The TBA was recognized today with two major awards from the National Association of Bar Executives (NABE) at the annual NABE Communications Section Workshop in Raleigh, North Carolina. First, it earned a Luminary Award for “Authored Article” for Journal Editor Julia Canada Wilburn's article about former Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Sharon G. Lee’s time on the bench. “A Justice for the People,” which ran in the July/August 2023 issue of the Journal, looks at a career that took Lee from rural Tennessee to state’s highest court. The TBA also was honored with an award for its 2023 year-end CLE marketing campaign, which offered a creative appeal to lawyers to take advantage of educational opportunities in days leading up to the compliance deadline. The “What’s Your CLE Mood?” and “12 Days of Ethics” series of social media and TBA Today posts used humor and nostalgic holiday imagery to market TBA’s CLE programs. See photos from today's award ceremony.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) has made progress in shortening the delays in laboratory testing of sexual assault evidence, according to a new audit by the state’s comptroller. The Tennessee Lookout reports that the turnaround has been reduced to 10 weeks. Two years ago, the bureau reported turnaround times of up to 45 weeks, delays that hindered criminal prosecutions and deferred justice for survivors. TBI Director David Rausch told a committee of lawmakers reviewing the report that the agency had hired 49 additional scientists — with another in the hiring process — to help speed up forensic testing. It also outsourced 908 kits to a private lab in Florida last year. This year, the bureau has contracted with the lab to test another 192 kits.

A new law sponsored by state Sen. Ken Yager, R-Kingston, and Rep. Ed Butler, R-Rickman, strengthens penalties for indecent exposure by inmates in correctional facilities from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class E felony. The new law aims to protect prison staff by cracking down on misconduct by inmates and reduce the number of incidents. At the time of its passage, Yager said, “Indecent exposure has no place in our correctional facilities, and unfortunately, this misconduct has become an increasing method for inmates to abuse and harass correctional staff.” Since the law went into effect July 1, the Tennessee Department of Corrections has identified 109 inmates across the state who could be charged under the new law. It will be up to local district attorneys to decide whether to charge and prosecute these cases, the LaFollette Press reports.

Knox County Assistant District Attorney Robert DeBusk resigned Tuesday following allegations that he lied under oath about violating attorney-client privilege by accessing protected communications between inmates and their defense attorneys. DeBusk was suspended after questions arose about his improper access to an email and a recorded voicemail from jail inmates to their attorneys, raising concerns about his handling of privileged information. Knox News has the story.

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee, Belmont Law, TBA YLD, the Davidson County Criminal Clerk’s Office and Tennessee Justice Center are partnering for two expungement clinics on Nov. 9 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. CST. One will take place at Belmont Law while the other will take place at the Tennessee Justice Center. The clinics are part of the Capitol City Pro Bono challenge. Volunteers are needed at both locations. Sign up using this form. Contact squintero@las.org or ginny.blake@belmont.edu with questions.

The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) last week sued the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of three environmental groups, claims that the TVA spent millions on the gas plant through agreements with pipeline operator Enbridge and GE before it studied negative environmental effects or renewable energy alternatives, or received community feedback, Knox News reports. The suit also alleges that the agreements, and a 2022 contract for combustion turbines from GE, violate the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Kingston was the site of the catastrophic coal ash spill in 2008 which resulted in more than a decade of litigtation over safety violations between workers and their families and Jacobs Solutions. A settlement was reached in 2023.

The TBA's Law Office Technology & Management Section is presenting the latest installment of it's law tech webcast series on Nov. 19 from 1:30 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. CST.  In "Our Era of AI: Responsible AI & Microsoft Copilot," attorneys will learn about how Microsoft embraces Responsible AI in its development of AI solutions and how the Microsoft legal department uses the Microsoft Copilot AI solution to achieve more. For more information or to register visit the TBA’s website.

The Shelby County District Attorney's office last week announced that a new bail-setting form will include a “law-enforcement notes” section, replacing the previous bond-recommendation section. The form will include information on a defendant’s evidence of flight, evasion, violence, other crimes and other relevant information. The Daily Memphian reports that the new bail-setting form is the latest change to Shelby County’s bail-setting process, which has received criticism from local residents and state legislators who claim it often does not do enough to protect the community.

Lawyers and legal professionals witnessed a sea change in technology recently, and the pace is not slowing. Use this checklist as a starting point for analyzing the training needs of your firm and building an effective, lasting infrastructure that empowers employees to learn. Find this and more in the Management Section of TBA’s Law Firm in a Box.

TBA's annual Hot Topics in Real Estate seminar, presented in partnership with the Tennessee Land Title Association, will be held virtually on Nov. 8 from 9 a.m to 4:15 p.m. CST. Topics will include powers of attorney, the new FINCEN rules, AI and the annual case law and legislative updates. Participants include Al Frazier with Fidelity National Financial Title Group, Ryan Martinez with Alliant National Title Insurance, Dr. Susan Tanner with the University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law, and Charles Welch Jr. with Phelps Dunbar. Real Estate Section members enjoy discounted registration fees. Not a member of the section? Join here.