As a service to the community, the KBA has developed a Get To Know Your Judicial Candidates section on our website to provide information about candidates running for Municipal Court Judge for the City of Knoxville. All four candidates have completed profiles to share their experience and why they want to serve as City Judge. The site also offers educational resources so voters will know what to look for in a judicial candidate and can make an informed decision at the ballot box.
The KBA's Candidate Member Survey for the August 29 City of Knoxville primary will be released to the membership on Monday, June 26, and the deadline is July 14. The Survey is not a popularity contest. Instead, it is an assessment of the merits of individuals, as seen through the eyes of their peers in the legal profession. The KBA believes that this poll will provide the voting public with valuable information because of our members' day-to-day work within the judicial system and the diversity of legal practices in which our members are engaged.
KBA members will assess whether the candidates have demonstrated the knowledge, skill, experience, training, education, professional ethics, and temperament to fulfill the duties of the Municipal Court judge. The Survey will ask members to evaluate each candidate's overall suitability for the offices they were seeking according to the following options: Strongly Recommend, Recommend, Do Not Recommend, Strongly Do Not Recommend, and Do Not Know Well Enough to Rate Candidate. The intent is not to endorse any particular candidate but rather to inform the public of the opinions of attorneys actively practicing in East Tennessee of candidates' fitness to serve as City Court Judge. The larger the percentage of KBA members who participate in the survey, the more representative of our bar will be in the information provided to the public and to the candidates, and the more we prove to the public that the legal profession cares about our system of justice.
Learn more about the candidates by viewing the 2023 Judicial Election pages here.
The formal investiture ceremony for U.S. Magistrate Judge Cynthia Richardson Wyrick will be held May 19 at 1:30 p.m. EDT in the James H. Quillen U.S. Courthouse, 220 West Depot St. in Greeneville. Wyrick, a former TBA president, was named a federal magistrate judge for the Eastern District of Tennessee in 2019, but her investiture ceremony was twice delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. You can RSVP for the ceremony using this form.
The Knox County Election Commission conducts five (5) elections every two (2) years, and for an election to be successful, hundreds of individuals are needed to staff Knox County’s 78 Election Day polling places. These individuals come from all walks of life and all corners of the county. They perform the vital work of checking in voters, providing the correct ballot, and helping voters cast their ballot. Democracy depends on these workers and their commitment to fair and secure elections.
There is a myth among many individuals in our community that an election worker must be retired or of a certain age to be an election worker. However, many of our best election workers have full-time employment and take off the two to three days a year needed to work an election. Please don’t let the fact you have a full-time job be a deterrent to considering election work.
Whether you are interested in the process and want to perform election work as a civic duty, you want something to add to your resume, you want to make a couple hundred dollars for a day’s work at the polls, or a combination of these reasons, Knox County‘s Election Commission is interested in talking to you.
Poll workers work all day on Election Day, from before the polls open at 8 a.m. until after the polls close at 8 p.m. In addition, they will need to attend a training session before the election. Poll workers are paid for their time on Election Day and for the training class.
More information on elections in Knox County can be found at www.knoxvotes.org. If you think you might be interested in working, or just want to find out more information about being a poll worker, email us at election.central@knoxcounty.org.
Knox County - 2023 and 2024 Elections
The Chancellors are implementing interim procedures so that they can help to reduce the backlog in opening estates in the Probate Division. The Chancellors have decided to temporarily conduct hearings on their dockets for opening estates, effective immediately. Please review the memorandum, and if you have any questions, contact Scott Griswold, Clerk and Master of Knox County Chancery Court.
For Immediate Release Knoxville Bar Foundation Announces 2023 Fellows
The Knoxville Bar Foundation will recognize twelve esteemed members of Knoxville’s legal community at their Annual Reception on Tuesday, June 20, 2023.
Each year the Foundation inducts a new Fellows Class which is less than one percent of the active bar association. The Fellows represent quality men and women practitioners in our community who have distinguished themselves in the practice of law and service.
The Foundation's Board of Directors reviews numerous nominations and determines the inductees who have demonstrated superior legal skills and high ethical standards and service to the community.
Lonnie T. Brown, Jr., U.T. College of Law
Karen G. Crutchfield, Bernstein, Stair & McAdams LLP
Francis M. Hamilton, III, U.S. Attorney's Office
Carol Anne Long, U.T. College of Law
Elizabeth K.B. Meadows, Elizabeth Meadows, Attorney at Law
J. Randolph Miller, Long, Ragsdale & Waters, P.C.
R. Brad Morgan, U.T. College of Law
Beverly D. Nelms, Frantz, McConnell & Seymour, LLP
H. Douglas Nichol, Nichol & Associates
Courtney Epps Read, Watson, Roach, Batson & Lauderback, P.L.C.
