This week’s updates to the TBA Practice Management Center include information about booking services and document management systems. Also check out tips for managing documents when a document management system is not in place.

Join the Corporate Counsel Section on April 14 for its virtual annual forum, full of the essential content for in-house attorneys. Mark Phillis with Littler Mendelson will speak about digital accessibility. Eric Stevens with Littler Mendelson will address workplace violence and Dr. Hemant Sharma will join a session on recent Supreme Court cases impacting administrative law. The forum also will provide a session on pregnancy in the workplace with Charles Thompson of Ogletree Deakins.

The Stonewall Bar Association, a statewide organization for LGBTQ+ attorneys and allies, will host a spring reception on April 12 from 5-7 p.m. CDT at the Nashville office of Bass, Berry & Sims. The deadline to RSVP to Greg Maczko at Bass Berry is Thursday. The association also recently announced two new social media accounts: stonewallbar.tennessee on Instagram and Stonewall Bar Association of Tennessee on LinkedIn. For general information about the group email stonewallbar.nashville@gmail.com.

The TBA will hold its annual Public Service Awards Ceremony as a brunch this year. The event will take place April 15 from 10 a.m. to noon CDT at the Margaritaville Hotel, 425 John Lewis Way, in downtown Nashville. The event is free, but please RSVP. That evening, the Corporate Counsel Pro Bono Initiative Gala will be held at the Nashville Public Library’s Main Branch at 615 Church St. in downtown Nashville. The event will run from 6-8:30 p.m. with a program at 7:15 p.m., and include a cocktail supper, live music and award recognitions. See details for the day or RSVP for the Public Service Awards Ceremony or get tickets for the Corporate Counsel Gala.

The University of Memphis School of Law recently announced that retired judge Bernice B. Donald, now a senior judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, will serve as the school’s 2023 commencement speaker. The graduation will be held on May 13 at the Orpheum Theater in downtown Memphis beginning at 3 p.m. CDT. Memphis Law Dean Katharine T. Schaffzin praised Donald for being a trailblazer throughout her career saying, “The example she has set in the legal profession and in her community is one that our students can learn from and aspire to throughout their legal careers.”

Aspiring lawyers will be able to take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) at home or at a testing center starting in August. The Law School Admission Council, which designs and administers the test, will offer most test takers a choice after moving the exam exclusively online in May 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions on in-person gatherings. Prior to that, the LSAT was only offered in-person. Read more about the change from Reuters.

Former President Donald J. Trump appeared in a New York courtroom this afternoon to plead not guilty to charges brought against him by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. The indictment was unsealed and read in court by Judge Juan Merchan. It alleges Trump falsified business records in violation of New York state law and did so to conceal another crime, though that crime was not disclosed. At the center of the case are payments to three individuals allegedly designed to buy their silence: adult film star Stormy Daniels, former Playboy model Karen McDougal and a doorman at Trump Tower. Read more from today’s proceedings and see the indictment and statement of facts from The Hill.

Fastcase, the TBA’s preferred legal research platform, announced it has merged with vLex, a global legal research company. According to the newly formed entity, which will be known as vLex Group, Fastcase founders Ed Walters and Phil Rosenthal will remain on staff serving in global executive roles. The combined group says it now hosts the world’s largest subscriber base of lawyers and law firms, and a legal research library of more than one billion documents from more than 100 countries. As part of the merger, Oakley Capital and Bain Capital Credit are investing an undisclosed amount to expand the company’s global reach and accelerate development of artificial intelligence tools for the legal market. The two companies’ products will retain their branding, with vLex as the primary brand outside the United States and Fastcase, Docket Alarm and NextChapter continuing to be used in the country. Read more about the deal from Bob Ambrogi in LawNext.

The Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) has confirmed at least 15 weather-related deaths after last weekend’s storms in five counties: McNairy, Shelby, Roane, Tipton and Henry. The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) also estimates that more than 260 homes were damaged, and according to the National Weather Service, tornadoes touched down in Covington and Adamsville and Lewis County. Shelters are open in Readyville, Covington and Waynesboro, according to Action News 5. Gov. Bill Lee has not requested a federal disaster declaration but those in need of legal assistance can call the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services’ helpline at 1-844-HELP4TN. Attorneys interested in volunteering to help storm victims can sign up here. Also be sure to check out the TBA’s disaster resources webpage for more ways to help.

House Republican leaders have begun the expulsion process for three Democrats — Reps. Gloria Johnson of Knoxville, Justin Jones of Nashville and Justin Pearson of Memphis — for their role in anti-gun protests last week, the Tennessean reports. An expulsion resolution for each member was introduced last night and each passed on an initial party-line vote of 72 to 23. A final vote is scheduled for Thursday. The resolutions claim the members “knowingly and intentionally” brought disorder and dishonor to the House of Representatives. Following introduction of the measures, the House “turned chaotic.” Yells rang out through the state Capitol, protestors screamed from the galleries and Rep. Jones accused Rep. Justin Lafferty, R-Knoxville, of taking his phone.