Rita Roberts-Turner, chief of staff to former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and chief administrative officer at WeGo Public Transit, has joined the law firm of Klein Solomon Mills. She also previously served as chief of staff for Vanderbilt University’s office of general counsel, and as director of human resources, assistant attorney and assistant public defender for the Metro Nashville government. At WeGo, she led legal work and community engagement for the North Nashville Neighborhood Transit Center. Roberts-Turner now will focus on employment law, government services and nonprofit organizations. She joins former Metro legal director Saul Solomon at the firm. The Nashville Post has more on her career.

The TBA recently announced it is hosting a book club that will meet quarterly over the next 12 months. After polling members to select the first book, participants have chosen Killers of the Flower Moon — a true-life murder mystery involving the Osage Nation in Oklahoma. Shortly after discovering oil on its reservation, Osage people began dying under mysterious circumstances. Several who investigated the killings also were murdered. The newly created FBI, under the leadership of director J. Edgar Hoover, teamed up with the Texas Rangers to tackle what would prove to be one of the most chilling conspiracies in American history. Start reading now and watch for details about an upcoming discussion on the book, featuring a special guest, in September.

The Tennessee Department Revenue has released its annual list of bills passed by the General Assembly and signed into law by the governor in 2022 that impact the agency’s work. Short summaries of each are posted on the department’s website and are organized into 11 subject areas: administration, alcoholic beverages, beer tax, business tax, franchise & excise tax, fuel tax, local occupancy tax, privilege tax, sales & use tax, tire fee, and title & registration.

The Lincoln Memorial University’s Duncan School of Law has announced important dates for the fall semester. A virtual orientation for 1Ls will be held on Aug. 5, while an in-person orientation will take place Aug. 8-9. The first day of fall classes will be Aug. 11. The school also recently announced that Katie Tolliver Jones has been promoted to associate professor of law. Jones joined the faculty in 2017. Since then, she has taught first-year academic success courses as well as upper-level electives such as estate planning and contract drafting. In 2020, Jones was promoted to director of academic success and assessment. In this role, she not only oversees the law school’s academic success program, but also has chief responsibility for administering exams and programmatic assessments. She previously was in private practice in Knoxville. She was the TBA Young Lawyers District Representative for the area from 2012-2013.

Former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kateri Dahl is suing Johnson City Police Chief Karl Turner and the city in federal court, alleging the chief eliminated funding for her job after she pressed the agency to build a case against an individual she believes has raped at least 10 women. She also claims the department ignored or downplayed repeated allegations of rape, mocked the complaining women, and tipped the alleged suspect off to a pending federal indictment, allowing him to escape arrest. Dahl’s suit accuses the department and city of civil conspiracy to violate her First Amendment free speech rights and 14th Amendment due process rights. Tennessee Lookout has an in-depth look at the case.

International firm Womble Bond Dickinson has opened a Nashville office and hired Masami Izumida Tyson as a global business and international trade partner, the Nashville Post reports. Tyson previously was global director of foreign direct investment and trade for the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. In that role, she oversaw efforts to recruit international companies to Tennessee. Before that, Tyson served as senior counsel for Nissan North America and held positions at Neal & Harwell and Mentor Graphics. Three of the firm’s partners — Alan Enslen, Josh Mullen and John Scannapieco — also will be splitting their time between the Washington, D.C., and Nashville offices. Jamie Francis, head of the Corporate & Securities Practice, cited Nashville’s growth as an international business center and technology hub as motivating the decision to establish a presence here. The new office is located at 1222 Demonbreun, Nashville, TN 37203.

Shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in Shinn v. Ramirez, the ABA Death Penalty Representation Project put out a call for more pro bono attorneys to help represent people on death row. In the recent decision, the court found that two men convicted of murder in Arizona could not introduce new evidence in federal court to prove claims of ineffective counsel in their trials, the ABA Journal reports. Emily Olson-Gault, director of the project, says the decision means prisoners now need the best possible pro bono counsel to help them develop postconviction “ineffective assistance of counsel” claims in state court so the foundation is laid for consideration in federal court. For more information on how to get involved, visit the project’s website or email deathpenaltyproject@americanbar.org.

Gov. Bill Lee yesterday named Troy Haley the new administrator of the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation. He will take office on Sept. 1, replacing Abbie Hudgens, who is retiring. Haley currently serves as the bureau’s legal services director. He has been with the bureau since 2007 in various roles. Also yesterday, Lee reappointed Timothy W. Conner as presiding judge on the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board. Conner has served on the board since 2014 and became presiding judge in January 2020. Read more about the appointments. The bureau also has announced that it will hold a retirement luncheon for Hudgens on Aug. 17.

President Joe Biden signed an executive order today aimed at preserving some access to abortion services, but said that Congress has ultimate control over the issue, Politico reports. “The fastest way to restore Roe is to pass a national law codifying Roe, which I will sign immediately ... ”, he said. Among its provisions, the order instructs the government to protect and expand access to contraception and abortion medication, beef up enforcement of Obamacare’s birth control coverage mandate, consider ways to shore up privacy rights for patients using digital apps that could be targeted, and consider strengthening protections for doctors who perform abortions. The order also directs the Department of Justice to convene private pro-bono lawyers and public interest groups to defend women targeted for prosecution if they travel out of state for abortions. Read more about the effort from the White House.

A celebration of life for former Davidson County General Sessions and Circuit Court Judge Barbara Haynes has been set for July 16 at 1:30 p.m. CDT at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 3900 West End Ave., Nashville. Haynes passed away in January after a long illness. She was 84. Haynes was the first woman elected general sessions judge in the county and was later elected to the circuit court. Guests are asked to consider wearing orange in honor of Haynes’ love for the UT Vols or red as she was proud to wear a red robe on the bench. Guests are also invited to join the family at the Hillwood Country Club afterwards and toast to Haynes. The Tennessean has more on the ceremony and Haynes’ life.