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. 

Rutherford County attorney Mary Bonita Tucker will be honored next month with the TBA's Fourth Annual Claudia Jack Award. Named for the late Claudia Jack, a long-time champion of the poor and underprivileged, and a public defender in Maury County, the award is presented to an outstanding  public defender or court-appointed private practitioner who serves the legal community and clients in an exemplary fashion. Tucker has served  as a court-appointed private practitioner for involuntary commitment proceedings in Rutherford County since the special court's inception in 2013. Since 2015, she also has defended clients in involuntary commitment proceedings involving the Veterans' Affairs Department. And she accepts appointments in probate court as an appointed conservator and guardian ad litem. One nominator wrote that Tucker “serves those who are often either in the worst state of their lives or who are struggling in ways that many will never have to experience or understand.” She also has been described as “trustworthy and respectful of her clients” and called an “inspiration.” The award be presented at the TBA Annual Convention in Knoxville on June 16 during the Lawyers’ Luncheon. Read the TBA's full press release about the award.

Rick Barnes, head coach of the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team, will address the 2023 Bench Bar Luncheon during the annual TBA Convention in Knoxville, June 14-17. The luncheon will follow the annual Bench Bar program, which features three sessions looking at sports and the law. Barnes was named the 2019 Naismith College Coach of the Year after guiding Tennessee to a school-record-tying 31 wins and a sweet 16 appearance. Also during the luncheon, Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Sharon G. Lee will receive the TBA’s prestigious Justice Frank F. Drowota III Outstanding Judicial Service Award and First Judicial District Chancellor John C. Rambo of Jonesborough will be presented with the Judge Pamela L. Reeves Tennessee Professionalism Award, which is given jointly by TBA and the Tennessee American Inns of Court. Learn more about and register for the TBA Convention.

Knoxville attorney and University of Tennessee (UT) College of Law Dean Emeritus and Professor Emeritus Douglas A. Blaze will be honored next month with the prestigious William M. Leech Jr. Public Service Award. Named for former Attorney General William M. Leech and presented by the Fellows of the TBA Young Lawyers Division, the award is given to a Tennessee lawyer who has been of outstanding service to the profession, legal system and the community. Blaze joined the UT Law faculty in 1993 as the director of clinical programs. He also served as director of the Center for Advocacy and Dispute Resolution and interim associate dean for academic affairs. He was named dean of the law school twice and served from 2008-2015 and then again from 2020-2022. Blaze helped found the college’s Institute for Professional Leadership and served as its first director. He retired from full-time teaching in July 2022. The Leech Award will be presented at the TBA Annual Convention in Knoxville on June 16 during the Lawyers’ Luncheon. Read the TBA's full press release on the award.

Planning to join colleagues for the TBA Annual Convention in Knoxville? Be sure to book your hotel room by this Friday when the room block is set to close. Still on the fence? You do not want to miss this year’s gathering of the Tennessee legal community, which will bring together members of the TBA, Tennessee Alliance of Black Lawyers and Tennessee Lawyers Association for Women as well as state and local judges. Centered around the theme of "Where Law & Sports Come Together," this year's event will feature dynamic programming, esteemed speakers and meaningful opportunities to connect. Learn more or register here.

Chattanooga lawyer Russell Fowler will receive the prestigious Justice Joseph W. Henry Award for Outstanding Legal Writing on June 16 during the Tennessee Bar Association’s (TBA) Annual Convention in Knoxville. The award, which will be presented at the Lawyers Luncheon, was established nearly 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.  Fowler is being recognized for his article "Tennessee Lawyers Impact America: A History of Advancing the Right to Vote" and companion piece "Dunn v. Blumstein: A Young Tennessee Lawyer Wins Expansion of the Right to Vote, which ran in the March/April 2022 issue of the Journal. Fowler is director of litigation and advocacy at Legal Aid of East Tennessee. He has written many pieces on law and legal history, and is a regular columnist for the Journal. Read the full release.

Among the sessions being offered at the TBA’s Annual Convention June 14-17 in Knoxville is the Bench Bar Program, which brings together lawyers and judges. This year’s program will focus on the law and sports with sessions on leadership, the legal history of women’s basketball in the state and how new “name, image and likeness” rules are benefiting athletes. Speakers include Joan Cronan, University of Tennessee athletic director emeritus; Bill Haltom and Amanda Swanson, authors of "Full Court Press: How Pat Summitt, a High School Basketball Player, and a Legal Team Changed the Game"; and Knoxville lawyer E. Michael Brezina with Brezina Law PLLC. Learn more about convention programming and don’t forgot to register for the event.

Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Sharon G. Lee will be honored next month with the Tennessee Bar Association’s prestigious Justice Frank F. Drowota III Outstanding Judicial Service Award, the association’s highest award for service to the judiciary. The award will be presented at the TBA’s Bench Bar Luncheon set for June 15 as part of the association’s Annual Convention in Knoxville. Lee was selected for this award for her many years of service to the bench and the legal profession. As chief justice of the court from 2014-2016, Lee worked tirelessly to improve the state’s legal system and its administration of justice. She emphasized access to justice efforts, established the state’s first Business Court pilot project, implemented electronic filing with the appellate courts, and undertook a review of the state’s indigent representation system. Often described as a “Justice for the People,” Lee has shown humility, respect for those appearing before the courts, and a recognition that cases involve not only legal issues and concepts, but real problems that impact real people’s lives. Read more about her career and accomplishments.

Chancellor John C. Rambo of Jonesborough will be honored next month at the TBA Annual Convention with the Judge Pamela L. Reeves Tennessee Professionalism Award from the Tennessee Bar Association and the Tennessee American Inns of Court. The award is named in honor of the late Judge Reeves, who was also the first recipient of the award in 2020. Chancellor of the First Judicial District, Rambo practiced law in Northeast Tennessee for 19 years before assuming the chancery court bench in 2013. Attorneys who have practiced in his court note that Rambo is dedicated to the highest standards of the rule of law and of the legal profession in Tennessee. His nominator, Mark W. McFall, says that “Chancellor Rambo possesses the ideal judicial temperament, patience with lawyers and litigants, and a true desire to mete out equity and justice in his rulings and opinions.”

Attendees at the TBA Annual Convention this summer in Knoxville will visit the new social deck at Neyland Stadium for a joint Bench/Bar Reception. The event will take place June 15 from 7 to 9 p.m. EDT and will feature a variety of food stations, refreshments and live music. Get more details and learn about other featured events during the June 14-17 convention, headquartered at the Marriott Knoxville Downtown Hotel.