Posted on: Dec 13, 2019
KBA President Wynne Caffey-Knight presided over the Annual Meeting of the Knoxville Bar Association on Friday, December 13, 2019. More than 275 lawyers and judges were in attendance. Mrs. Caffey-Knight announced that the following KBA members were elected as officers for 2020: Cheryl G. Rice – President-Elect, Jason H. Long – Treasurer, and Loretta G. Cravens - Secretary. The membership elected the following KBA members to the four open positions on the Board of Governors: Hon. Kristi Davis, Mark A. Castleberry, Michael J. Stanuszek and Elizabeth M. Towe. Hanson R. Tipton assumed the presidency of the 1900-plus member Knoxville Bar Association at the close of the meeting.
Hanson R. Tipton is a member in the Knoxville law firm of Watson, Roach, Batson & Lauderback, PLC. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Florida State University and his J.D. from the University of Tennessee College of Law. Mr. Tipton has been active in the Knoxville legal community for almost twenty years. He has served on and chaired numerous committees and boards in the Knoxville and Tennessee Bar Associations. He won the 2014 KBA President’s Award in recognition of outstanding performance and dedicated service on behalf of the Knoxville Bar Association. Mr. Tipton previously served as law clerk for Senior Judge John K. Byers.
In his remarks to Knoxville Bar Association members at the Annual Meeting, Mr. Tipton thanked the members for their continued committed service to the KBA and the people of our community in need of legal services. He discussed his plans for 2020, including a Habitat for Humanity house build, celebration of the centennial of women’s suffrage in the United States, and a focus on servant leadership. Mr. Tipton encouraged members to take advantage of the many resources and service opportunities offered by the KBA.
Thomas S. Scott, Jr. 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. Scott has distinguished himself with a long and tremendous career of service to the bar and to the community, including serving as KBA president in 1990. Mr. Scott is a worthy recipient of the Knoxville Bar Association’s Governors’ Award for his enduring, faithful, and distinguished service to the community.
The Presidents’ Awards for 2019 were presented to Courtney Epps Read and Emily Stulce for their work as Co-Chairs of the Functions Committee. The award for outstanding writing was presented to Luke Ihnen for his feature on the Butcher Banks which appeared in the November issue of the KBA monthly magazine DICTA. Retired Magistrate Judge C. Clifford Shirley Jr. was presented with the Don Paine Lawyer Legacy Award and the Judicial Excellence Award was presented to U.S. District Court Judge Pamela L. Reeves.
Allison Jackson was introduced as President of the Knoxville Barristers, the Young Lawyers Division of the KBA, and it was announced that Jason Collver and Meagan Collver, Co-Chairs of the Hunger & Poverty Relief Committee, were presented with the Barristers’ Presidents’ Award for 2019.
Posted on: Dec 11, 2019
On December 10th, Gov. Bill Lee appointed Kyle Hixson as criminal court judge for the 6th Judicial District, a vacancy created by Judge Bob McGee’s retirement. The 6th Judicial District covers Knox County. Prior to this appointment, Hixson served two stints in the Office of the Knox County District Attorney General. He is also an adjunct professor of law in trial practice at the University of Tennessee College of Law.
Posted on: Dec 3, 2019
ADMIN2019-02079
On November 21, 2019, the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility (“BPR”) and the Tennessee Lawyers’ Fund for Client Protection (“TLFCP”) filed a petition asking the Court to amend Rule 8, RPC 1.15 of the Rules of the Tennessee Supreme Court by adopting a new RPC 1.15(f). The proposed amendment is set out in the Appendix to this Order.
The Court hereby publishes the proposed amendment for public comment and solicits written comments from the bench, the bar, and the public. The deadline for submitting written comments is February 3, 2020. Written comments may be emailed to appellatecourtclerk@tncourts.gov.
Posted on: Nov 11, 2019
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.
View the Candidate Bios
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. The provisions are included at the bottom of this page.
All judges have been requested to delay court until 10:00 a.m. on the morning of December 13, 2019.
ABSENTEE BALLOTS VOTING IN THE KBA ELECTIONS 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. 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.
KBA Office Regular Business Hours: Monday - Friday 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. 10 Working Days Prior to the Annual Meeting: November 27 - December 12, 2019
Posted on: Nov 8, 2019
NOTICE FROM KNOX CO. CIRCUIT COURT CLERK’S OFFICE
The Knox County Circuit Court Clerk’s office has started sending bright green, postcard-style notices to attorneys informing them of upcoming motion hearings and trial dates. The clerk’s office also plans to begin sending email notices to lawyers probably beginning early next year. The new paper cards started going out to law offices in mid-October.
Previously attorneys with cases before circuit court had received similar-sized hearing notices but they were printed on plain white paper. The change to using a more vivid color and much thicker paper stock came in response to concerns that the notices were sometimes lost, misplaced or just plain overlooked. There was also concern that some of the prior notices – which were much flimsier than the new ones - were being damaged or lost in post office machines. Circuit Court Clerk Charles Susano is in the process of implementing several possible remedies, including the green cards and working with the office of information technology to implement the email notices.