Mabern E. Wall, Hodges, Doughty & Carson, PLLC
Taylor A. Williams, Paine | Tarwater | Bickers, LLP
The Knoxville Bar Foundation is a not-for-profit foundation established to improve public awareness of the legal system in Knoxville, the administration of justice and the delivery of legal services through the distribution of its funds.
The judges for the Knox County Criminal Court have released the revised local rules now in effect.
View the revised local rules online.
For more than 60 years, the KBA Lawyer Referral and Information Service has been assisting the general public in finding an attorney. For many KBA members, it's a key tool for growing their practice. Some members have found LRIS so useful, they have continuously participated for years after their practice is well established. Panel members earned nearly $1.2 million in LRIS-referred cases in 2022 alone.
The LRIS new fiscal year will start on July 1, 2023 - join now to benefit from a full 12 months of quality client leads at one low price. Discounts are available for those practicing less than 5 years. For more details about the LRIS, visit www.knoxbar.org/joinLRIS.
The LRIS staff works hard to identify those clients who will benefit from referral and makes referrals to nonprofit agencies such as Legal Aid, government websites such as TN.gov and consumerfinance.gov, as well as local resources such as 311 and 211 for those whom we are unable to refer. The LRIS receives over 8,000 calls each year from potential clients and completes over 3,000 referrals annually. Potential clients who contact the LRIS are informed that participating attorneys provide a phone or office consultation at no charge, but that panel members independently set their own fees.
LRIS currently has 71 panel member attorneys in 26 practice areas. The average LRIS member has practiced for 20 years. We have attorneys in their first few years of practice all the way to 56 years in practice. LRIS Panel Membership Application FY 2023-24 LRIS Policies & Procedures
The judges for the Knox County Criminal Court hereby submit for review and comment the proposed local rules for Knox County Criminal Courts. Comments should be directed to Judge Steven W. Sword by email at Jennifer.judy@knoxcounty.org or by phone at (855) 215-2508 by March 24, 2023.
View the proposed local rules online.
MEDIA RELEASE EAST TENNESSEE LAW FIRMS TO PARTICIPATE IN LAW PRACTICE TODAY EXPO
KNOXVILLE – February 2, 2023
The Knoxville Bar Association Law Practice Today Expo is anticipated to substantially increase participation from attorneys and law office staff across East Tennessee. This cutting-edge conference focuses on connecting law firms to the tools they need and will be held at the U.T. Conference Center in Knoxville on March 30 and 31.
Now in its seventeenth year, this landmark event promises to be the largest, most interactive Expo to date, providing a rare opportunity to network with others and witness the latest and greatest products and services available to the legal community today.
The focus of the Expo has evolved to encompass law office management and technology within the business of law. There will be twenty-three different educational sessions available on Thursday and Friday, including an optional Microsoft Word Bootcamp. The Expo will bring together more than three hundred fifty lawyers, law students, IT staff, legal administrators, paralegals, and other support staff to learn about staying competitive and how to secure client data.
Industry experts and longtime ABA TECHSHOW faculty will be on hand to discuss best practices for the legal profession. The Expo features tracks that provide programming on emerging areas of law, sessions highlighting technology advancements, and perspectives on issues facing the legal profession. In addition, there will be panel discussions that will offer candid discussions about practice management, and seasoned pros will discuss technology and research options.
On Thursday, Expo attendees will enjoy a Moonshine Reception sponsored by The Trust Company of Tennessee which features specialty cocktails from Sugarlands Distilling Company. Friday will offer a Judicial Roundtable Luncheon sponsored by First Horizon Bank, with tables hosted by 25+ of our local judiciary.
A FREE pass to the Exhibit Hall is available to any member of a local law firm or anyone affiliated with the Knoxville legal community, but registration in advance is required
To learn more about the Knoxville Bar Association Law Practice Expo, visit http://www.knoxbar.org/Expo2023 or call the KBA at 865-522-6522.
The Barrister’s Constitution & School Outreach Committee is accepting nominations for the annual Law & Liberty Award, which will be announced at the annual Law Day Luncheon on Friday, April 28. You can nominate someone by filling out a short form here. The deadline for nominations is April 10, 2023. Nominees should:
Nominees do not have to be attorneys. Please consider those individuals in your firm, local civic and religious organizations, or in the community who have worked to improve our legal system and protect our civil liberties. Questions may be directed to the Chairs of the Committee, Richard Graves (rgraves@fmsllp.com) or Christine Knott (christineknott@knottlaw.org).
