The 27th Annual Labor & Employment Forum set for May 5 in Nashville is a terrific opportunity to learn from some of the top professionals and judges in the labor and employment arena who will provide practical insight on emerging trends and critical issues. This year’s program features topics such as the new NLRB, FLSA case law update, a judicial panel of both state and federal judges, the ins and outs of effective mediations, and an ethics presentation on interviewing witnesses within the workplace.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has waived the in-person requirement for CLE hours. This allows lawyers to earn all or any portion of their required hours through approved distance learning courses. The TBA has more than 200 online courses available and provides TBA members with three free CLE hours with their membership. Check out these distance learning opportunities from the TBA.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division hosted a unique CLE last month, which involved attendees participating in a civil rights tour of Nashville followed by a discussion with former TBA President Bill Harbison and Nashville lawyer John Farringer, both with Sherrard Roe Voigt & Harbison. They worked on the Tennessee case that established the national right to same sex marriage. The walking tour started at the downtown federal building, where an ADA case led to installation of an elevator. The group moved on to Hume-Fogg High School to talk about education options during the civil rights era, then to the Woolworth Theater, former site of lunch counter sit-ins demanding equal treatment of Black customers, and the Hermitage Hotel, where suffragettes gathered in August 1920 for the Tennessee legislature’s consideration of the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote. Watch for details about civil rights walks coming to other Tennessee cities during the next bar year. See pictures from the day.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti says the state does not plan to appeal a preliminary injunction imposed on a new law that would have required Metro Nashville Commission to reduce its membership for the next election. Arguing that the three judge panel that issued the injunction upheld the “the substantive provisions” of the law, Skrmetti said he fully expects future elections to be capped at 20 members. The law has been “delayed but not … defeated,” he said in a written statement.

The Minnesota Court of Appeals today upheld the conviction of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd, rejecting Chauvin's request for a new trial. The panel of three judges rejected Chauvin's argument that the judge in his 2021 state trial made multiple errors and abused his discretion, including denying Chauvin's request to move the trial outside of Minneapolis. Reuters has more on the ruling.

A former University of Tennessee College of Law employee is facing wire fraud charges after he allegedly deposited $70,000 in donations intended for the university into his own account, WATE reports. An unsealed indictment allegedly states that Andrew Shafer was charged with two counts of felony wire fraud on March 15. Shafer joined the law school in August 2020 to lead fundraising efforts. He left in March 2022. He also apparently worked in alumni and development roles at the university between 2007 and 2012. The two transactions are believed to have happened in the fall of 2021.

U.S. News & World Report will delay the release of its law school rankings by one week to April 25, Inside Higher Ed reports. The magazine typically gives graduate schools the opportunity to review their data during an “embargo period.” This year, the magazine says it received an “unprecedented number of inquiries from schools” and thus are devoting additional time to “comprehensively address these inquiries.” Last week in a surprise move, the news outlet released the top 14 law schools on its latest rankings.

A story in Friday’s issue of TBA Today reported that the Tennessee legislature approved several amendments to the Tennessee Supreme Court Rules. The story indicated that the amendments approved were the same as those put out for public comment. In fact, the court did change the rules package after the comment period. The language sent to and approved by the legislature did not include changes to Rule 41 of the Rules of Criminal Procedure. That rule was returned to the Rules Commission for further consideration. View the final changes to Rule 5.02 of the Rules of Civil Procedure and Rule 49 of the Rules of Criminal Procedure.

The Tennessee Supreme Court last week ordered Sumner County lawyer Ronnie Huggins to satisfy three requirements by May 29 for the court to consider his petition for reinstatement. The court noted that Huggins is not in compliance with CLE requirements, has not paid the required reinstatement fee and remains in default of his student loan. If these obligations are not satisfied by the date, Huggins’ petition for reinstatement will be dismissed without prejudice.

The Tennessee Supreme Court last week ordered that disciplinary proceedings against Madison County lawyer Angela Joy Hopson be reactivated following an evaluation to determine her capacity to respond to, or defend against, disciplinary proceedings pending against her.