White County General Sessions Court Judge John Meadows now can hear adoption cases thanks to a private bill sponsored by Republican Rep. Paul Sherrell and Sen. Paul Bailey, both of Sparta. The legislation was approved by the General Assembly and signed by Gov. Bill Lee during the last session, Sparta Alive reports. Under Tennessee law, only chancery and circuit courts have jurisdiction, power and authority to hear and decide adoption cases. The change was enacted to expedite adoption proceedings in the county, where residents often had to wait to be scheduled on a crowded docket and then travel to Cookeville for court appearances. According to the Department of Children’s Services, the change will “accelerate child placement, namely allowing for a judicial waiver to speed adoption finalization from six to three months if a court sees fit.”

After 28 years on the bench, Hamilton County Circuit Court Judge L. Marie Williams will retire as of Jan. 3, 2024, due to family concerns, the Times Free Press reports. Williams indicated her plans in a letter sent to Gov. Bill Lee on July 27. "Needs of my family, which were not anticipated when I sought re-election, now require me to retire," Williams said. Whoever is appointed to fill Williams' seat will have a quick turnaround for campaigning, with primary elections set for March 5 and general elections in August.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito last week blocked a Texas-based federal judge’s decision to strike down a regulation aimed at reining in firearms known as “ghost guns,” Reuters reports. Alito put the case on hold for one week, which ends tomorrow. The Justice Department issued the gun rule in 2022 to target the proliferation of homemade weapons kits that can purchased without a background check. The rule would require manufacturers to be licensed, to conduct background checks and to add serial numbers to their products. U.S. Judge Reed O’Connor blocked the rule nationwide in July saying the department exceeded its authority in adopting it. The administration asked the Supreme Court to halt the ruling while it appeals to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Florida-based Unbottleneck, a provider of remote staffing services, is growing its offerings in the legal sector, naming Nashville-based attorney Larry Bridgesmith as a strategic adviser. Services provided by the company include virtual legal receptionists, legal administrators, legal transcriptionists, legal operations managers and legal project managers. Bridgesmith has taught at Vanderbilt and Belmont universities and is a co-founder of the International Institute of Legal Project Management, the Nashville Post reports.

Nashville law firm Neal & Harwell has named John Southwood as its director of financial operations. Southwood previously served as director of financing and accounting at Waller Lansden for 14 years. He also was chief financial officer at Boult, Cummings, Conners & Berry for 13 years before it merged with Bradley Arant Rose & White. Southwood holds an MBA degree in accounting from Vanderbilt University and an undergraduate degree from the University of the South. The Nashville Post has more on the story.

Join us Aug. 30 in Chattanooga for Intersections of Family Law. Hosted by the TBA Family Law Section, this event will examine how domestic law intersects with other legal segments to provide a more holistic view to incorporate into practice. Speakers include Chattanooga family law attorney Barry Gold with McWilliams, Gold & Larramore and TBA's Director of Public Policy and Government Affairs Berkley Schwarz. The program will run from 1-3:30 p.m. EDT in the Chattanooga office of Baker Donelson.

The YLD is replaying three CLE webcasts from earlier in the year to help lawyers refresh and rejuvenate their practice. The three one-hour programs will be broadcast in August from noon to 1 p.m. CDT each day. Join Immediate Past TBA President Tasha Blakney, Immediate Past TBA YLD President Brittany Faith and their colleagues for informative and lively talks on How to Measure Success on Aug. 14, How to Log Off When Your Workday is Done on Aug. 25 and How to Use Your Engagement Letter on Aug. 30. The first program will teach the business concept of key performance indicators for lawyers, focusing on the different ways to measure success, how to hit goalposts all year round instead of waiting until the end of the year, and how to self-evaluate including receipts, hours and other trackable key performance indicators.

The Tennessee Bar Association Academy offers an exciting opportunity for a limited number of Tennessee attorneys to be admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court. The 2023 admission ceremony will take place Dec. 5 at the court in Washington, D.C. In addition to taking part in the private ceremony, participants will be invited to a TBA President's Reception and a special celebration dinner, and will receive three hours of prepaid credits to use for future CLE programming. The group will stay at the Hay Adams Hotel, where a block of rooms has been reserved at the discounted rate of $359 a night. The cost to register is $725 for TBA members and $300 for their guests. Those interested in participating should complete this online form by Aug. 7. Applicants will be considered on a first-come basis and will be contacted to confirm their interest and complete the application process.

For years, dozens of criminal cases in Davidson County were dropped because the person arrested was found not mentally competent to stand trial. Davidson County Judge Melissa Blackburn, who oversees the Mental Health Court, says, "That was happening every single day with anyone deemed incompetent ...” Blackburn’s office found that over an 18-month period, 182 people had been declared not competent to stand trial and two thirds of those were re-arrested within three months. A $600,000 grant from Metro Nashville is helping by funding an incompetency docket and providing additional treatment, NewsChannel 5 reports. Read more about the program.

The Tennessee Lawyers’ Fund for Client Protection met recently to consider claims from clients alleging financial loss due to the illegal actions of their lawyers. The fund approved nine claims: $1,250 against McMinn County attorney Joseph H. Crabtree Jr.; $16,651.86 against deceased lawyer Wesley Lynn Hatmaker; $1,663.33 against Janet Monique Okoye; $2,750 against Davidson County Philip Joseph Perez; $2,277.15 against Williamson County lawyer Judson Wheeler Phillips; and $748.50 against Shelby County lawyer James Foster Schaeffer Jr. The board also approved three claims brought against Sullivan County lawyer Jason R. McLellan: one in the amount of $67,400.36, one in the amount of $100,000 and one in the amount of $28,885.96. Lawyers are generally required to reimburse the fund for these payments. The Fund for Client Protection was established by the Tennessee Supreme Court to reimburse individuals for losses caused by dishonest conduct by attorneys. The fund is operated by a board, which meets quarterly to consider claims. In September 2022, the Tennessee Supreme Court amended Rule 25 to require the fund to notify the Tennessee Bar Association of claims paid. News releases on all actions also are posted on the fund's website.