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East Tennessee Employment Law Advisor
Estate Planning: Business, Family & Personal
Firearms Law: Locked, Loaded & Lawyered
Marble & Dirt
EAST TENNESSEE EMPLOYMENT LAW ADVISER
Providing insight on developments in labor and employment law affecting East Tennessee employers and employees.
UPDATE: U.S. Department of Labor Provides Guidance On Whether Parents of Minor Children Who Choose To Attend Remote K-12 Classes Are Entitled To Paid Leave Under The FFCRA
On August 18, 2020, I posted a blog entitled “Are Parents of Minor Children Who Choose To Attend Remote K-12 Classes Entitled To Paid Leave Under The FFCRA?” At that time, I commented that the United States Department of Labor (DOL) had not yet to addressed the question and provided my prediction of how the […]
Are Parents of Minor Children Who Choose To Attend Remote K-12 Classes Entitled To Paid Leave Under The FFCRA?
When the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”) was passed in late March 2020, the nation was confronted with a fairly uniform new reality in terms of K-12 education. Both public and private schools across the United States closed their doors and quickly attempted to reopen in an online setting. This presented one of the […]
Supreme Court finds that Title VII employment protections of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 extend to gender identity and sexual orientation
Following the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Obergefell–granting same-sex couples the constitutional right to marry—a related question remained: would gender identity and/or sexual orientation later receive protection from discrimination in employment under the Civil Rights Act? On June 15, 2020, in a 6-3 opinion authored by recently appointed Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, the Court […]
ESTATE PLANNING: BUSINESS, FAMILY & PERSONAL
Visit us for tips to make and keep your estate planning, wills, trusts, real estate, and business succession planning up-to-date. Topics on everything from delegating health care and financial decision-making authority during disability and other family/medical-related issues, to current state and federal tax laws that should be considered when forming or managing a family business.
The Importance of Having Powers of Attorney – And the Disaster of Not Having Them
Clients often ask me “Why do I need a power of attorney …. I am not sick, and I don’t want anyone to have that kind of control over me or my finances.” A “Power of Attorney” (or POA) is a document in which you appoint a specific person the authority to act on your […]
Many clients have called me and expressed a great dread of something which they have heard of, and seem to fear …. Probate.
What is Probate? In Tennessee, probate is a process under state law by which a deceased person’s family (or beneficiaries) may present their loved one’s will to a local court to formally open an estate. The court then oversees the gathering of the estate’s assets, the payment of any claims against or debts of the […]
Estate Planning: It’s for the Children (of all kinds)
In Tennessee, a person can leave his estate pretty much to whoever he wants.* Of course, when a person dies without a will, the State of Tennessee provides for how property is divided. See the blog article entitled, “When Aunt Becky Had No Will.” If a person has no will, there are differences in how […]
FIREARMS LAW: LOCKED, LOADED & LAWYERED
Providing insight on laws that regulate the manufacture, trade, possession, transfer, record keeping, and transport of firearms, ammunition, and firearms accessories.
Tennessee’s Permitless Handgun Carry Law
Beginning in the late 1800s, Tennessee strictly regulated carrying handguns, by prohibiting carrying pistols “with intent to go armed” in public places. Exceptions were made for on one’s own property or place of business. In 1996, Tennessee adopted a handgun carry permit process. Over the years, the law expanded to allow permit holders to carry […]
Changes in Tennessee Laws of Restoration of Rights and Antique Firearms
Tennessee laws regarding firearms and restoration of rights for those convicted of felonies has been complicated. The Tennessee legislature has made some things less complicated. Restoration of Rights Tennessee differentiates between persons convicted of felonies involving violence or attempts, use of a deadly weapon or drug offenses, and those convicted of other felonies. Under a […]
Civil Liability for Negligent Storage of Firearms
There are often news stories about a child finding a firearm and either shooting themselves or another child. This covers some of the issues in Tennessee involving civil liability for negligent storage of firearms. Over 100 years ago, a Tennessee court held it was “settled law” that a parent may be liable who permits a […]
Marble & Dirt
Providing insights on land use regulations in Knoxville and the greater East Tennessee area.
What is blight?
I find land use issues interesting. This is true with urban development. It may be even more true with urban disinvestment (and, even more particularly so, with attempts to reverse urban disinvestment). A term often employed in urban redevelopment conversations is “blight.” In general, the word “blight” is used to describe decaying or otherwise undesirable […]
Short-Term Rental Unit Act Gives Grandfather Protection to Some Short-Term Rentals in Tennessee
Earlier this year, the Tennessee General Assembly passed the Short-Term Rental Unit Act, which affects how local municipalities may regulate short-term rentals such as those often arranged through the use of online platforms such as Airbnb and VRBO. The Act does not affect how private agreements, such as HOA or condominium restrictions, may regulate short-term […]
Recode Knoxville’s Proposed Zoning Map
Recode Knoxville’s first draft of a proposed zoning map for Knoxville was released today. The proposed map can be accessed here. If you would like to speak to Richard Graves on this or any other matter, he may be reached at (865) 546-9321. Richard E. GravesA Tennessee native and a true Volunteer at heart, Richard, […]