In this issue of the Journal, the Hon. Ellen Lyle and the Hon. Walter Kurtz review and give two thumbs up to the book COUP: The Day the Democrats Ousted Their Governor, Put Republican Lamar Alexander in Office Early, and Stopped a Pardon Scandal. Lawyers played a huge role in the events of that day in 1979, and you will recognize many of them, including Justice Joe Henry, Attorney General Bill Leech, Hal Hardin (who was then U.S. attorney), Justice Bill Koch (then deputy attorney general), Lewis Donelson, Tom Ingram, Justice William Harbison, Judge Tom Wiseman, Ed Yarbrough, Hayes Cooney, David Pack, Jack Lowery and more. You can meet author Keel Hunt along with one of the book's main subjects, Sen. Lamar Alexander, on Sept. 20 at a reception, book signing and lecture at the Sarratt Cinema in Nashville. The event is free and open to the public.

In this alarming story about modern-day slavery, Memphis lawyer Ryan Dalton looks at the extent of human trafficking in our own state. A recent study says that 78 out of Tennessee's 95 counties reported at least one case of sex trafficking in the previous 24 months, and it is suspected that nearly all counties had trafficking activity, but law enforcement and social services are not adequately trained to identify and report it. Shelby, Davidson, Coffee and Knox counties are some of the worst offenders, Dalton writes, reporting more than 100 cases of minor sex trafficking and more than 100 cases of adult sex trafficking during the two-year study window. By comparison, the report indicates there is more human trafficking activity in Tennessee than gang activity. Read how lawyers have joined the fight in the new Tennessee Bar Journal.

In this month's issue, Chattanooga lawyer and former TBA president Sam Elliott looks back into history and tells the surprising story of when the U.S. attorney sued to remove half the Tennessee Supreme Court. Another former TBA president, Knoxville lawyer Don Paine, gives practical advice for collecting a judgment. Read these and more in the August Tennessee Bar Journal.

"Our legislators are not actually hearing from very many members of our profession," TBA President Cindy Wyrick writes in her August TBJ column. "On the other hand, they are hearing from a large number of doctors, dentists and business owners. … Life is about relationships, and those who influence us the most are those with whom we have built relationships of trust and respect. Your legislators are no different from the rest of us. … The time is now for our 12,000 members to take the steps necessary to become a powerful voice for our profession."

What are the consequences of lying about who the father of a child is? Lacy A. Daniel explores intentional misrepresentation of paternity, in the August Tennessee Bar Journal, out today. It comes with a pretty sweet picture on the cover, too. (This baby, whose paternity is not in question, is the child of former TBA Access to Justice Coordinator Sarah Hayman.)

If you are a law student set to graduate in Spring 2014 (or know someone who is), the Tennessee Bar Journal would like to talk to you. The Journal plans to follow several students through their last year of law school to learn what new lawyers are facing, how they approach the job market and how this may or may not differ from expectations. Students would also be asked to blog about their law school experience. Contact Suzanne Craig Robertson by Aug. 1 if you are interested. Include your law school name, areas of legal interest and a short description of your experience in law school so far.

If your practice involves e-discovery at all, you know the name Laura Zubulake. Read a review of her new book, Zubulake's e-Discovery: The Untold Story of My Quest for Justice, in this issue. "Her lawsuit resulted in a historic jury verdict and landmark e-discovery opinions that have proven influential not just nationally but also in Tennessee, having been cited by courts across the state," Nashville lawyer Russell Taber writes in his review. "While the Zubulake decisions are well known, her book reveals for the first time what really happened behind the scenes and how she did what she did."

What happens when a defendant who is on judicial diversion violates the terms of the diversion agreement? It may not be as black and white as you think. Knoxville lawyer Wade Davies explains alternatives to revocation of judicial diversion in his Journal column this month.

Nashville lawyer Siew-Ling Shea looks at how mental health records come into play in divorce custody proceedings in the July Tennessee Bar Journal. Knoxville lawyer Don Paine does double duty in this issue with a column on substitutes for dead plaintiffs and defendants and a feature story about the late Chief Justice William J. Harbison.

Recent court decisions decided the 'Exhaustion Doctrine' differently: soybean seeds went one way and imported textbooks went another. James R. Cartiglia and Nina Maja Bergmar explain it in the latest Tennessee Bar Journal. Also, new TBA President Cindy Wyrick makes her case for this year's work ahead, encouraging lawyers to work together to make a difference.