The May/June issue of the Tennessee Bar Journal is now online and arriving in mailboxes soon. This is the annual access to justice-focused issue, and who better to grace the cover but retiring Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Holly Kirby? Justice Kirby has been a staunch advocate for ATJ-related issues across the state, and her longtime friend Linda Warren Seely captures her commitment to this important work and her sense of fairness in this profile. Additionally, Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services Executive Director Laura Brown shares an update on Legal Services Corporation funding. TBA President Heidi Barcus focuses her final president's column on compassion in the legal profession, John Day looks at wrongful death lawsuit outcomes in "Day on Torts" and Ward Phillips and Brandon Morrow unpack remote work and employment disputes. Read about about Mock Trial winners, say farewell to a columnist and much more. Enjoy!

Nashville lawyers Erik Halvorson and J. Hunter Robinson, both with Bradley, will receive the TBA's prestigious Justice Joseph W. Henry Award for Outstanding Legal Writing on June 12 during the association's Annual Convention in Knoxville. The award, which will be presented at the Lawyers Luncheon, was established more than 40 years ago and is given each year to the lawyer who writes the most outstanding article published in the Tennessee Bar Journal for the preceding year. Halvorson and Robinson are being honored for their article One Domino Falls: Tennessee Supreme Court Reshapes Foreclosure Claims, which appeared in the March/April 2025 issue of the Journal.

In announcing the selection of Halvorson and Robinson, TBA President Heidi Barcus. said, “This winning article took a complex ruling from the Tennessee Supreme Court and, in straightforward and concise language, explained the consequences for both mortgage-related and non-mortgage-related litigation in Tennessee. This is the kind of writing the Joe Henry Award was created to recognize.” The award is named for Joseph W. Henry, a former chief justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court, who was known for his forthright and clear writing. Read more in a press release from the TBA.

The March/April issue of the Tennessee Bar Journal is now available online! The cover story by mentor and mentee pair Buck Lewis and Brock Willis offers a proactive, strategic approach that emphasizes regular engagement and long-term growth rather than reactive crisis management. In her President's Perspective column, Heidi Barcus also encourages lawyers to mentor others, not only because it strengthens the profession, but also because it strengthens the community. A feature story by Daniel Horwitz on waiver rules in Tennessee appellate procedures and columns on TLAP's 2025 annual report, competency to stand trial and Elvis' autopsy cases offer a wide variety of reading on topics of interest to Tennessee lawyers. Also get an update from the Drowota Trust and news from the TBA, including new leadership coming in 2028 and an update on construction at the new TBA office.

The January/February issue of the Tennessee Bar Journal is now available online and on its way to mailboxes this week! Kicking off the new year is a cover story on Nashville attorney David Cooper's journey on the Appalachian Trail with his son, Sam. He discusses "the trip of a lifetime" with TBJ Editor Julia Canada Wilburn, not only as an epic experience but one that allowed him the space to step away from practicing law and focus on his own well-being. The self care theme continues in TBA President Heidi Barcus' column on how she takes care of her own mental health, and an article from Judge Lee Bussart and LMU Law 2L Jillian McGauley explaining how the SHIELD Program in Marshall County is helping people with mental and substance use disorders get help and avoid incarceration. Columns in this issue include Eddy Smith's Where There's a Will, which looks at how modifications to Tennessee's trust laws have made the state a desirable one in which to set up trusts, and John Day explaining how tax law impacts tort law in Day on Torts. Finally, read about TBA's new pro bono portal and learn how lawyers can help people across the state, and get news and updates from The Legal Life.

The latest issue of the Tennessee Bar Journal is live online and full of articles of interest to lawyers across practice areas! In this issue's cover story, Nathan Drake, Amy Bryson Smith and Mary Lauren Teague of Belmont University College of Law look at three recent copyright decisions and how courts are analyzing the legitimacy of using copyrighted material without permission to train AI platforms. Brad Bald's feature focuses on the importance of change orders in construction projects and how to effectively manage them. And TBJ turns 60 this year! Heidi Barcus' President's Perspective column kicks off our celebration. Enjoy a retrospective timeline of the last six decades of the Journal. Our regular columns Crime & Punishment, History's Verdict and The Buddy System are inside, as well as a book review and information about running for TBA office in 2026. Look for the print version in mailboxes in the next few weeks!

