In the May issue, Nashville lawyer Scott Pilkinton examines the question of whether or not a felon can be a fiduciary. Turns out, it’s not an easy answer. Chattanooga lawyer and former TBA President Sam Elliott looks at "the two great issues" of the state's Constitutional Convention of 1870 and how it is still relevant today.

In his Tennessee Bar Journal column about how different generations communicate, TBA President Jonathan Steen points out how important good communication skills are -- and why sending a text late at night to a senior partner may not be the best way to make contact. In the April issue's other columns, Eddy Smith covers IRA beneficiaries and creditor protection; Katy Edge explains how banking works for legal marijuana sales; and Bill Haltom comments on Justice Ginsburg’s recent nap before the president’s speech.

This month the Journal takes an inside look at the Tennessee Supreme Court, by former staff attorney Marshall L. Davidson III. Davidson, now presiding judge at the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board, writes about "unexpected discoveries about the justices, lawyers who appear before them, and pitfalls to avoid in navigating our state’s appellate judiciary." Also, read about the good work through restorative justice that Tennessee Youth Courts are doing, as well as who the TBA Young Lawyers' Division CASA Volunteer of the Year is. April is Child Abuse Prevention Month; learn more about related CASA events and resources. It's no April Fool -- you can read the April issue here.

This month in the Tennessee Bar Journal, Russell Fowler's column, "History's Verdict" examines Andrew Jackson's tenure on the Tennessee Supreme Court. And as the magazine continues to celebrate the Journal’s 50th birthday all year long, this month read about some Tennessee lawyers who were born at the same time and what law-related changes have taken place in their lifetimes. Yes, these lawyers turn 50 this year and are not afraid to admit it. Smile along with humor columnist Bill Haltom in his excitement over Harper Lee’s newly discovered sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird.

The March issue of the Tennessee Bar Journal includes a lot of criminal justice-related information, including articles exploring the “unnecessary rigor” provision of the Tennessee Constitution, legislative initiatives on privacy and criminal law, and the successes of a residential drug treatment program. In his column, President Jonathan Steen explains why the rate for court-appointed lawyers should be increased. "The compensation rate for lawyers appointed by Tennessee state courts to represent indigent parties in criminal, juvenile and civil cases has not changed in 20 years. The current rate for court-appointed lawyers is $40 per hour for out-of-court work and $50 per hour for in-court work," he writes. "At $40 an hour for out-of-court work, Tennessee court-appointed lawyers are the lowest paid in the nation."

The Standard of Clear and Convincing Evidence has never been so interesting, as when Judge Tom Wright and Ben Welch write about it, using concubines and dead partners as examples, in the February Tennessee Bar Journal. Also in this issue, Monica J. Franklin explains the ABLE Account, an alternative to special needs trusts, and Edward G. Phillips and Brandon L. Morrow delve into wage and hour issues in the high court. Bill Haltom has in mind a perfect Valentine's gift for the lawyer on your list.

In the February Tennessee Bar Journal, Bill Haltom suggests the perfect Valentine’s Day gift your sweetheart: a charter membership in the Perfect 36 Society. The Perfect 36 Society is an emerging group of Tennessee women (many of whom are lawyers) who are working to celebrate the upcoming centennial of Aug. 8, 1920 — the day Tennessee became the final state that ratified the 19th Amendment, guaranteeing American women the right to vote. Although the centennial is four years away, the group will begin the celebration later this year with the unveiling of the Tennessee Women’s Suffrage Monument in the Legislative Plaza in Nashville. Learn more about that historic day and the women’s suffrage movement in Tennessee at the UT Daily Beacon.

Mentoring programs have benefits not only for those being mentored, but also for those doing the mentoring. In the February Journal, learn about the lessons these unique relationships can teach us. TBA President Jonathan Steen stresses the importance of having a good working relationship with your legislator. And, as the magazine continues celebrating its 50th birthday, look at some of the legal stories that made news in the late '60s. 

In the January Tennessee Bar Journal, Nashville lawyer Gary Shockley reviews The Other Fellow May Be Right: The Civility of Howard Baker, a book by Memphis lawyer and Journal columnist Bill Haltom. In his column, Haltom suggests that there is only one man who can bring the two-party system back to Tennessee. Find out who it is (or did you already guess it is Lewis Donelson?).

The Tennessee Bar Journal celebrates the Big Five-Oh this year, publishing its 350th issue this month. Each issue of 2015 will feature a stroll down memory lane -- in January, in conjunction with the magazine's Access to Justice emphasis, it looks at how the bar's view of pro bono has changed over the years. Also, columnist Marlene Eskind Moses looks at criminal contempt in family law asking "Can criminal contempt create compliance?"