Birmingham-based Burr & Forman LLP recently announced that it experienced a data security incident that impacted data belonging to some of its clients. The firm said in a press release that it has begun notifying impacted individuals of the incident and providing resources to assist them. The affected information, belonging to two health care clients, included individuals' names as well as Social Security numbers, medical coding information with dates and descriptions, and insurance information. It has estimated that the breach impacted nearly 20,000 people. The firm has established a toll-free call center to answer questions. Representatives are available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. CST and can be reached at 888-774-8132. The firm has offices in Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina and South Carolina. It's sole Tennessee office is in Nashville.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee announced appointees to a series of key state boards and commissions last Friday. New members have been named to the Tennessee Board of Parole, Heritage Conservation Trust Fund Board, Textbook and Instructional Materials Quality Commission, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Advisory Board, University of Tennessee at Martin Advisory Board, State Board of Accountancy, Real Estate Commission, Tennessee Motor Vehicle Commission, Tennessee Auctioneer Commission and Air Pollution Control Board. See the full list.

A recent article from the Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) looks at the path 16th Judicial District Circuit Court Judge Terry Fann has taken to the bench. Fann, who was appointed to the court last November following the retirement of Judge Mark Rogers, recounts how he learned of the upcoming vacancy and the encouragement he received from lawyers and friends to apply for the seat. Since his appointment, Fann says he has “overwhelmed and honored by the kindness and the assistance of all the people involved” in the court system. Fann was sworn in Nov. 23, 2023, by Rogers at an event hosted by the Cannon and Rutherford County Bar Associations. His longtime law partner Steve Waldron introduced him during the investiture and retired judge David Bragg gave the invocation. Read the full profile from the AOC.

Senior 12th Judicial District Circuit Court Judge Justin C. Angel has been named chair of the Tennessee Judicial Conference’s (TJC) Courtroom Security Committee, Chattanoogan.com reports. The committee is comprised of trial judges across the state who focus on the safety of judges, attorneys, court staff, jurors and litigants. The committee appropriates millions of dollars in grant funds which improve safety measures and judicial building security statewide. Angel has served the 12th Judicial District, which encompasses Bledsoe, Sequatchie, Marion, Rhea, Franklin and Grundy counties, for almost 10 years.

The Tennessee General Assembly, which earlier canceled work on Tuesday, now will remain out for the rest of the week, House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, and Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, said in a joint statement, the Tennessean reports. "Due to the extreme weather, dangerous temperatures and resulting treacherous road conditions, we have decided to close the Cordell Hull Building and cancel all official legislative meetings for the rest of this week," the two legislative leaders said. Due to winter weather, Gov. Bill Lee closed all state offices on Tuesday and Wednesday as well.

Due to inclement weather, Tennessee Supreme Court Buildings in Nashville, Knoxville and Jackson, as well as the Administrative Office of the Courts will be closed tomorrow. Oral arguments scheduled in Knoxville for tomorrow have been postponed. Visit https://www.tncourts.gov/ for more information. The Memphis Bar Association in an email this afternoon announced numerous court closings for tomorrow including Shelby County Circuit Court, Chancery Court, Probate Court, Criminal Court, General Sessions Civil and Criminal and Juvenile Court, as well as Memphis city courts and federal courts in Memphis and Jackson. The Knoxville Bar Association reports that the U.S district courts in the Eastern Grand Division determine closings and delays on a case-by-case basis, but make every effort to contact attorneys with matters before the court that will be affected.

Tennessee legislators intend to thwart future legal challenges to the state’s franchise tax by eliminating a provision in the 1935 law that faces a “pending challenge," state Revenue Commissioner David Gerregano said this week. According to the Tennessee Journal, Gerregano told Senate Finance Chair Bo Watson, R-Hixson, that tax experts in his department identified a “significant legal risk” in the way the tax is structured, which could prove “extremely costly” to Tennessee taxpayers. Companies doing business in Tennessee face paying business franchise and excise taxes of 0.25%. The franchise tax is projected to raise $1.732 billion in the current budget year.

The Tennessee legislature is back in session, and lawmakers are focused on your issues. The Tennessee Supreme Court recently announced its intention to ask the governor and General Assembly to increase compensation for court-appointed attorneys in the juvenile and criminal courts. Court-appointed attorneys, who represent the indigent, including children, are grossly underpaid in Tennessee. Because of this, fewer and fewer attorneys can afford to take cases representing the indigent, resulting in a crisis in our legal system. It’s time for Tennessee attorneys to convey to their elected legislators how serious this problem is and the toll it is taking on the entire judicial system. Learn more from the TBA Government Affairs team and then reach out to your legislators and ask them to support increased funding for indigent representation (find your Tennessee legislators here). Also, please respond to this survey and join TBA’s Grassroots Advocacy efforts to receive action alerts as relevant policy issues arise, including indigent representation. Finally, please sign up to join us for TBA Day on the Hill on March 20.

The U.S. Supreme Court announced Friday it will take up the case of the Memphis 7, a group of Starbucks baristas who claim they were fired in retaliation for trying to organize a union, the Commercial Appeal reports. In 2022, a federal judge ordered Starbucks to reinstate the employees and the Cincinnati-based U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed that decision last year. At issue is the standard federal courts use to require companies to keep employees on the payroll while their cases are being decided. Starbucks says the standard used varies depending on jurisdiction. It is asking the Supreme Court to "level the playing field" for employers by "ensuring that a single standard is applied."

A news story in Friday’s issue of TBA Today incorrectly attributed the source of proposed amendments to Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 9, section 16, which, if adopted, would have replaced section 16 in its entirety and changed the procedure for complaints against members of the board, district committee members and disciplinary counsel. It also mischaracterized the position of the Board of Professional Responsibility. The Tennessee Supreme Court itself initiated the proposed changes and solicited public comment on them. Among the comments received were those from the board, which opposed the changes. On Friday, the court instead adopted “minor revisions” to the rule. See a red line version of the section and the new rule in this order from the court.