Not every Tennessee health care liability case requires expert testimony on the issue of whether the defendant violated the standard of care, John Day writes in his column this month. He explains about the "common knowledge" exception, and somehow works in a description of a fly floating in buttermilk! He's talking about when medical negligence is so obvious, it's as plain as that fly, or as "a sponge left in the gut; the eye cut when performing an appendectomy." Day reviews the recent decision in Jackson v. Burrell to further explain. You really should read "Flies, Buttermilk and Malpractice" (if only to see the fly). 

What happens when a dispute arises between couples who have differing views on vaccinating their children? Marlene Eskind Moses and Ben Russ address this timely issue in the current Tennessee Bar Journal. "What if parents who do not think that vaccines are either safe or appropriate refuse to give consent for their minor child or children to be vaccinated?" they ask. "What can the other parent do in a situation like this where there may be the most serious of consequences?" Find out  in "Vaccinations and Parental Decision Making."

In this issue's Spark! we reflect on words spoken by the late Rep. John Lewis, which are both timeless and urgent for this day.

The Tennessee Bar Association is making available the program Empowering Lawyers as Leaders for viewing during February and March. Produced jointly by the TBA and the Tennessee American Inns of Court, this program brings together influential lawyers and leaders from across the state to share their experiences and to examine the role of leadership in the legal profession. Speakers discuss the importance of leading by example to promote diversity, equity, inclusion and professionalism in everyday practice. Among those featured are former Supreme Court Justice and Nashville School of Law Dean William C. Koch Jr., former Sen. Lamar Alexander and the Hon. Bernice B. Donald.