Fayetteville attorney Hubert Donald "Don" Holman died Friday at age 87. Holman graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1957 and received his law degree from Vanderbilt Law School in 1960. Holman then served in the U.S. Army as a military attorney through the U.S. Judge Advocate General Corps (JAG). At the end of his military service, Holman joined his father’s law practice, Holman & Holman. He was appointed general sessions judge in 1977, which was later expanded to include serving as juvenile court judge. Holman served as general sessions judge until he retired 1998. Visitation with the family will be held Nov. 4 at First Presbyterian Church, 101 Mulberry Ave., Fayetteville 37334 from 9:45-10:45 a.m. CDT, followed by a memorial service at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the First Presbyterian Church or a local nonprofit.

More than 30 partners from New York's Stroock & Stroock & Lavan, will join law firm Hogan Lovells, reports Reuters. Stroock has already seen dozens of partners depart amid growing uncertainty about the firm's future. Hogan Lovells, a transatlantic law firm, has more than 2,800 lawyers and has touted the hires in a statement as a "premier group of extremely talented lawyers." Reuters reports the departures appear to include more than half of Stroock's current partnership. Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman announced Thursday it was discontinuing talks toward a potential merger with Stroock.

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee will unveil portraits of Noah Parden and Styles Hutchins in a ceremony at the Joel W. Solomon Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse on Wednesday at 2 p.m. EDT, the Chattanoogan reports. Parden and Hutchins, two African-American attorneys from Chattanooga, obtained a stay of execution in 1906 for Ed Johnson, an African-American criminal defendant, in the U.S. Supreme Court. Despite the stay of execution, a mob forced its way into the county jail where Johnson was held and hanged him from the Walnut Street bridge. The portraits will be displayed outside the third-floor courtroom of the Solomon Federal Building. The Supreme Court Historical Society will also announce "The Supreme Court and My Hometown," a two-week summer day camp for local high school students featuring an intensive study of the process and substantive issues of cases decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Make plans now to attend the annual TBA Health Law Primer and Health Law Forum CLE programs this Wednesday followed by the forum on Thursday and Friday. The primer is designed for those new to health practice and will provide an introduction to the U.S. health care system, issues of fraud and abuse, provider licensing and employment and contracting. The two-day forum will dig deeper into topics such as The False Claims Act, telehealth, antitrust, artificial intelligence and legislative developments. A block of hotel rooms is reserved for those traveling to the event. Get details at the links above.

Tennessee Youth Courts are fully operational again after the pandemic forced their closure. The program needs the support of lawyers to volunteer to assist youth court members for their roles before the courts. Volunteer lawyers will receive Youth Court Training (CLE) without charge. Visit tnyouthcourts.org to learn more about the program. Please register to volunteer with Denise Bentley via email with the subject line VOLUNTEER.

Tennessee is investing millions in upgrading the Wilder Youth Development Center in Fayette County, which serves juveniles found guilty of violent crimes and posing significant risks to their communities. The new hardware-secure facility will have 72 beds with the potential to expand to 96 beds in the future. WREG reports that this move comes in response to a history of issues at the center, including fights, riots, staff members being locked in cells and multiple incidents that required state troopers' assistance, which has prompted the Tennessee Department of Children's Services to make changes and improvements. The expansion will also allow juveniles in Shelby County to serve their sentences closer to home instead of being sent across the state — or out of state, in some cases — to another facility. Memphis Shelby Crime Commission President Bill Gibbons is concerned that the new beds may not be enough to address the high number of juveniles charged with violent crimes, and he emphasizes the need for intensive supervision and services.

New Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell has hired Rep. Darren Jernigan to be his director of legislative affairs. Jernigan served Old Hickory, Donelson and Hermitage while on Nashville's Metro Council and has represented District 60 in the state house since 2012. Axios Nashville reports that Jernigan will serve out his current term but will not seek reelection.

A report by the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession reveals that mothers in the legal field are more likely than fathers to experience negative workplace experiences, such as disparaging comments, lower compensation and fewer advancement opportunities. The report highlights that 61% of mothers in law firms have encountered demeaning comments about being a working parent, while 60% of mothers in other practice settings also faced such comments. It emphasizes the need for legal employers to address these challenges to retain and advance women lawyers with children and suggests best practices and policies to support female lawyers with families, including flexible work arrangements and comprehensive family health insurance.

Nine Shelby County corrections officers, indicted for their alleged roles in the death of inmate Gershun Freeman, appeared in court for the first time. The Daily Memphian reports that the officers were charged in connection with Freeman's death following an altercation in the Shelby County Jail in 2022. Two of the officers, Courtney Parham and Stevon Jones, face second-degree murder and aggravated assault charges, while the others face charges of aggravated assault resulting in death. The officers are set to return to court on Dec. 1 for a report date. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, representing Freeman's family, emphasized the significance of video evidence in obtaining the criminal indictments.

Tennessee's Senate Finance, Ways and Means Committee chairman has warned against rejecting federal K-12 education funds, arguing that doing so would send Tennessee taxpayer money elsewhere. While he supports a thorough review of federal requirements tied to education funds, Sen. Bo Watson, R-Hixson, stresses that these federal dollars are, in fact, taxpayer funds from Tennessee. The Tennessee Lookout reports that a group of House and Senate members is set to study federal education funding, examining the mandates and the possibility of recommending their rejection. Federal funds account for more than a third of Tennessee's budget, making this a significant issue for the state.