The TBA has released a statement on the General Assembly’s recent approval of additional funding to increase the hourly rate for court-appointed attorneys representing the indigent. The funding, included in the budget for Fiscal Year 2024-2025, will raise the reimbursement rate by $10 an hour to $60 an hour, as well as the corresponding caps. TBA President Jim Barry thanked the General Assembly for making indigent representation funding a priority, as well as Chief Justice Holly Kirby, the Tennessee Supreme Court and the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) for their leadership and partnership in helping spotlight this critical issue. The TBA had supported the AOC's budget request of $26.145 million, which would have raised the hourly rate to $80. It remains committed to working with stakeholders to secure additional resources to fairly compensate lawyers who do this important work. Read the TBA’s full statement. To learn more about this issue and advocacy efforts on behalf of Tennessee lawyers, visit the TBA’s Indigent Representation Resources webpage. In related news, a story in yesterday’s TBA Today incorrectly stated that the hourly is rate is set by statute. In fact, it is set by the Tennessee Supreme Court through Rule 13. Any proposed rate increase then must be funded by the General Assembly.

The Tennessee Bar Association this year will again honor the work of Tennessee journalists through the Fourth Estate Award: Honoring Courageous Reporting on Justice and the Law. This year's prize, honoring reporting in 2023, includes a $250 honorarium for the winner. The TBA strongly supports freedom of expression under the First Amendment, as exercised by lawyers on behalf of their clients and by journalists on behalf of the public, and particularly wants to recognize and encourage journalists who promote public understanding of the rule of law and our system of justice through vigorous exercise of their First Amendment rights. The deadline for entry is April 25. Attorneys who have relationships with reporters or observed a particularly compelling piece of journalism in 2023 are encouraged to submit a nomination. Read about past recipients here and read the TBA's full press release.

Eads attorney Charlotte Knight Griffin will serve as president of the Tennessee Bar Association in 2026-2027. No other candidate filed for the vice president position by the Feb. 15 deadline. After taking office as vice president at this summer’s TBA Convention, Griffin will become president-elect in 2024-2025 and then take over the organization’s leadership in June 2026. Knight Griffin began her career in private practice in Memphis after earning her law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1976. In 1978, she joined Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division as a staff attorney. She was named the manager of legal services in 2000. She retired in April 2023 after 45 years of service. Knight Griffin has been active in the TBA for many years, currently serving as speaker of the House of Delegates and member of the Board of Governors. She is a past chair of the Local Government Practice and Litigation sections, charter fellow of the Young Lawyers Division and a past executive officer of the YLD. Read more about her background.

In addition to Knight Griffin’s election as vice president, several other key positions for the 2024-2025 bar year were certified today via uncontested election results. These include TBA Board of Governors members as well as Tennessee representatives to the ABA House of Delegates. Two vacancies will be filled by the Board of Governors. No contested elections will be held in 2024. See all election results here.

Applications are now being accepted for the 2024 Reporters Workshop. Sponsored by TBA’s Communications Law Section, the program will be held in person April 19-20 in Nashville. Organizers will select 15 print, online, television and/or radio journalists who want to develop a deeper understanding of media law issues that may affect their everyday work, including access to government information, defamation and privacy concerns in reporting, and other timely topics. Journalists interested in attending should apply before 5 p.m. CST on March 4. Read more about the program or see a draft schedule. Tennessee lawyers are encouraged to share this opportunity with members of the media with whom they have relationships.

The TBA today announced the selection of 35 attorneys from across the state for its 2024 Leadership Law (TBALL) program. Now in its 21st year, Leadership Law is designed to equip Tennessee lawyers with the vision, knowledge and skills necessary to serve as leaders in their profession and local communities. The class will meet for its first session in January at Henry Horton and spend the next six months learning about leadership in the legal profession, issues in the courts, policymaking in state government and the importance of community service. Read more about the 2024 class.

Nashville lawyer Seth Ogden was selected as the recipient of the 2023 Larry Dean Wilks Leadership Award. Ogden was chosen by fellow members of the Tennessee Bar Association’s 2023 Leadership Law class and was honored during the group’s graduation ceremonies in Knoxville last week. The award is named for former President Larry D. Wilks and recognizes a TBALL class member with exceptional leadership qualities. “I am humbled to receive this award from my peers,” said Ogden. “Leadership is about empowering others to achieve their goals, and I deeply appreciate this recognition of my commitment to helping others succeed." Ogden is the 11th recipient of the award.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division (YLD) has selected Sue Mathews as the 2023 CASA Volunteer of the Year. Mathews is a volunteer with CASA of Maury County and has served as a court-appointed special advocate for 15 years. In nominating Mathews for the award, CASA of Maury County Executive Director Jessica Ballard said that Mathews regularly “goes above and beyond” to support, mentor and advocate for the cases she is assigned, and “embodies what it means to be an effective CASA by making sure the children’s needs are being met and their voices are heard.” The award will be presented at the YLD Board’s annual dinner on June 16 in Knoxville as part of the TBA’s Annual Convention. CASA’s mission is to train and support court-appointed volunteers who then advocate for abused and neglected children who have come to the attention of the courts. Read the TBA’s full press release here.

Elk Valley Times writers Lora Scripps and Wanda Southerland will receive the Fourth Estate Award during the Tennessee Bar Association’s annual convention in Knoxville. The award will be presented at the Lawyers Luncheon on June 16. Scripps, the paper's general manager and editor, and Southerland, one of its reporters, are being recognized for six months of reporting on the Lincoln County mayor’s decision to exclude Jack Daniels from certain planning and zoning requirements, including site plans, permitting and fees. The move comes as local residents express concern about “whiskey fungus” created by unregulated barrel houses. The Fourth Estate Award was established to recognize and encourage journalists who promote public understanding of the rule of law and improvements in our system of justice through their vigorous exercise of their First Amendment rights. Read TBA’s full release on the award.

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.

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.