The American Bar Association (ABA) Comission on Immigration in June partnered with Microsoft to launch a new virtual clinic to help pro se asylum-seekers complete their asylum applications. During this clinic, which included four sessions, nearly 30 volunteers from Microsoft worked with asylum-seekers to gather necessary information and prepare their applications for submission, according to the ABA Journal. “In an ideal world, we would get everyone an in-person attorney to represent them for the full length of their case,” says Stephanie Baez, the commission's director of pro bono. “But in the reality we live in ... we are trying to be thoughtful and innovative on how we engage the most volunteers to help the most people who would otherwise not be able to access any legal assistance.” For more information or to volunteer, fill out the volunteer interest survey on the Commission on Immigration’s website.

Carey Jerome Thompson, assistant district attorney general in the 23rd Judicial District, died Dec. 11 after a two year battle with glioblastoma. He graduated from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law in 1985 and began his tenure in the district attorney general's office in 1998. Services were held Dec. 20 in Dickson. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, the Dickson Arts Council or First Presbyterian Church of Dickson.

Despite a 20% drop in homicides mid-year, and the fact that overall violent crime is down, Nashville will end the year with at least one more homicide than 2023. The Nashville Banner reports that more than 50% of the year’s homicide victims were between the ages of 18 and 34, according to Metro Nashville Police Department data, and 14 were between the ages of 13 and 17. The overwhelming majority of the cases — 92 as of Dec. 28 — involved a gun. Violent offenses are down 5%, aggravated assaults are down more than 6%, and robberies — including those involving businesses as well as individuals on the street — are down more than 10%. Rapes reported to police, however, have risen nearly 20% — 627 as of Dec. 23. Mayor Freddie O'Connell said in a statement to the paper that Nashville had more people die while homeless than died from homicide this year, “so we’re still working on housing as a critical safety issue.”

The TBA will be closed Wednesday in observance of New Year’s Day and will reopen at 8 a.m. CST on Thursday. Visit the TBA website to access CLE offerings for your year-end needs and contact information for individual staff members. Happy New Year!

The Tennessee Supreme Court transferred the law license of Georgia lawyer Robert Andrew Free to active status on Dec. 27, effective as of Dec. 19. Free had been placed on inactive status on Oct. 24 pending resolution of a disciplinary matter. The court reports that Free resolved the disciplinary matter on Dec. 19. Prior to being on inactive status, Free was on disability inactive status from fall 2022 to October 2024.

William Neil Griffin Sr. died Dec. 18 at age 80. He graduated from Baylor University and received his law degree from what was then Memphis State University School of Law. Griffin began his real estate law practice in 1969 as an associate with Matthews & Matthews. He continued his practice for over 50 years with the firm Griffin, Clift, Everton & Maschmeyer PLLC. He was also a land developer, home builder and a banker with acquisitions of three community banks in Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas. A memorial service will be held at Independent Presbyterian Church, 4738 Walnut Grove Rd., Memphis 38117 on Jan. 3, 2025, at 2 p.m. CST, with visitation from 1-2 p.m. and a reception after the service at the church. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations may be made to the Mid-South Parkinson's Disease Foundation and Support Group, Independent Presbyterian Church and Baylor University.

John P. Williams, currently of counsel with Tune, Entrekin & White, has recently published his first book, "Montgomery Bell: Tennessee Frontier Capitalist" (2024, Acclaim Press). It is the first-ever biography of Bell, Tennessee’s most successful ironmaster in the first half of the 19th century — a time when iron was the essential ingredient in products for the kitchen, the farm and the military. Williams’ biography of Bell traces his odyssey from his Pennsylvania roots during the American Revolution, through his 12 years as a Kentucky hatter, to his 50-year career in the iron business in Tennessee. Many Tennessee attorneys received their high school education at Montgomery Bell Academy, founded in 1867 with a bequest from Bell. The Bells Bend section of Davidson County is named for Montgomery Bell as a result of his ownership of 6,000 acres in that area for more than 30 years and his construction of a home, grist mill and sawmill in Bells Bend. Montgomery Bell State Park in Dickson County is also named for Bell because several of his iron furnaces were located in that county.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has two cases set for its Jan. 8, 2025, docket in Knoxville: Matthew Long v. Chattanooga Fire and Police Pension Fund, and Brett Houghton et al. v. Malibu Boats LLC. Read more about the cases in a press release from the Administrative Office of the Courts. The cases will be heard at the Tennessee Supreme Court building, 535-599 Main St. SW, Knoxville 37902, beginning at 9 a.m. EST and will be livestreamed to the TNCourts YouTube page.

Former President Jimmy Carter died Sunday at age 100. His legacy had a lasting impact in Tennessee, where his work with Habitat for Humanity and his influence on local industry and faith communities were felt, the Tennessean reports. Carter’s influence also extended to Tennessee’s economy. In 1983, his support helped Gov. Lamar Alexander open the state’s first auto plant, Nissan Manufacturing in Smyrna. The auto industry now employs nearly 143,000 Tennesseans. In 2019, Carter participated in the Carter Work Project, an initiative he created, helping build homes in Nashville with a group of volunteers. Carter's state funeral will be Jan. 9, 2025, at Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.

On Dec. 26, the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals issued an order vacating the government’s motion to stay a district court's preliminary injunction against the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA), stating the action was necessary to "preserve the constitutional status quo while the merits panel considers the parties' weighty substantive arguments." This order follows a series of legal actions regarding the CTA. Earlier this month, a Texas district court issued a nationwide preliminary injunction, halting all reporting requirements under the CTA. The 5th Circuit had initially stayed the injunction, reinstating the mandatory reporting requirements. However, after the Dec. 26 order, the court lifted the stay, again halting the reporting requirements until the appeal is resolved. As a result, the original nationwide preliminary injunction is now in force. The New York Times has more on this decision.