By Jane Salem, staff attorney, Nashville

Chief Judge Kenneth M. Switzer and I had the pleasure of visiting Prof. Lynn Ridgeway Zerht’s employment law class today at Belmont University College of Law.

We talked about the system generally and lifecycle of a typical case, and then we prompted a discussion of some recent appellate decisions involving unusual fact patterns to generate the students’ opinions on work-relatedness. Among them were the flying cockroach case, the possum case, and the porta-potty case. The great news is, no one fell asleep! Probably because the Chief Judge also discussed football. They asked some excellent questions and made astute observations. I, for one, had fun.

I’ve mentioned this before, but I serve as a law student mentor in Belmont’s Inns of Court program. I have met some phenomenal budding lawyers. I listen, “advise” them, and mostly buy them a lot of coffee. I proofread cover letters and make introductions. We laugh often, and they give me so much hope for the future of the profession. Attorneys in the Nashville area, if you’re interested in mentoring, contact me. I promise you won’t regret it.

On a final note, the judges of the Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims are always looking for outreach/public education speaking opportunities. If your civic group, school, church, etc. wants to learn more about workers’ compensation in Tennessee, we’d love to help you out.

They all have laptops!