The Annual Membership Meeting will be held on Friday, December 13, 2019 at 8:30 a.m. at the Main Assembly Room of the City County Building. A continental breakfast will be available at 8:00 a.m. in the Small Assembly Room. At the end of the meeting, Hanson R. Tipton will assume the presidency. The Nominating Committee for the Officers and Board of Governors of the Knoxville Bar Association for the upcoming year is comprised of: Hanson R. Tipton, Chair, Tasha C. Blakney, Soojin Kim, Chris W. McCarty, Hon. John F. Weaver, M. Samantha Parris and Matthew R. Lyon. The Committee, having met, recommends that the following, all of whom are members of the Knoxville Bar Association, be placed in nomination at the Annual Meeting: President-Elect: Cheryl G. Rice Treasurer: Jason H. Long Secretary: Loretta G. Cravens There are four open positions on the Board of Governors. Three of the Board of Governor positions will be for three-year terms. The fourth is the one-year term government/public sector position. Nominations to fill the open positions on the Board of Governors are the following: Three-Year Terms: Melissa B. Carrasco Michael J. Stanuszek Mark A. Castleberry Elizabeth M. Towe Meghan H. Morgan Taylor A. Williams Government/Public Sector Position: Hon. Kristi M. Davis According to Article VI, Section 1, of the KBA By-Laws: "Nominations may also be made from the floor during the Annual Meeting by any member in good standing." Pursuant to the Bylaws change approved at the Annual Meeting in 1996, members are permitted to vote by absentee ballot. Any member in good standing who personally comes to the offices of the Knoxville Bar Association during regular business hours on any of the ten (10) working days immediately preceding the day of the Annual Meeting will be permitted to vote. Voting will be available between November 27 and December 12 between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. The member must first file a written form making oath that he or she will not be in town or otherwise be unable to attend the Annual Meeting. Then the member will be permitted to cast an absentee ballot for such officer or board positions as may be contested. All judges have been requested to delay court until 10:00 a.m. on the morning of December 13, 2019.
And the Survey Says...
Slightly more than half of the lawyers participating in the KBA Economics and Law Office Management Service indicated that they bill at over $250 per hour and most of those anticipate that their hourly rate will remain the same in 2020. When asked if they would pursue the legal profession as a career if they were making the decision again, 56 percent said “yes, 16 percent said “no,” and 28 percent of respondents were “not sure.” Eighty-nine percent of respondents report their firms pay their annual Bar fees and 87 percent pick up the tab for CLE courses.
The KBA’s first-ever bar survey was completed by 278 lawyers or 18.5% of the total membership. Joanne O’Reilly of the American Bar Association’s Division of Bar Services was responsible for data collection and she reported that we can have high confidence that the survey responses reflect the demographics and economics of the Knoxville legal community overall.
Survey respondents indicated the average salary for recent law school grads with no experience is $65,539. Lawyers with fewer than three years of experience are averaging $75,549; $88,462 for those in practice three to five years; and $100,421 for those with six to eight years’ experience. Lawyers with more than eight years on the job are averaging $118,953 per year, and partners and shareholders are pulling in an average of $203,194.
Knoxville lawyers also reported spending an average of slightly less than 50 hours in the office each week and billing for 32 of those hours. Eighty-three percent spend at least an hour per week on volunteer work, with 20% spending 6-10 hours per week.The average number of pro bono hours completed in 2018 was 34.6 hours.
Seventeen percent had at least $100,000 in educational debt upon graduation from law school and twenty-three percent had less than $25,000 in debt.
Forty-four percent of respondents reported either operating a solo practice or working in a firm or other legal setting with five or fewer lawyers, while 16 percent say they work with more than 25 attorneys. Respondents also reported, on average, 57 percent of their offices’ gross receipts went to pay the lawyers in the office, while 21 percent went to support-staff salaries. The remaining 23 percent covered all other firm expenses.
Eighty-five percent of those who completed the survey are satisfied with the services the KBA provides and the most frequently used services were live CLE courses (71%), Attorney’s Directory (77%), and social events (43%).
Have I piqued your interest? To view the complete survey results which are filtered based on years of experience, employment setting and firm size, you must log in to the KBA website. Click here to log in.
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee is inviting the legal community to attend the investiture of Clifton L. Corker as a new district judge. The ceremony will take place Nov. 1 at 1:30 p.m. at the James H. Quillen U.S. Courthouse at 220 West Depot St. in Greeneville. A reception will follow the ceremony. RSVP here. President Trump announced Corker’s nomination last fall. The U.S. Senate approved his nomination in July. Corker previously served as a U.S. magistrate judge for the Eastern District of Tennessee.
