A high number of civil appeals are dismissed because an appeal as of right was not permissible due to the lack of a final judgment. While some dismissed appeals involve pro se litigants, many involve litigants who are represented by counsel. In some cases, certain claims remain unresolved by the trial court that prevent an appeal as of right from being taken due to the lack of a final judgment; in others, the assertion of an exception to the final judgment rule is unsuccessful. Laura Kidwell brings readers this timely primer on the final judgment rule — and its exceptions — in Tennessee civil actions.

Former editor of the Tennessee Bar Journal Suzanne Craig Robertson gathered memories from TBA staff and past presidents, as well as bar association colleagues, to send Assistant Executive Director Barry Kolar off to retirement in style. Thanks for the more than two decades of leadership, Barry.

TBA President Jim Barry shares his thoughts on how to attain work/life balance and attorney wellness.

Buddy Stockwell writes that there is exciting news in the addiction treatment industry. The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) has just released its fourth edition of the ASAM Criteria, which defines one national set of criteria for providing outcome-oriented and results-based care in the treatment of addiction.

One of the most stressful things about the practice of law is that there are too many ways you can make mistakes and ruin a good issue. In this installment of Crime & Punishment, Wade Davies takes a look at an argument about waiver of a constitutional issues. Does a defendant have to provide notice to the Tennessee attorney general in Nashville before proceeding with a claim challenging the constitutionality of a statute?

Russell Fowler recounts the story of Sam Houston's trial for assault involving an Ohio congressman, a hickory cane and Francis Scott Key in this issue's History's Verdict column.

Enjoy this spring poem from Billy Collins.

This installment of The Legal Life contains a legislative update, including information about TBA's grassroots advocacy efforts, especially around funding for indigent representation, staffing news, and more!

Tennessee Bar Association members who have died recently are memorialized.

Read about the lawyers who have recently been reinstated, disbarred, suspended, censured or transferred their licenses to disability inactive status.