Memphis and Nashville based attorneys Anne Hamer and Dan Taylor have opened Hamer & Taylor in Nashville. They will be joined by John N. Bean, Andrew Z. Graham and retired judge Dan Michael. The firm will focus on family law matters, including divorce proceedings, child custody disputes and post-divorce issues. The firm is located at 222 2nd Ave., Ste. 1700, Nashville 37201. It can be reached at 615-723-5650 or online at hamertaylor.com. Read more in a press release from the group.

The Tennessee Supreme Court recently issued an order declining to adopt proposed amendments to Supreme Court Rule 9, section 16, which 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. The court said it received comments on the proposal from the Board of Professional Responsibility and the Knoxville Bar Association. Following the comment period, the court decided to adopt “minor revisions” to the rule instead. See a red line version of the section and the new rule in this order from the court.

On Feb. 1, Memphis-based Farris Bobango will combine with New Orleans-based Phelps Dunbar and operate under the Phelps Dunbar name, the Memphis Business Journal reports. In addition to Louisiana, Phelps has more than 400 lawyers in 15 cities in Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina and Texas, and overseas in London. Farris Bobango will continue to provide clients assistance with mergers and acquisitions, government relations and tax incentive financing, as well as environmental, construction, and commercial litigation matters. The combined firms will bring cybersecurity, intellectual property and health care legal practice to Memphis. Read more in a press release from the firms.

Law School Admission Council Inc. (LSAC) President Kellye Testy will step down this summer to become executive director of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS), Reuters reports. The move follows the retirement of Judy Areen, who served as AALS’ executive director for the last decade. Testy has led LSAC since 2017 and overseen a number of key changes to the law school admission test.

The TBA’s 19th Annual Bankruptcy Law Forum will take place April 12-14 in a new location! After many years of hosting the forum in Gatlinburg, the program will move to Chattanooga for 2024. Make plans now to join colleagues for this three-day experience, learning from some of the region’s top bankruptcy practitioners and sitting judges. This year's faculty includes U.S. Bankruptcy Judges Denise E. Barnett from Memphis, Suzanne H. Bauknight from Knoxville, Nicholas W. Whittenburg from Chattanooga and Paul Bonapfel from Atlanta, as well as Chapter 13 Trustees Debra Miller from Knoxville and Kara West from Chattanooga. The forum’s most unique element — pairing attendees with judges in small groups to discuss specific consumer and commercial case problems — also is back to help practioners analyze the real-world problems bankruptcy lawyers face. Other topics include developments impacting mortgages in bankruptcies, new amendments to Article 9 of the UCC, ethical issues that arise in bankruptcy and case law updates. Finally, attendees will join faculty and judges on Saturday evening for dinner. Get more details, the full schedule and registration link here.

The TBA will be closed Monday in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The office will reopen Tuesday at 8 a.m. CST. Visit the TBA.org website for information on CLE or other TBA programs and for staff contact information.

The Memphis Bar Association will hold its Second Saturday Legal Clinic this Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon CST at the Benjamin Hooks Central Library, 3030 Poplar Ave., Memphis 38111.  Volunteers should arrive by 9:30 a.m. for instructions.

State Rep. Gino Bulso, R-Brentwood, has introduced a bill that would block state courts from hearing challenges to any internal rule, regulation or procedure adopted by the General Assembly. The Tennessean reports that the proposed measure, HB165, would not apply to laws passed by the legislature, which are routinely challenged in state court. Bulso says he decided to file the bill after Davidson County Chancellor Anne Martin blocked a House rule about access to committee hearings this past summer.

State Rep. Vincent Dixie, D-Nashville, has asked Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti to weigh in on the state House’s new policy requiring tickets for the public to sit in the West Gallery during legislative proceedings. The change was adopted yesterday as part of a new rules package. News Channel 5 has more on the story.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has adopted amendments to the Tennessee Rules of Civil Procedure and the Tennessee Rules of Appellate Procedure. The amendments to the Rules of Civil Procedure include changes to Rule 43.01 (Evidence at Trials). The Rules of Appellate Procedure include changes to Rules 30 (Form of Briefs and Other Papers) and 31 (Brief and Oral Argument of an Amicus Curiae). The amendments are now subject to approval by the General Assembly.