The TBA’s Criminal Justice Section will present the 2024 Criminal Law Forum virtually on Dec. 5 from 10 a.m. to 1:15 p.m EST. This year's forum will focus on how attorneys can ethically and effectively manage media relations in high-profile cases. Through real-world scenarios, sessions will address the balance between protecting a client’s legal interests and shaping the public narrative. Attorneys will learn to avoid common pitfalls, comply with ethical obligations, and use communication strategies to safeguard both legal outcomes and a client's reputation. For more information and to register for the program visit TBA’s website. Criminal Justice Section members receive a discounted rate. Not a section member? Join here.

The new Columbia law firm of DuBois Bridenbaugh Lindberg will hold a ribbon cutting and open house on Nov. 18. The ribbon cutting will run from 2-2:30 p.m. CST followed by the open house from 2:30-5 p.m. The firm is located at 1020 S. Garden St., Columbia 38401. Refreshments and hors d’oeuvres will be served. View the invitation. The firm, which can be reached at 931-380-8820 or info@dbltnlaw.com, will be led by shareholders J. Thomas DuBois, Jerry A. Bridenbaugh and Byron Lindberg. They will focus on business, estate planning, intellectual property, personal injury and real estate matters. Lindberg also will head the firm’s mediation clinic.

Collierville Municipal Court Judge Lee Ann Pafford Dobson today ruled that a case involving the shooting death of a Collierville orthopedic doctor will proceed to a grand jury after finding probable cause the defendant committed the crime. The Daily Memphian reports that Larry Pickens is charged with first-degree murder and aggravated assault of Dr. Benjamin Mauck in July 2023. If the grand jury indicts Pickens, the case will then go to the Shelby County Criminal Court for trial. A new state law named after Mauck mandates a minimum sentence of 30 days in jail and a $5,000 fine for misdemeanor assaults within health care facilities. An older law states officers cannot make arrests for misdemeanor assaults unless they witness the incident and must issue a warrant instead. The conflict between the two laws is raising questions about how to resolve differences.

Tennessee's 114th General Assembly will convene on Jan. 14, 2025, and TBA’s Government Affairs team is committed to affecting positive change on behalf of Tennessee attorneys. The best way for TBA members to connect with these efforts is through our Grassroots Advocacy Initiative, a network of engaged lawyers, interested in and informed about issues relevant to the practice of law in our state. Please complete this form if you are interested in learning more about TBA's grassroots efforts, including opportunities to advocate, like TBA's 2025 Day on the Hill and Big Shrimp Legislative Reception. Both events will be held March 19, 2025 in Nashville, providing an opportunity to meet with legislators and talk to them about issues important to the profession. Increased resources for indigent representation remains a priority for TBA. Look for another article in our Indigent Representation Primer in Friday's TBA Today.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division (YLD) has selected members for the 2025 Diversity Leadership Institute (DLI) class. This year's invited participants represent law school students from across the state. Congratulations to Samantha McCrory and Mary Martha Willson from Belmont University College of Law; Rebekah Ballard, Shana Singleton and Sharon Strahan from Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law; Ilse Bloss from Nashville School of Law; Divine Dent from University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law; and Shery Girgis and Fady Megaly from Vanderbilt University Law School. The class will have its first meeting in January. Read more about the program and how to get involved as a mentor or speaker.

A former Nashville police officer’s home was searched in September as part of the probe to determine who leaked documents related to the Covenant School shooting, WSMV reports. The newly released information shows that Tennessee Bureau of Investigation agents searched the Portland home of Garet Davidson. A document filed by another officer says Davidson, who resigned from the department last December, controlled access to the safe where police stored the Covenant School investigation files. Davidson also has been a whistleblower in the department’s internal affairs office.

The parents of Jillian Ludwig, a Belmont University freshman who was shot and killed by a man determined to be mentally incompetent, are suing the Metro Nashville government, the state and multiple other entities and individuals over their daughter’s wrongful death. The suit argues that authorities erred when determining the shooter was not competent to stand trial but not so incompetent to qualify for involuntary commitment. They are seeking more than $50 million as relief. The Tennessean has more on the suit. Earlier this year, the state legislature approved “Jillian’s Law,” which requires involuntarily commitment of certain criminal defendants who are ruled incompetent to stand trial due to intellectual disability or mental illness.

Tennessee Republican senators today nominated Randy McNally of Oak Ridge to a fifth two-year term as speaker and lieutenant governor, Tennessee Journal reports. McNally was unopposed in a caucus election after serving for eight years in the role. Other Republican leaders nominated today included Majority Leader Jack Johnson of Franklin and Caucus Chair Ken Yager of Kingston.

A lawsuit seeking the ouster of Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert will go back to court next week, the Daily Memphian reports. Circuit Court Judge Felicia Corbin-Johnson has set Nov. 20 as the date to hear oral arguments on Halbert’s attorneys’ motion to dismiss the suit. Both sides have filed briefs on the question of whether the county attorney’s office could legally appoint a private attorney to file the ouster lawsuit in August. It is the second time Halbert has been the target of an ouster lawsuit alleging willful neglect of her office. Corbin-Johnson dismissed the first, filed in May, ruling that special attorney and Hamilton County District Attorney General Coty Wamp could not file the suit because she does not live in the jurisdiction where Halbert was elected. That decision led the county attorney’s office to contract with a private lawyer to bring the suit.

Two firearm advocacy groups, Gun Owners of America and the Tennessee Firearms Association, have sued the city of Memphis and Interim Memphis Police Chief C.J. Davis, the Daily Memphian reports. The groups are seeking a temporary restraining order to stop the city from enforcing gun control measures approved by voters last week. While measures have an effective date of Jan. 1, 2025, the Memphis City Council has acknowledged they have no enforceable effect since the Tennessee Constitution prohibits local governments from enacting gun restrictions. The groups argue that despite that, the referendums infringe on their rights.