According to a press release from the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE), 4,124 participants from 88 law schools in 41 jurisdictions recently participated in a nationwide field test for the NextGen bar exam. The data gathered from the field test will help NCBE ensure that the NextGen bar exam fairly and accurately assesses the knowledge and skills needed by new lawyers, as well as confirm timing estimates, provide an opportunity to test computerized exam delivery and scoring systems, and give jurisdiction graders an opportunity to practice grading new types of questions. Belmont College of Law and the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law were the two participating Tennessee law schools in the field test. The NextGen exam will have its first administration in July 2026.

As Shelby County works to build its budget for the next fiscal year, revenue information from last year's county-wide wheel tax increase will not be available. Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert has been submitting inaccurate reports or no reports at all during the last fiscal year, reports The Daily Memphian. “She provided three months — July, August and September — and those reports were inaccurate,” Shelby County Trustee Regina Newman told the news outlet. The county does not formally have the revenue figures it needs to accurately predict what money is on hand and report that in certified statements that meet accounting standards. Newman has been working with the Tennessee Comptroller’s audit division.

William John "Jack" Reynolds died Feb. 20 at age 90. He graduated from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville with a degree in agriculture education, and after completing military service, he received a law degree from Southern Law School, now the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law. Reynolds began practicing law in Selmer in 1964. He served as county attorney for McNairy County, alderman for the City of Selmer and was a member of the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association, the Tennessee Bar Association, as well as the Hardin and McNairy County Bar Associations. In 1984, he moved his law practice to Savannah where he was later joined by his son and grandson, practicing under the law firm name of Reynolds & Reynolds. The family held a private graveside service. Memorials may be sent to Savannah Church of Christ, 1175 Pickwick St S., Savannah, TN 38372, or the donor's charity of choice.

The Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) has released a special Black History Month episode of its Court Talk podcast, featuring a conversation with Tennessee Court of Appeals Judge John McClarty and host Nick Morgan as they discuss McClarty's autobiography, "The Dreamer: John W. McClarty." Their discussion ranges from Chattanooga in the 1950s to a lifetime spanning two careers, as a lawyer and an appellate judge.

Maria Jeannette Merrill of Columbus, Indiana, died on Feb. 19 at age 62. She earned a degree in nursing from the University of Evansville, a master's degre in nursing education from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and her law degree from the Nashville School of Law. Merrill was a member of the American Society of Health Risk Management, the Health Care Compliance Association, the American Health Lawyer's Association and the Tennessee Bar Association. She worked at Lincoln Health System in Fayetteville as the chief legal officer and for the Erlanger Health System in Chattanooga for 18 years where she served as a clinical nurse specialist and later as the privacy program manager. A celebration life will be held Feb. 29 at Jewell-Rittman Family Funeral Home, 3855 25th St., Columbus, Indiana 47203. Visitation begins at 4 p.m. EST and a tribute from the Nursing Honor Guard will start at 6 p.m. Donations may be made to the American Heart Association to support women's heart health.

Join your colleagues for an Immigration Law webcast on March 25 from 12:30-1:30 p.m. CDT. Two lawyers with extensive experience in immigration court and a retired immigration judge will explore some ways to avoid pitfalls in immigration court. Participants will be provided a copy of the Immigration Court Practice Manual and will have an opportunity to ask questions of the panelists. Pre-submit questions here.

The Federalist Society’s Knoxville Lawyers Chapter will host a conversation with former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions at the Foundry, 747 Worlds Fair Park Drive Knoxville, 37902 on March 5 at 5:30 p.m. CST. Go here for registration and ticket information.

Robert. L. Bakeris, a Florida licensed attorney, today received a Public Censure from the Supreme Court of Tennessee and was ordered to pay the costs and fees of the Board of Professional Responsibility. While appearing in a Tennessee matter pro hac vice, Bakeris failed to pay the required registration fees for a two (2) year period. Upon learning of the missed payments, Bakeris made full payment of the unpaid fees and asserted that it was an inadvertent oversight which was confirmed by his office manager in charge of making the payments.

Eastern District of Tennessee Judge Clifton Corker today granted a preliminary injunction suspending NCAA rules regarding name, image and likeness (NIL) benefits, finding the rules likely violate federal antitrust law and caused irreparable damage to athletes. Knox News reports that while the federal case is not directly connected to an NCAA investigation into University of Tennessee, the injunction makes it more difficult to pursue. The decision could have a significant impact on college sports, as the NCAA's rules banning NIL recruiting inducements are suspended for more than 523,000 athletes at 1,088 institutions. College recruits and transfers can now negotiate and sign NIL contracts before enrolling at a university. Attorneys general in Tennessee and Virginia argued that the rules should be suspended immediately because recruits are losing leverage without the ability to negotiate their fair market value.

The 17th Annual Napier-Looby Bar Foundation (NLBF) Barristers’ Banquet and Awards Program was held yesterday in Nashville. The annual event honors distinguished attorneys and judges and supports NLBF's law school scholarships and charitable efforts throughout the year. Awards were presented to Chancellor Russell Perkins, who received the Alexander Looby Lifetime Achievement Award; Dannelle F.W. Whiteside, vice president for legal affairs and organizational strategy at Austin Peay State University, who received the J.C. Napier Trailblazer Award; and Davidson County General Sessions Court Judge Marcus Floyd, who was presented the Justice A.A. Birch Outstanding Service Award. The late Judge Richard H. Dinkins was honored at a reception immediately preceding the banquet. See a photo from the event.