The TBA Young Lawyers Division (YLD) is back with two new installments of its Rookie's Guide Series, which is designed to shed light on the foundational pillars of various legal disciplines. Each segment offers a deep dive into a practice area, ranging from the structured world of employment law to the nuances of family law. Specially curated for the next generation of Tennessee's legal professionals, this series promises more than knowledge — it paves the path to excellence. The February installment of the series will focus on family law, with topics such as divorce proceedings, child custody conflicts and adoption processes. In March, the series will focus on estate planning, with sessions on drafting, trust creation and asset protection. If you missed the initial offering in December, check out the personal injury installment now available on demand.

The American Bar Association’s (ABA) House of Delegates (HOD) approved a new policy this week that requires law schools to adopt free speech policies in order to maintain their accreditation, reports Reuters. The new policy, approved by a voice vote, requires that law schools develop and publish policies that “encourage and support the free expression of ideas.” The change comes after several high-profile incidents where law students disrupted speakers and amid campus tension over the conflict between Israel and Hamas. The HOD, which is the association’s policymaking body, also approved nearly 30 other new policies, including opposing laws that limit teaching about race or gender; urging governments to follow federal reporting guidelines for deaths in custody; opposing the suspension or removal of elected prosecutors for personal or partisan reasons or without due process; and supporting the Uniform Collaborative Law Rules and Uniform Collaborative Law Act. Read more about the new policies.

An East Memphis resident has filed an ethics complaint against Memphis City Council member Michalyn Easter-Thomas, asserting the councilwoman’s job with the Memphis River Parks Partnership is a conflict of interest, reports the Daily Memphian. Rebecca Neves filed the complaint in late January which asserts that because Easter-Thomas is an employee of a nonprofit that has a contract with the Memphis Parks Department, she has a conflict of interest under Section 20, Article 5 of the city charter. Under city ordinance, the city’s chief ethics officer must evaluate the facts of the complaint by Feb. 8. The Daily Memphian reports it is not clear if the ethics officer already has issued a recommendation.

The Bessie Smith Cultural Center in Chattanooga will host a screening of the new film "Gospel" this Thursday from 6-7:30 p.m. EST. Hosted by acclaimed scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr., "Gospel" explores Black spirituality in sermon and song. The screening will be followed by a community discussion on the evolution of the film. Registration is free but required.

University of Tennessee College of Law Dean and Elvin E. Overton Distinguished Professor of Law Lonnie T. Brown Jr. was honored at a reception Saturday evening at the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Midyear Meeting in Louisville, Kentucky. Meeting attendees from across the country gathered to celebrate Brown’s leadership at the law school. In addition, former University of Tennessee College of Law professor Penny White received the ABA Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section’s (TIPS) Robert B. McKay Law Professor Award. The award recognizes law professors who have shown commitment to the advancement of justice, scholarship and the legal profession, demonstrated by outstanding contributions to the fields of tort, trial practice or insurance law. Until her retirement in 2022, White was the Elvin E. Overton Distinguished Professor of Law and served as the director of the school’s Center for Advocacy and Dispute Resolution. See photos from the two events.

According to the Tennessean, federal prosecutors are investigating Cade Cothren, former House Speaker Glen Casada’s aide, for allegations of cyberstalking. The information was disclosed in court filings last week when prosecutors asked to delay the impending trial of both Cothren and Casada, The Tennessee Journal reports. Law enforcement subsequently obtained a search warrant and seized several phones from Cothren’s house. Cothren's attorneys have asked the judge to quash the warrant. Prosecutors now say "in an abundance of caution," they have not extracted any information from the phones and will not do so before a hearing set for this afternoon.

Gov. Bill Lee joined a group of other Republican governors this weekend in Texas to observe the border and support Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. During the visit, Lee called the situation a crisis and committed to sending two waves of active-duty troops from the Tennessee National Guard to help, the Tennessean reports. Lee previously had sent 125 National Guard members to the area in October. In related news, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti joined 26 other states in a letter to the Biden administration supporting Texas’ border defense. And in Washington, D.C., a proposed bipartisan border security package is getting mixed reviews. The Hill has more on that measure.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is out with a new jobs report for January. For the legal sector, the bureau found that jobs dropped from an all-time high of 1,192,200 in December to 1,187,800 last month: a loss of 4,400 jobs. The count includes a range of legal workers at law firms, companies and other organizations of all sizes, including paralegals and assistants, but the majority are lawyers. The largest law firms in the United States appear to have slowed hiring amid relatively flat client demand, Reuters reports.

The law firm of Baker Donelson has tapped two Tennessee lawyers to chair its practice areas. Nashville attorney Martha Boyd has been named new chair of the Labor & Employment Group, while Memphis attorney Mary Ann Jackson has ben named chair of the Tax Group. Boyd, a shareholder in the Nashville office, has been vice chair of the labor group since 2022. She is a certified fraud examiner and is trained in conducting workplace investigations of harassment or other misconduct, conducting numerous investigations in her 25 years of practicing law. Jackson is a shareholder in the Memphis office, a member of the firm’s board directors and previous chair of the Corporate Group. Her practice has focused on structuring businesses, nonprofit organizations and physician practices, as well as securities offerings, venture capital fund formation and real estate.

February is Black History Month and to commemorate the recognition, ABA President Mary Smith says the association honors “the work of Black legal trailblazers who have played pivotal roles in the advancement of civil rights” while also recognizing the need to address “significant racial disparities in the legal profession.” She highlights the gap between the percentage of Black Americans in the U.S. population — 14% — and those in the legal profession — 5% — saying that difference means there is an “urgent need for systemic change.” She also calls on legal professionals to reaffirm their commitment to diversity and inclusion objectives to achieve a more inclusive profession. Read the full statement.