West Tennessee Legal Services (WTLS) has opened an office in Memphis at 1407 Union to begin serving clients there, the Daily Memphian reports. In the three months since the group inherited the caseload of the federally funded legal aid office in Memphis, WTLS Executive Director Ashley Holliday has hired 10 lawyers, found temporary office space, blazed trails to connect with the legal community and moved twice. Memphis Area Legal Services, now headed by CEO Nicole Grida, will continue to provide legal services through private funding and grants. “The scope of our work remains unchanged,” Grida told the paper. “We still serve clients in our priority areas, housing, family and children, elder, consumer … services that we have offered for a number of years.”

TBA’s member benefit partner SoFi is offering a webinar on Thursday to help those with student loans make a plan to manage their debt. The company reports that the student loan repayment on–ramp period ended on Sept. 30, meaning borrowers will have to start repaying their loans. The webinar will air at 3 p.m. CDT and feature Brian Walsh, SoFi's head of advice and planning. He will talk about the latest student debt news and how to start paying loans with confidence. Register here. Two previous sessions on the basics of student loans also are available to watch on demand.

After being closed for more than five months for asbestos, mold and lead remediation, Shelby County Juvenile Court was scheduled to resume in-person hearings on Monday. However, due to staffing and budget issues, all 150 cases scheduled for Monday — including for dependency and neglect, custody and visitation and child support — were held virtually, a change communicated on Sunday. The Shelby County Sheriff's Office transported juveniles to court last year, but communicated to the court that they would not continue to do so this year, due to staffing and budget issues. The Daily Memphian has more.

The current law school admission cycle kicked off with an 18% surge in people registering to take the LSAT entrance exam. According to Reuters, this increase likely suggests increased interest from young people in careers focused on U.S. legal affairs. The LSAT administration in the latest cycles — which includes August, September, October and November posted increases in either test takers or those registered to take the test compared to last year. The article reports, this year's increase in LSAT takers comes as the U.S. legal sector has begun to add jobs after a four-month slump. Law school applications have also increased with applicants up 6% nationwide over the previous year.

A former prosecutor has sued Nashville District Attorney General Glenn Funk, accusing him of violating her First Amendment rights by allegedly forcing her out of her job after she served on a jury in a case prosecuted by the office. Katie Hagan voted to find the defendant not guilty after which she says Funk “berated” her for her actions, “accused her of being unethical” and reassigned her to desk work. She ultimately resigned. Hagan argues that she did not believe she could decline the jury summons given the office’s policy, which states: "Jury service is a responsibility of good citizenship, and all employees are expected to honor subpoenas for jury duty in any court. It is the office policy that employees serve rather than seek to be excused or exempted. Jury service is both a privilege and an obligation." NewsChannel 5 reports on the suit.

The two parties in the legal dispute over ownership of the Swan Ball have reached a "settlement in principle" that will determine who owns the annual event, the Cheekwood Botanical Garden or a group of volunteers who produce the multi-day, invitation-only event. Attorneys for both parties submitted a joint statement to a federal judge on Oct. 14 saying that the court mandated mediation — which lasted 10.5 hours, resulted in the preliminary agreement, according to the Nashville Business Journal. In July, a group of volunteers sued Cheekwood, accusing it of "planning a coup" to take control of the gala's planning and operations, Cheekwood then filed a countersuit. In September, a court ruled in favor of the volunteers, finding that the group overseeing the event provided "sufficient evidence" of ownership. U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes gave the parties until Nov. 15 to file formal paperwork to dismiss the lawsuit or to update the court on efforts to reach a finalized agreement.

Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee Reagan Fondren announced her office is joining the Department of Justice in commemorating October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM). Last month, the Justice Department's Office on Violence Against Women awarded over $228.5 million in grants for services for survivors of domestic violence. DVAM also includes a national day of action, "Purple Thursday," observed Oct. 17, when advocates are encouraged to wear purple and start a conversation about domestic violence. Read more about DVAM and domestic violence resources in a release from Fondren's office.

On Oct. 25, the Corporate Counsel Section will host a webinar that will explore how in-house legal teams can effectively balance the strategic advantages and inherent risks of integrating artificial intelligence (AI). Topics will include what AI is and its practical applications, key risks and considerations to address before implementing AI, AI governance frameworks and compliance, ethical challenges and responsible AI use. Attendees will gain insights on managing AI in the corporate environment while mitigating legal and ethical concerns. Register here.

TBA’s Group Health Insurance, provided by BlueCross BlueShield, offers guaranteed issue coverage, with no health questions and no pre-existing condition exclusions. The Knoxville law firm Butler Vines & Babbs made the switch. Here is what firm administrator David T. Kristy says about the program: “When the TBA Member Insurance Solutions Plans first came out, the benefits and premiums offered were so close to what we currently had for our small firm (18 participants) that we elected to pass on the opportunity. However, we evaluated these plans each year and in 2023, the insurance carrier, benefit levels and especially premium costs were clearly way ahead of the competition! We went with the TBA plan in 2023 and over the past two years have saved over $62,000 for the same level of coverage for our employees. I would not hesitate to recommend that other law firms seriously evaluate the TBA plans.” Find out more or get your quote now.

Judge Barry Brown, who served as Sumner County’s juvenile judge for 32 years, died Oct. 10. During his time with the court, Brown established a Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program in the county, a Sumner County Teen Court, a Victim/Offender Reconciliation Program (VORP) and a program to educate first-time offenders about the dangers of drug abuse. The Nashville School of Law graduate retired from the bench in 2017. Services were held today. Memorial donations may be made to Sumner County CASA, 182 West Franklin St., Gallatin, TN 37066. Main Street Media has more on his career and reflections from colleagues.