Nearly a month into her year-long term, Memphis Bar Association President Tannera Gibson sat down with the Tri-State Defender to talk about her role as the first African-American woman in the role. Gibson says she is looking for opportunities to change racial and ethnic perceptions during her term. Her goals for the year include a greater focus on the benefits of diversity, launching a leadership program for law students to raise awareness about the need for diversity, and starting a mentoring program for high school and college students who are looking at a career in law. Most of all, Gibson — the first African-American partner at Burch, Porter & Johnson — says she wants her term to be about more than symbolism. “I don’t want it to be an anomaly that black women serve in highly influential capacities,” she says.

Earlier this month, the National Conference of Bar Examiners announced that pilot testing for the “Next Gen Bar Exam” will begin sometime in 2026. The revised test will do away with the Multistate Bar Exam, the Multistate Essay Exam and the Multistate Performance Test to focus on knowledge and skills rather than rote memorization, according to Above the Law. The new exam also will be taken entirely on a computer. “Computer-based testing is more flexible than paper-based testing, and is more in line with the integrated assessment of knowledge and skills we will use for the new exam,” conference president Judith Gundersen said in announcing the news.

The Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments today filed amended notices for vacancies in the Court of Criminal Appeals Eastern Section and Court of Appeals Middle Section. The application deadline for the Court of Criminal Appeals is now noon CST on Feb. 21. The hearings dates remain March 3 and March 4. The application deadline for the Court of Appeals is now noon CST on Feb. 28. The hearing dates for those applicants will now be March 17 and March 18. More information and instructions for applying are available online.

The TBA Administrative Law Section has announced its Third Annual Writing Competition for Law Students. All students enrolled in a Tennessee law school during the 2021–2022 school year are eligible to enter. Submissions are now due April 25. The section offers this yearly competition to promote an interest in and understanding of both state and federal administrative law. The winning submission will be published in the Administrative Law Section newsletter and the winner will be awarded $1,000. Get more information and rules for the competition.

The American Bar Association kicks off its virtual Midyear Meeting on Feb. 9. Topics to be covered at legal programs include racial inequity, implicit bias, redistricting, land use and zoning and law enforcement-assisted diversion programs. The ABA House of Delegates also will meet online Feb. 14. It’s agenda is available here. Finally, the association will recognize five legal professionals with its 2022 Spirit of Excellence Award for commitment to racial and ethnic diversity in the profession. Among those being honored is Carlos E. Moore with the Ridgeland, Mississippi, office of The Cochran Firm, which also has offices in Memphis and Nashville.

The Tennessee Supreme Court today announced the retirement of Judy Bond-McKissack as executive director of the Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education. Bond-McKissack has served in the role since January 2011. She previously worked as a Board of Review hearing officer with the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, as chief legal counsel in the Secretary of State’s office, and as managing attorney for the Clarksville office of Legal Services of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands. She earned her law degree from Vanderbilt University. During her time with the commission, Bond-McKissack supervised an office move from the TBA building in downtown Nashville to space near the airport, managed development of a new website, oversaw an extensive revision of Supreme Court Rule 21, pushed for awarding lawyers CLE credit for pro bono representation, implemented a mentoring program, and developed a training program for CLE speakers. 

The state legislature’s Join Study Committee on Refugee Issues has approved a final report, Chattanoogan.com reports. During four meetings held between June and November of 2021, the committee heard from a range of individuals and organizations concerned about the federal government’s immigration program in the state, with a focus on the transfer of unaccompanied and undocumented children. The report recommends that the state suspend all license holders involved with the placement of migrant children “due to the complete lack of any follow-up to guarantee any of these children are not being used for illegal sex trafficking purposes.” It also calls for new legislation to give the state Department of Children’s Services oversight and control of any migrant children who arrive in the state. Read the full report.

Davidson County District Attorney General Glenn Funk's office has been named to handle the prosecution of a shooting case in Soddy Daisy after local district attorney Neal Pinkston recused himself based on the advice of the Board of Professional Responsibility. Pinkston asked the board if he had a conflict given that he has accused his political opponent Coty Wamp of obstruction of justice and witness tampering in the case. The board replied there could be a conflict. Wamp, who is legal counsel in the sheriff's office, has alleged that the wrong man was arrested in the case. Soddy Daisy Judge Marty Lasley has now signed an order appointing Funk's office as the district attorney pro temp, Chattanoogan.com reports. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation also is reportedly getting an outside district attorney involved to investigate Pinkston’s accusations against Wamp, who is challenging Pinkston in the May 3 Republican primary. The Times Free Press has more on that story.

State Rep. Brandon Ogles, R-Franklin, says he will be drafting legislation that could change the subpoena power of state agencies, Tennessee Lookout reports. The announcement comes a few days after he threatened a “deep dive” into the Registry of Election Finance’s subpoena power over recent subpoenas issued. He now says he wants to look at subpoena authority across all state boards to make sure they are “transparent.” More specifically, Ogles said this week that he would like to see requirements for a judge’s signature on subpoenas in addition to invitations to appear before panels voluntarily before subpoenas are issued. Bureau of Ethics and Campaign Finance Executive Director Bill Young confirmed this week the Registry has the power to subpoena witnesses, conduct audits, hold hearings and take other actions, based on state law.

This week’s episode of Legislative Updates with TBA Director of Public Policy & Government Affairs Berkley Schwarz and Adams and Reese attorney and TBA lobbyist Brad Lampley features a preview of Gov. Bill Lee’s State of the State address, a discussion on budget and another update on where several TBA-sponsored bills currently stand. Do you have a personal story about a financial hardship preventing you from comfortably paying the Professional Privilege Tax? Send our public policy team an email. Legislative Updates airs every Thursday on the TBA’s Facebook page. It is also released as a podcast on the same day and can be found on the TBA’s website or wherever you listen to podcasts.