The Knoxville Lawyers Chapter of The Federalist Society will hold a reception with Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti on Feb. 28 beginning at 6:30 p.m. EST. The event will take place at Chesapeake's West Knoxville, 9630 Parkside Dr., Knoxville 37922. The price is $20 for members and $30 for non-members. Light food and drinks provided. Register online.

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands has relocated its Columbia office to 1503 Hatcher Ln., Ste 105, Columbia 38401. Attorneys and legal services will continue unchanged in the new location, though additional staff may join in the near future, the Columbia Daily Herald reports. The office previously was located at 1121 Trotwood Ave., Ste. 4. “Legal Aid Society is proud to have been a part of the Columbia community for more than 40 years,” said Patricia Jones, lead attorney of the Columbia office. “In this new location, which is just a short drive away from our old offices, we will continue providing needed free legal services to low-income residents of Columbia and the surrounding area.”

The Chattanooga Times Free Press is reporting that former Hamilton County District Attorney Neal Pinkston has received a private reprimand from the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility (BPR). Former County Commissioner Tim Boyd shared a letter from the BPR with the paper. Boyd had filed a complaint against Pinkston in August 2021 with concerns around the employment of Pinkston's spouse and brother-in-law in the Hamilton County District Attorney's Office. In February 2022, the Tennessee Comptroller's Office found those hirings violated state nepotism law. The BPR declined to comment for the story, saying allegations of attorney misconduct are confidential "unless and until public discipline is imposed or formal disciplinary proceedings are filed." Pinkston also did not comment, but has consistently denied wrongdoing and maintained his management decisions were legal and ethical.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said this weekend that he would not rule out a federal investigation into the Memphis Police Department, which has come under scrutiny following the death of Tyre Nichols. Kevin Ritz, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced earlier this month there would be a federal civil rights investigation into the incident, but not the entire department. Durbin encouraged fellow senators to redouble efforts on crafting bipartisan police reform legislation but also said more screening and training are needed to change a culture of police violence. The Hill has more on his comments.

A new course from the TBA seeks to expand the group of legal advocates certified to serve veterans in Tennessee, who are underrepresented in the Veterans Affairs Department’s (VA) claims and appeals processes. Introduction to the Practice of Veterans Law — a live virtual event on April 5 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. CDT — will cover information about claims procedures, basic eligibility for benefits, right to appeal, disability compensation, dependency and indemnity compensation, and pensions. Presenters will be James R. Drysdale with the VA Office of General Counsel in Washington, D.C., and VA certified lawyers Seth Ogden and Rita Gibson Rayford.

The Tennessee Faith and Justice Alliance will host a free general legal advice clinic in Knoxville on Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon EST. The clinic will take place at City Church, 522 Sevier Ave., Knoxville 37920. It is coordinated by the Knoxville Bar Association, Legal Aid of East Tennessee, the University of Tennessee College of Law and LMU Duncan School of Law. No appointment is necessary. Access a flyer about the event.

Memphis lawyer Thomas Francis "Frank” Jackson III died Dec. 18 of natural causes. He was 82 years old. Known to his friends as “Bobo,” Jackson earned his law degree from the George Washington University School of Law and practiced law in Memphis for nearly 50 years. Memorial services will be held this Friday at 11 a.m. CST at St. John's Episcopal Church, 3245 Central Ave., Memphis 38111. Burial will be at Elmwood Cemetery, 824 S. Dudley St., Memphis 38104. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to his alma mater Rhodes College for the Sarah Elizabeth Farris and Thomas F. Jackson Scholarship at Rhodes College, Development Office, 2000 N. Parkway, Memphis, TN 38112.

Bristol lawyer Frank Winston died Jan. 25. He was 95 years old. Following service in the U.S. Air Force, Winston attended the University of Tennessee College of Law and graduated in 1952. He then returned to Bristol and practiced law there for 40 years. Winston was president of the Bristol Virginia-Tennessee Bar Association and chair of the legal sections of the Tennessee Public Power Association and American Public Power Association. He was named a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers in 1986. Winston left the practice of law in 1994 to serve as counsel to Bill Gatton and his various enterprises and as a trustee of the Bill Gatton Foundation. Winston was elected to the state House of Representatives in 1955 and was appointed by three governors to serve on the Tennessee Historical Commission. The family will hold a private graveside service.

Peaceful protests and calls for change from community leaders are dominating the news following Friday’s release of video footage showing the deadly beating of Tyre Nichols by Memphis police officers during a Jan. 7 traffic stop. Multiple videos from police body cameras and a SkyCop poll camera document officers using tasers, pepper spray and batons against Nichols, as well as pushing him to the ground, kicking and punching him. At protests on Saturday, speakers called for changes in local and national police policy and for all officers seen in the video footage to be fired and charged. Attorneys for Nichols’ family spoke in support of the Memphis Police Department’s decision to deactivate the SCORPION Unit (a specialized unit that focused in areas with high crime) and encouraged police departments across the country to end similar units. All five officers charged in the death of Nichols were members of the unit. On Friday, lawyers announced plans to file a civil suit against the unit. On Sunday, the Memphis Chapter of the NAACP held a press conference to call for national legislation to address police reform, Local Memphis reports. Today, the Memphis Police Department announced that a sixth officer, seen tasing Nichols, has been placed on leave. Officer Preston Hemphill was at the location of the initial stop but did not proceed to the second scene. According to his lawyer, Hemphill is cooperating with officials.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division, Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services and Belmont University College of Law kicked off the new year by hosting a “TN Free Legal Answers” clinic on campus mid January. Students and volunteer attorneys worked together to answer client questions submitted on the Free Legal Answers site, donating more than $3,000 in pro bono time!