The Trial Court Vacancy Commission is now accepting applications for a criminal court judge in the 6th Judicial District, which covers Knox County. The vacancy is being created by the retirement of Judge Bob R. McGee on Jan. 1, 2020. Applications are due by noon central time on Oct. 22. Complete application instructions are online.
Knoxville Bar Association Annual Memorial Service Friday, November 22, 2019 3:00 p.m. Tennessee Supreme Court Courtroom 505 Main Street, 2nd Floor We gather, not for the purpose of grieving, but rather to celebrate the careers of, and to honor, applaud, and express our gratitude to, those members of the Knoxville Bar who passed away in the last year. IN MEMORIAM:
Fred Bright, Jr. Charles A. Maner, Jr. John A. McReynolds, Jr. William (Bill) Pierce Newkirk Hon. James B. (Buddy) Scott Pamela G. Steele Robert M. Stivers, Jr. Joining KBA President Wynne Caffey-Knight in the reflection and celebration of the lives of these individuals will be Rev. Charles Fels and Hon. Charles D. Susano, Jr., Tennessee Court of Appeals.
ADM2019-01685- The state Supreme Court issued an order soliciting comments to proposed amendments to Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 9, Sections 8, 12 and 30. The changes include prohibiting individuals disbarred on or after July 1, 2020, from being reinstated. The deadline for submitting written comments is Dec. 17.
Sevierville attorney Cynthia Richardson Wyrick was named a federal magistrate judge on September 17, 2019. The appointment was announced by Chief Judge Pamela L. Reeves of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. Wyrick will fill a vacancy created when former magistrate judge Clifton L. Corker was appointed as U.S. district judge on July 26. The position serves the court’s Northeastern Division, which is based in the federal courthouse in Greeneville. Reeves will administer the oath of office to Wyrick in an informal ceremony at the Greeneville courthouse on Sept. 30. A formal investiture will be scheduled for a later date. Magistrate judges are appointed by the district judges to eight-year terms and are eligible for reappointment. Wyrick currently works for the law firm of Ogle, Wyrick & Associates. Read Full Press Release.
ADM2019-01537- The Tennessee Supreme Court is considering amending Rule 12, Sections 1 and 2 of the Rules of the Tennessee Supreme Court and the First-Degree Murder Report which is appended to Rule 12. The court is seeking written comments on the proposals from judges, lawyers, interested organizations and the public. Written comments are due by Oct. 2 and may be e-mailed toappellatecourtclerk@tncourts.gov or mailed to James M. Hivner, Clerk, Re: Tenn. Sup. Ct. R. 12, 100 Supreme Court Building, 401 Seventh Ave. N., Nashville, TN 37219-1407.
If you think you need a lawyer, chances are, you do. But what if you are really not sure? What if you don’t know what questions you should ask? The Knoxville Bar Association developed LawLine Online to assist clients in determining if they have a legal matter or if another entity would be better suited to offer assistance. With the help of the local courts, governmental and community service organizations and more than thirty-five members of the Knoxville Bar Association, LawLine Online became a reality in June, 1999. More than 70 topics, grouped in 16 major categories, aid in understanding common legal problems, recognizing potential legal problems and understanding how the justice system works. Additionally, there is information on where to go if further help is needed. The messages are written in a straightforward, easy-to-understand manner using everyday language. The LawLine material is reviewed for accuracy by attorney volunteers on a regular basis or as needed when changes occur to Tennessee law. While not intended to replace the advice of an attorney or provide specific legal advice, LawLine Online can nevertheless provide general information and assist those who aren’t sure where to go for help, or even what kind of help they may need. The Knoxville Bar Association is a non-profit corporation organized to work for the improvement and increased effectiveness of the legal profession and the administration of justice. The Association, which has 1,854 members, offers continuing legal education and service to the community through programs such as the Lawyer Referral & Information Service, Legal Advice Clinics and LawLine OnLine. Additional public service information may be found at the Association's website at www.knoxbar.org.
ADM2019-01434- The Tennessee Supreme Court is considering amending Rule 25, which concerns the manners in which the Tennessee Lawyers’ Fund for Client Protection (TLFCP) board members are allowed to officially communicate. The court seeks public comment on the proposed changes, which should be submitted by Sept. 16. Comments may be submitted to James M. Hivner, Clerk, Re: Tenn. Sup. Ct. R. 25, section 5.03, Tennessee Appellate Courts,100 Supreme Court Building, 401 7th Avenue North, Nashville, TN 37219-1407, or email to appellatecourtclerk@tncourts.gov.
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