The Revised Uniform Arbitration Act (RUAA), recently signed into law by Gov. Bill Lee and set to go into effect July 1, replaces the current arbitration law that was drafted in the late 1950s and has been in place in Tennessee since the early 1980s. It replaces that law with a revised, uniform version that has been updated to meet modern needs and addresses procedural issues not included in the original arbitration act. Join Bob Arrington and Matt Haskell June 21 from 11 a.m.-noon CDT in a discussion of the RUAA, including why it was updated and what those updates mean for your practice.

This year, the TBA Convention will offer two blocks of concurrent CLE programs. On June 15 from 2-3:30 p.m. EDT, attendees will choose between "Mediator Ethics: Where Do We Draw the Line?" with retired Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Janice Holder and Nashville lawyer Gail Ashworth, and "Top 10 Employment Law Updates All Tennessee Lawyers Should Know About" with Casey Duhart of Acadia Healthcare Inc. and Jeb Gerth of Epstein Becker & Green. Then from 4-5:30 p.m., TBA will offer "Embracing ChaptGPT for Lawyers" and "Policing in America" with the Tennessee Alliance of Black Lawyers (TABL). Visit the TBA Convention page for more details on these and other CLE programs.

The TBA Committee on Racial & Ethnic Diversity (CRED) will host "Overview of Landlord and Tenant Laws," a free webcast with committee member Christina Magrans-Tillery. Topics for the June 9 program include rights and obligations of parties, repairs, eviction process and discrimination issues. Learn more or register here.

Don't miss the Policing in America CLE presentation from the TBA and Tennessee Alliance for Black Lawyers (TABL) at the TBA Convention in Knoxville. There are over 18,000 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, all with their own rules. Chief Paul Noel of the Knoxville Police Department, Chief Celeste Murphy from the Chattanooga Police Department and Assistant Chief Dwayne Greene of the Nashville Police Department, as well as federal public defender Dumaka Shabazz, will discuss how these differences impact the communities they serve. The panel will be moderated by Brooklyn Sawyers Belk, the Knoxville Police Department attorney and deputy chief. A reception will follow the program. Register for the convention now to take part in this and other programming. 

Register now for the TBA 2023 LGBT Forum on June 23. Panelists will discuss the erosion of rights for the trans community as well as targeted legislation. Other topics include healthcare, drag laws and ethics. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from community experts and earn three dual hours of CLE credit.

Make plans now to attend the TBA’s 2023 Administrative Law Forum on Dec. 8 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. CST. Thanks to Jonathan Fly, administrative judge for the Tennessee Department of Human Services, for producing this program. Watch for program topics and speakers coming soon.

Mark your calendar for Dec. 1 and plan to attend the Annual Environmental Forum! More details will be available soon on the CLE website.

Make plans now for the annual TBA Health Law Primer and Health Law Forum CLE programs to be held in Nashville in November. The primer will take place Nov. 1 followed by the forum on Nov. 2-3. Watch for details soon on speakers and topics. Also, don't forget that you can save money when you register for these programs by using your prepaid CLE credits that come with your TBA Complete Membership!

Make plans now to join the TBA on June 23 from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. CDT for a webcast with the “CLE Performer” Stuart Teicher. Teicher's lecture, Eight Reasons Movie-Lawyers Would Be Disciplined, will cover the sometimes obvious and sometimes subtle ethics violations committed by lawyers in movies and on TV. Register here.

Soliciting clients can be an ethical minefield. In fact, it is so tough to navigate that the American Bar Association has issued a new opinion on the subject. Join the CLE Performer Stuart Teicher on June 23 at 10:15 a.m. CDT for one hour as he explains the rules on solicitation and talks about the weird “hybrid” situation that arises when a lawyer talks to a potential client. Specific rules to be covered are Rule 1.18, Prospective Client Relationships; Rule 7.2, Communicating About Lawyer Services; and Rule 7.3, Soliciting Clients. One hour of dual credit will be offered. The session follows Teicher’s presentation on legal writing at 9 a.m. the same day.