The state Senate Judiciary Committee approved two of Gov. Bill Lee's recent judicial nominations: Kyle Hixson of Knoxville to replace retiring Justice Holly Kirby on the Tennessee Supreme Court and Madison County Chancellor Steven Maroney to replace Judge Kenny Armstrong on the Tennessee Court of Appeals, according to a TBA representative who attended the meeting. The nominations still must be considered by the full Senate and House. The meeting also included a budget review for the Administrative Office of the Courts and the state Attorney General's Office. In related news, Lee’s choice for another open position on the Court of Appeals has withdrawn from consideration. The Tennessee Journal reports that Rachel Park Hurt, who would have replaced retiring Judge D. Michael Swiney, withdrew after Republican legislators raised questions about her past support of Democratic political candidates. Hurt, a partner with the Knoxville law firm of Arnett, Baker, Draper and Hagood and president of the Knoxville Bar Association, was nominated by Lee on Jan. 22. The committee did not consider her nomination.

Robert William “Bob” Godwin died Jan. 26 at the age of 84. A graduate of the University of Tennessee Winston College of Law, Godwin joined the JAG Corps and later practiced law for 55 years in Fountain City. He referred to himself as “a simple country lawyer.” A celebration of life was held Feb. 7 at Hexagon Brewing. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Young Williams Animal Center, Legal Aid of East Tennessee, the ACLU or National Immigrant Legal Service.

The Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law (LMU Law) will host its second annual Student Public Interest Fellowship (SPIF) Auction on March 26 at 5 p.m. EDT. The event raises funds to support students who take summer internships at public defender and district attorney offices and legal aid organizations. Live and silent auctions will be held and Bridgett McMahan, president of the LMU Law Alumni Association, will serve as the evening’s speaker. McMahan is the president of Broadway Electric Service Company (BESCO) and Engert LLC. Read more about the event in Knox TN Today.

All four law firms fighting President Donald Trump’s executive orders will make their arguments against the directives on the same day now that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has consolidated the cases, Bloomberg Law reports. The firms — Perkins Coie, Jenner & Block, WilmerHale and Susman Godfrey — did win their request to file separate response briefs. They argued they needed to make separate arguments because their cases involve different facts and laws. The firms will brief the court from March 6 to April 10 prior to making oral arguments. All four won injunctions against the orders last year. The U.S. Justice Department is appealing those decisions.

Kirkland & Ellis, the world’s largest law firm by revenue, announced it is opening an office in Nashville. “Nashville offers an ideal environment for our continued growth by enhancing our ability to attract exceptional legal talent in a vibrant and growing city with talented lawyers and a strong law school community,” said Jon A. Ballis, chair of the firm’s executive committee. “We’re excited to open our doors in the Music City with a terrific group of lawyers across our litigation and transactional practice areas.” The office opens with four litigation partners — Tara Blake, Matt Smith, Paul Rosenblatt and Travis Swearingen, who will focus on complex commercial disputes, class actions, product liability and mass tort matters. The Nashville Business Journal looks at their backgrounds. A number of additional partners and associates also have joined the office with more to be added. The office location has not yet been announced.

As part of its ongoing effort to gather feedback from Tennessee attorneys on the Tennessee Supreme Court’s Sept. 16 order seeking public comment on seven areas of potential regulatory changes to the legal profession, the TBA’s Legal Access and Regulatory Reform Task Force will host a series of virtual town halls this month. Friday's event will start at noon CDT and focus on non-lawyer ownership and fee sharing. There is no cost to attend but registration is required to receive the meeting link. Attorneys also are encouraged to review the TBA’s Legal Access & Regulatory Reform resource page before attending.

True crime doesn't just happen in dark alleys and abandoned warehouses. It also happens in conference rooms and courthouses. And when it's lawyers who perpetrate those crimes, they have another problem: ethics issues. Nationally renowned educator Stuart Teicher explores bad barrister behavior and the ethics lessons that lie beneath. Teicher will talk about real missteps committed by actual lawyers, explore why lawyers make bad decisions and the ethics lessons for everyone. Visit the TBA website to register for this one-hour webinar on Feb. 12 beginning at noon CST.

Lumen Flats, a new apartment complex in Knoxville, is the first in the U.S. designed specifically for youth aging out of foster care. According to Knox News, the apartments provide 18 studio units and access to mental health therapy and case management through a partnership with Tennessee’s Department of Children’s Services. The development, created by Nashville-based firm Elmington in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and Knoxville’s Community Development Corporation, allows residents to use Foster Youth to Independence vouchers, which are often difficult to apply in traditional rental settings. In Tennessee, 70-80% of young adults leave foster care without a support system. Residents ages 18 to 24 can live at Lumen Flats for up to three years. Plans are in place to expand the model to Nashville, Memphis and Chattanooga.

Nashville lawyer Ben Bodzy, a former senior vice president of legal at Geodis and former shareholder at Baker Donelson, has launched Bodzy Law with offices in Tennessee and New Jersey. He currently is the sole attorney at the boutique practice. According to the Nashville Post, the firm will focus on plaintiff-side employment litigation and wage and hour class actions, as well as claims involving harassment, retaliation, discrimination and whistleblowing. “Our mission is simple: to maximize the value of every claim we handle,” Bodzy said in a release. Offices are located at 10 Burton Hills Blvd., Suite 400, Nashville, TN 37215 and 200 Connell Dr., Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922 and can be reached at 866-455-6280.

The Bradley County Juvenile Court reported Friday that local rehabilitation efforts are producing strong outcomes, with data showing exceptionally low rates of youth transitioning into the adult criminal justice system. According to Chattanoogan.com, court officials said a review of 2024 and 2025 cases found only 11 individuals — about 1% of the court’s typical annual caseload of 500 to 600 youth — appeared before the juvenile court and later were convicted as adults. Four additional cases are pending. The court also cited Department of Children’s Services (DCS) data showing minimal state-level involvement, with just one youth committed to the state judicial diversion program and six on state probation. The juvenile court emphasized that improvements have come as it has focused on local solutions and collaboration with DCS to support families and prevent children from entering state custody.