Knoxville lawyer R. Culver Schmid will be presented with the prestigious Justice Joseph W. Henry Award for Outstanding Legal Writing on June 17 during the Tennessee Bar Association’s (TBA) annual convention in Nashville. The award was established nearly 40 years ago and is given each year to the lawyer “who writes the most outstanding article that is published in the ... Tennessee Bar Journal for the preceding year." Culver is managing shareholder in Baker Donelson’s Knoxville office, and a member of its Real Estate/Finance Group. Judges said his article, “Restoring Rights of Individuals Convicted of a Felony Crime: A Manual,” did “an excellent job laying out the statistics and statutes regarding lost voting rights in Tennessee, and then guiding the reader clearly and succinctly through the process of restoring those rights." Read the full release.

The May/June Tennessee Bar Journal gets serious about legal burnout in this article by Rebecca Howlett and Cynthia Sharp. Mark Travis writes about the new law that ends arbitration of sexual harassment claims, and Sherie Edwards recounts her year as TBA president with gratitude. And don't miss our columnists' takes on vaccinations, revenge porn and a look at Calvin Coolidge. Our estate planning column changes hands this month as Knoxville lawyer Eddy Smith takes it up again, as our 18-year veteran steps down from writing it. Read about the estate planning legend, Dan Holbrook. Read the new Journal. 

The new Tennessee Bar Journal is out today, featuring articles on landmark cases from Tennessee that impacted Americans' right to vote. On this 60th anniversary of Baker v. Carr and the 50th of Dunn v. Blumstein, learn about these important contributions from the Volunteer State. This March-April issue has an Access to Justice emphasis, looking at how technology innovations can help, a list of pro bono opportunities, an update from the Tennessee Supreme Court Access to Justice Commission, and the annual Public Service Award winners. And don't miss Justice Sharon Lee's article on e-filing in Tennessee courts!

The #FreeBritney movement garnered much media attention in 2021, focusing on the negative aspects of conservatorships ­— loss of individual rights — while ignoring its primary purpose, which is protection of the vulnerable. In the new Tennessee Bar Journal, Beth Weems Bradley and Sarah Hearn Sexton write about the many safeguards that are in place with conservatorships. President Sherie Edwards writes about the TBA's initiatives Your Path to Well-Being, the Women in the Profession Committee, and the SOLACE program. Poppy O'Guinn Steele examines how the U.S. Supreme Court and the state of Tennessee have addressed the unique needs of deaf children, and Kevin Balkwill writes about what a lawyer can expect to go through on the difficult, but possible, road to recovery from addiction and the road to license reinstatement. There is a lot more in this issue; read the January/February online.

If you are uncertain about what employers can and cannot do regarding COVID-19 precautions — namely vaccines and masks — under new laws, this article is for you. The Tennessee Bar Journal's "The Law at Work" column by Edward G. Phillips and Brandon L. Morrow, will appear in the January/February issue but the topic is so timely and important that it has been published early as part of TBJ Select. Read "Not-So-Conscientious Objections: Tennessee’s New Law to Combat Vaccine Mandates." Because this is a developing story, the authors will follow closely and update the online article as changes occur.

Wade Davies writes in the current Tennessee Bar Journal about newly expanded opportunities for expungement, after the General Assembly created ways to educate defendants on how and when they can obtain one. "What we are looking at here is expungement of actual judgments of conviction," he writes. "Expungement of a conviction is a significant development because under Tennessee law an expungement returns the defendant to the status he or she occupied before the prosecution and generally creates a right to deny having been charged." Davies encourages lawyers to do pro bono work in this area. "You do not have to be a criminal defense lawyer to help someone seek an expungement. Anyone can do it."

The current Tennessee Bar Journal, which has a focus on attorney well-being, includes the regular column, "The Buddy System," by Buddy Stockwell. This month Stockwell writes about addictive technology, another element that can negatively affect your well-being. "Perhaps no single development in the last 30 years has increased pressure on lawyers more so than advances in communications technology," he writes. With all the good technology has brought to our lives and practices, it can also be an addiction. Read about the warning signs and how to get help if you or someone you know need it.

The new Tennessee Bar Journal, out this week, looks back on the life and career of Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Connie Clark, and what she meant to so many. Read this feature as well as a special edition of Spark!

Delivery of the September/October Tennessee Bar Journal print edition has been delayed due to problems in the paper supply chain. "The Today Show" recently looked at how the problem is affecting many publications and other products. You should receive your Journal soon, but in the meantime you can access all the articles on our website or download it directly in PDF format. 

In the September/October TBJ out today, Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Sharon Lee shares her secrets and best practices for being present on Twitter — which can be a fine line for judges and lawyers using the platform. But Lee is a master at doing it right. You'll enjoy seeing some of her Tweets and how she uses them to inform (and entertain) the Twittersphere. In contrast, the story by Russell Fowler of how in the 1940s Memphis Judge Camille Kelley helped a major child trafficking operation is so horrifying you will not be able to look away. Read this issue for these stories and more, including the latest on trusts, bail hearings post-Torres, employment law, torts and same-sex divorce.