clicking here.
The Judicial Conference of the United States has authorized the appointment of a full-time United States Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Knoxville. View the notice in PDF document here, or view the full notice on the U.S. District Court website.
The Knoxville Bar Foundation was established in 1992 to improve the administration of justice, to enhance the public’s understanding of and confidence in the legal system, and to serve the legal profession. The Bar Foundation has awarded grants totaling approximately $ 485,000 for local law-related projects and programs since its inception. This is a meaningful contribution to programs that promote and enable the essence of what we as lawyers seek – liberty and justice for all. Last year the Board of Directors approved thirteen grant requests, totaling $30,000.
In May 2021, the Knoxville Bar Foundation will award grants to deserving applicants. The individual grant awards usually are $5,000 or less and the deadline for submitting grant applications is March 5, 2021. Please note that grant funding may not be used for operating costs and endowments. We are excited about this year’s grant program and encourage interested parties and organizations to apply. Submit all grant applications before 5:00 p.m. on March 5, 2021 to Charles Swanson, Chairman, Knoxville Bar Foundation, P.O. Box 2027, Knoxville, Tennessee 37901 or deliver to 505 W. Main Street, Suite 50, Knoxville, Tennessee 37902.
View the full press release and grant application here.
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