The September/October issue of the Tennessee Bar Journal is available online and arriving in mailboxes next week! The cover story by Judge Zack Walden and Alix Rogers highlights the TBA Young Lawyers Division's inaugural Rural Judicial Fellowship, which paired six law students with six judges in rural areas across the state. Read feature stories from Amy Bryant on how well Tennessee is meeting recommendations from the National Guardianship Network and Hal Hardin on his fight for reciprocity to practice law in Texas. Columns include details from Edward Phillips and Brandon Morrow on how the state's civil rights enforcement landscape could be reshaped in the employment space, legislative changes that will affect tort and personal injury attorneys from John Day, and more changes in trusts and estates from Eddy Smith. Read TBA President Heidi Barcus' thoughts on servant leadership, a book review by a familiar name and about TBA's public service awards winners.

The July/August issue of the Tennessee Bar Journal is now available online and arriving in mailboxes next week. This issue's cover story by Travis Vest is an in depth look at metadata: what it is and how you can use it in building a case. Feature stories include a trademark fight between the Cincinnati Bearcats and the Cheatham Middle School Bearcats by Andrew Coffman and a primer on Tennessee's construction payment retainage law from Phillip Byron Jones. New TBA President Heidi Barcus shares her vision for the 2025-2026 bar year in her first President's Perspective, Buddy Stockwell explains the significance of the ABA's new Model Rule on conditional admission, Wade Davies breaks down the factors involved in calculating sentencing and Russell Fowler looks back 100 years to the Scopes Trial in Dayton. Read updates from TBA's Annual Convention, a book review, a legislative update and more!

Nashville lawyer Laura Kidwell will receive the Tennessee Bar Association’s (TBA) prestigious Justice Joseph W. Henry Award for Outstanding Legal Writing on June 13 during the group's Annual Convention in Franklin. The award, which will be presented at the Lawyers Luncheon, was established more than 40 years ago and is given each year to the lawyer who writes the most outstanding article published in the Tennessee Bar Journal for the preceding year. Kidwell is being honored for her article It Is So Ordered: A Primer on Tennessee’s Final Judgment Rule, which appeared in the March/April 2024 issue of the Journal. Kidwell is a legal consultant for the University of Tennessee (UT) – Municipal Technical Advisory Service where she serves cities and towns in Middle Tennessee. Prior to joining UT last fall, she served at the Office of the Tennessee Attorney General (AG) and Reporter in the Solicitor General’s Office. 

In announcing the selection of Kidwell, TBA President Ed Lanquist Jr. said, “Laura's winning article is exactly what the Joe Henry Award sets out to honor: straightforward and concise writing that explains the legal process of the final judgment rule in civil actions, as well as its exceptions.” The award is named for Joseph W. Henry, a former chief justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court, who was known for his forthright and clear writing. Read more in a press release from the TBA.

The May/June issue of the Tennessee Bar Journal is now available online! This is the annual Access to Justice-focused issue, with essays highlighting how advancements in AI and technology are helping legal services organizations better serve their clients. Also included is TBA President Ed Lanquist Jr.'s final column, which offers an extensive overview of the various applications of AI in legal services, the benefits it offers, the challenges it faces and the future prospects of AI in enhancing access to justice. Eddy Smith invokes HBO's "Succession" in explaining irrevocable trusts, John Day breaks down data on civil and criminal filings and outcomes in the state court system, Marlene Eskind Moses and Ansley Ownes Tillett explain the implications of the Tennessee Supreme Court's decision in Trezvant v. Trezvant, and members of TBA's Access to Justice Committee share their memorable pro bono opportunities.

The March/April issue of the Tennessee Bar Journal is now available online. Enjoy J. Hunter Robinson and Erik Halvorson's cover story on the Case v. Wilmington decision by the Tennessee Supreme Court, David Hudson Jr. and Bill Spaniard's look at remorse in lawyer disciplinary hearings, and columns by Buddy Stockwell, Wade Davies and Russell Fowler. TBA President Ed Lanquist Jr. reminds readers that lawyers can have a profound effect on their communities through active engagement in local initiatives and civic activities. Also get plenty of news in The Legal Life, including announcements of future leadership, an upgraded legal research tool launch, a tiny new addition to the TBA staff, mock trial information, an update on the Justice Drowota Trust and more!