Recently, family law attorney and current section chair K.O. Herston provided a one hour CLE titled “The Art of the Family Law Consultation,” which offered practical guidance for attorneys on how to conduct effective client consultations. The seminar covered strategies for efficient and empathetic intake and managing consultations to build trust and rapport. Designed for both new and experienced practitioners, the program focused on improving consultation skills and boosting client retention, and it is now available as an on-demand course for practitioners who were unable to attend the live seminar. For more information and to purchase, visit the TBA CLE website.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee last week announced a yearlong America 250 celebration across the state, unveiling the theme “Tennessee: The Original Frontier” and kicking off a 95-county tour to honor the state's contributions to America’s history and culture. Lee began the celebration July 1 with a Farmland Preservation Tour across the state’s three grand divisions, highlighting Tennessee’s agricultural heritage and signing the Farmland Preservation Act. Additional events and grant opportunities tied to the celebration will be announced by the Tennessee Commission for the United States Semiquincentennial, with updates available at TN250.com.

Edward Kelley of Maryville was sentenced to life in prison for plotting to kill FBI agents as he awaited trial for his involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot. He was sentenced July 2 by U.S. District Judge Thomas Varlan in Knoxville after being convicted Nov. 20 of conspiracy to murder federal employees, solicitation to commit a crime of violence and influencing a federal official by threat, the Knox News reports. Investigators determined Kelley and another man made a list of agents who investigated his role in the riot and plotted to kill them, including discussing bombing the agents at their homes or in public places. A judge previously ruled that a pardon of Jan. 6 defendants would not apply to the conspiracy charge.

Roger James Bean of Tullahoma died July 5 at age 70. Bean earned his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Tennessee and practiced law for more than 45 years. Visitation will be held July 10 from 5 to 8 p.m. CDT at Kilgore Funeral Home, 215 Mitchell Blvd., Tullahoma 37388. Funeral services will take place July 11 at 11 a.m. CDT in the funeral home's chapel, with burial to follow at Franklin Memorial Gardens, Cowan Hwy., Winchester, TN 37398. Donations in Bean’s memory may be made to the Tullahoma Animal Shelter, 942 Maplewood Ave., Tullahoma, TN 37388.

William Lloyd “Bill” Brooks, a retired attorney and judge, died June 30 at his home in Nashville at age 83. Brooks practiced law in Tennessee for more than 55 years, beginning in 1966, both in private practice and as house counsel for two companies. He received his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law and often performed pro bono legal work. In addition to his law and counseling work, Brooks served as judge of the Belle Meade City Municipal Court for 10 years. Services were held at 11 a.m. CDT on July 8, at St. George’s Episcopal Church, 4715 Harding Rd., Nashville 37205, with visitation beginning at 9:30 a.m. at the church. Contributions may be made to the church or to St. John’s Episcopal Church, 311 W. Seventh St., Columbia, TN 38401.

The Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts has named attorney Joe Byrd as interim executive director of the newly established Office of the Appointed Counsel Commission (AOC), which will coordinate statewide indigent representation in child welfare cases and criminal cases where district public defenders have conflicts. Byrd previously served as lead attorney for the AOC's indigent services team. Gov. Bill Lee’s amended budget, approved in the 2025 legislative session, included funding for the new office to address challenges in delivering indigent defense. “Joe Byrd is a trusted and seasoned attorney with the expertise required to lead this new office,” Chief Justice Holly Kirby said in a release. “The Supreme Court appreciates the support of the Governor, the legislature, judges, attorneys, the Tennessee Bar Association and the work of our team at the AOC. We are taking a transformational step forward to safeguard the fair and impartial administration of justice in Tennessee." Before joining the AOC, Byrd was an assistant attorney general in Tennessee, disciplinary counsel at the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility and a municipal attorney in both Tennessee and Florida. Byrd previously worked as an associate at Logan Thompson PC, where his general practice included court appointments representing indigent clients in child welfare and criminal cases.

The July/August issue of the Tennessee Bar Journal is now available online. 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!

In the recent legislative session, the Tennessee General Assembly passed a bill creating a statewide conservatorship management task force. Public Chapter 417, effective July 1, established a nine-member body to provide resources and assist in promotion of effective conservatorships. The task force will review concerns involving education, centralized documentation, preventative training regarding fraud and abuse protections, and more. The task force also will review the capacity of the public guardianship program and determine the need for an independent conservator panel or professional conservators. Representatives include designees from relevant agencies, the Administrative Office of the Courts, an active judge, legal aid office member and a designee from the Conservatorship Association of Tennessee, among others.

The Administration for Community Living (ACL) has earmarked approximately $3 million to continue its Elder Justice Innovation Grant program. Grants will be awarded to projects that aid awareness and actions concerning elder justice and adult maltreatment prevention. The ACL plans to provide up to eight cooperative agreements, with each project selected receiving full funding for 36 months with a budget of up to $500,000. Applications must be submitted by July 30 to qualify. Learn more and apply here.

This is an accelerated interlocutory appeal as of right filed pursuant to Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 10B. Due to numerous deficiencies in the petition, the appeal is hereby dismissed.