Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee recently announced that Alec Richardson will depart the governor’s office at the end of the month after serving for nearly seven years in multiple roles, including his most recent position of senior advisor and director of external affairs. Richardson will transition to the role of state director for U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty. As one of the longest-serving members of Lee’s team, Richardson played an instrumental role in achieving the governor’s agenda to champion rural advancement through the creation of the Governor’s Rural Opportunity Summit. "Alec’s passion for rural Tennessee has contributed greatly to our administration’s work to expand opportunity across economically distressed and at-risk counties, and I am grateful that Tennesseans will continue to benefit from his leadership in a new role," Lee said. Casey Sellers has been appointed to serve as senior advisor to the governor, in addition to her current role as director of communications and a member of Lee’s cabinet. Read more in a press release from the governor's office.

On Aug. 1, the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board will hear in-person arguments in three cases at the Tennessee Supreme Court Building, 401 7th Ave. N., Nashville 37219. All three are interlocutory orders granting benefits. First will be Chad Graves v. Southall Adventures, where both parties have appealed. Southall takes issue with a trial court order where medical causation was disputed, while Graves contests the decision to decline to designate an unauthorized doctor as the treating physician. Next, in Brittney Russell v. Werner Enterprises Inc., Werner appealed an order involving an assault while working, resulting in physical and mental injuries. Russell was delivering freight and had a confrontation with the manager of a retail store, followed by a shopper inserting herself into the argument. The shopper’s husband assaulted the employee. Finally is David Rainey v. US Express, where US Express appealed an order challenging rulings on whether a specific incident at work occurred as Rainey described and medical causation. The arguments begin at 9 a.m. CDT. Access the full docket.

There is a substantial difference between being a good lawyer and running a well-oiled, profitable practice. While there are some “money things” one can outsource, such as payroll mechanics, it is critical that attorneys understand core financial concepts and the associated reports produced by a practice management system. In this webcast replay, Jeffrey Krause with Affinity Consulting will highlight the kinds of accounting information attorneys need to know, as well as who else within the practice should have access to that sensitive information. Get more information and register here.

The TBA will host a replay of the webcast “Making ‘Difficult Communications' Less Difficult: Best Practices and Strategies for Success” on July 24 from noon to 1 p.m. CDT. The presentation explores five barriers to healthy communication, unconscious biases and common communication mistakes made by attorneys and employers. It also offers practical strategies to build workplace relationships, improve communication skills and implement de-escalation techniques. For more information and to register, visit the TBA website. 

The federal trial for Shelby County Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr. — who has been accused of involvement in a county grant scheme — is now scheduled for January 2026.  Commissioner Lynn Crum, who is representing the government in the case, said the trial is expected to last two weeks. According to The Commercial Appeal, Ford’s attorney said in court Tuesday that there is still “lots to go through” in the discovery process. The government turned over thousands of pages of evidence and hundreds of gigabytes of data in March. Ford, who was federally charged with bribery and tax evasion, was placed on leave from his job with the city of Memphis in March.

The state of Tennessee agreed to permanently remove a woman from the sex offender registry months after a judge found she had been “falsely labeled as a sex offender.” But state officials included a stipulation in the agreement forbidding her and her attorneys from discussing the agreement and her lawsuit with the media, The Tennessean reports. They also are barred from speaking to lawyers involved in “sex offender litigation.” That limitation could be unconstitutional, according to a First Amendment lawyer. The woman, who is not named, was threatened that a drug dealer would kill her son if she did not join him in kidnapping his own son. Police said the man ordered her and another woman also to provide sexual services. After six months in jail, the woman pleaded guilty to the federal charge of aiding and abetting kidnapping. After release from prison, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s (TBI) general counsel decided to place her on the state's sex offender registry. She sued the TBI in 2023, and a federal judge ordered her removed from the registry while her lawsuit was ongoing. The state has now settled the suit.

The next legal clinic for veterans in Knoxville will take place Aug. 13 from 12-2 p.m. EDT at the Knox County Public Defender's Community Law Office, 1101 Liberty St., Knoxville 37919. This is a general advice clinic sponsored by the Knoxville Bar Association, KBA Barristers, Legal Aid of East Tennessee, Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law, the University of Tennessee College of Law, the Knox County Public Defender’s Community Law Office and the local Veterans Affairs office. Attorneys and law students are needed for the in-person clinic. Attorneys also may sign up to help clients by phone during the clinic hours. Sign up to volunteer here.

A federal judge has permanently blocked a portion of a Tennessee law passed last year that makes it a felony to intentionally recruit, harbor or transport a pregnant minor for an abortion without parental consent. The ruling stems from a June 2024 lawsuit filed by Rep. Aftyn Behn, D-Nashville, and a Nashville family law attorney who raised concerns over the portion of the law that criminalized anyone who “recruits” a minor for an abortion, calling the language unconstitutional and vague. The term “recruit” is not defined in state code, which opponents argue could violate the First Amendment. Senior 6th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Julia Gibbons, sitting as a district judge by designation, appeared to agree with those concerns, stating that “Tennessee cannot criminalize ‘disseminating information about an activity that is legal in another state.’” The Tennessean has more on the story. U.S. District Court Judge Aleta Trauger in September 2024 temporarily blocked enforcement of the same recruitment provision, citing nearly identical concerns.

Carter County lawyer Carl Allen Roberts Jr. received a censure from the Tennessee Supreme Court on July 21 for violating Rules of Professional Conduct 1.3, 1.4, 1.15, 1.16, 3.2 and 8.4(dg). The court found that Roberts informed a client in writing that he would file a petition for contempt against the opposing party, but failed to respond to eight communications from the client; received a cash retainer from a client but took the cash to his home for 39 days before returning it to the firm’s trust account; and failed to appear at a scheduled mediation without notice to his client, the mediator or opposing counsel.

A Nashville judge has ordered prison officials to deactivate the defibrillator implanted in Byron Black’s heart moments before his execution on Aug. 5, the Nashville Banner reports. Black’s attorneys argued that unless the device is properly disabled before the lethal injection, it will repeatedly shock Black in an attempt to restore his heart’s normal rhythm, causing a prolonged and excruciating death. The order from Davidson County Chancellor Russell Perkins directs state officials to ensure necessary medical professionals and equipment are present at the execution to deactivate the device. It also summarizes the arguments Black’s attorneys made about the importance of timing. If deactivated too early, Black might die suddenly while a potential stay of execution is being processed. If deactivated too late, the execution could be painfully prolonged.