The organizers of Vanderbilt University Law School’s 1L Mock Trial Tournament are in need of lawyers to score the competition’s preliminary rounds, which will take place Jan. 28 and 29 at the law school in Nashville. The tournament will include two trials and run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. CST each day. Lunch will be provided for volunteers. For more information or to volunteer please contact Isaak Elkind.

The Kinnard Law firm in Nashville recognized the winners of its 2023 R-E-S-P-E-C-T Contest for fifth grade students in Davidson County at an award ceremony this week. First place went to Lily Davidson at Meigs Magnet Middle School, second place to De’Shari Hayes at Head Magnet Middle School and third place to Kingston Santoyo at Rose Park Middle School. The firm reports that more than 1,000 students submitted entries for the contest, which asked them to define “respect” in two sentences or less and include a drawing to illustrate their idea. The firm's founding partner, Randy Kinnard, is a frequent speaker on professional respect for lawyers. He created the student contest to teach the meaning of respect to a younger audience. See photos of the winners.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division has opened its 2023-2024 leadership appointment and election filing process. Those interested in an appointed position on the division's board should review available positions and complete the online application by Feb. 28. For positions subject to election, nominating petitions should be filed with YLD Secretary Ross Smith no later than Feb. 15. Elections will be held for vice president, secretary, treasurer, East Tennessee governor, Middle Tennessee governor and West Tennessee governor. During this cycle, vice president candidates must reside in the Eastern Grand Division. Additionally, district representatives in odd-numbered districts will be elected for two-year terms. For more information about these positions or to download a nominating petition visit the YLD Election Guidelines webpage. Elections for any contested races will take place between March 1 and April 1 by electronic voting. 

The Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands will hold two clinics next week. On Wednesday, the group will hold a veterans clinic from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Operation Stand Down in Nashville. On Saturday, a general advice clinic will take place at Belmont University, 2005 12th Ave. S., Nashville 37204. All times central. To volunteer for these clinics, contact Kendra Cheek, 615-780-7131. See all January clinics.

Save the date for the TBA’s 27th Annual Labor & Employment Law Forum, which will take place May 5 in Nashville. The forum brings together labor and employment attorneys and in-house counsel to learn from top professionals in the labor and employment arena. This year’s program will provide practical insights on emerging trends and critical issues, including “the new NLRB,” updates to FLSA case law, a judicial panel of state and federal judges, how to conduct effective mediations, and an ethics presentation on interviewing witnesses within the workplace.

Make plans now to attend the 18th Annual Bankruptcy Law Forum, which will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn in Gatlinburg March 31-April 2. This unique weekend retreat provides 10 hours of CLE credit, including three hours of ethics credit, an evening networking reception and dinner. Sessions include small group discussions focusing on case studies that highlight recent developments in the law and real-world issues faced by bankruptcy practitioners. Led by bankruptcy judges, these discussions will encourage participants to analyze, discuss and argue different approaches to the cases.The program closes with a three-hour session devoted to ethical issues that arise in bankruptcy.

With law firm mergers in the news, the Nashville Business Journal talks with Kerry Price, chief strategy officer at Bass Berry & Sims, about the firm’s future. While national players are asserting themselves in the Nashville market — combining operations with local firms or peeling off their attorneys — Price says Bass will not be following suit. "It's not something we're looking at. We're committed to remain focused on what we're doing and not being overly influenced by some of these changes," Price said. She also questioned the ability of new firms to compete with those that have maintained local relationships for decades. Bass will turn 101 years old in May. "Firms like ours are becoming increasingly rare. We hope to use that to our competitive advantage," she said.

The U.S. Supreme Court added eight cases to its docket for this term, SCOTUSblog reports. Among the cases accepted, it will consider two lawsuits accusing pharmacy operators of overbilling government health insurance programs; a case dealing with immigrant deportations; the impact of state criminal laws in cases involving obstruction of justice; and the religious liberty claims of a U.S. Postal Service employee who refused to deliver packages on Sundays. Get analysis here.

The Tennessee Bar Foundation has awarded $1.3 million from the Interest On Lawyers’ Trust Accounts (IOLTA) program to law-related organizations across the state. The grant amount for 2023 exceeds last year by more than $500,000, the foundation reports.Grants were awarded to 28 organizations, including two that are new to the program. The projects provide a wide array of services, including individual legal representation, dispute mediation, assistance for survivors of domestic violence, immigration counseling and housing advocacy. The complete list of organizations and awards is available on the foundation’s website.

Federal investigators said today they have opened a civil rights investigation into the death of a 29-year-old man who died three days after an encounter with Memphis police, the Commercial Appeal reports. The U.S. attorney's office, in conjunction with the FBI Memphis Field Office and Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, said they are investigating officers who stopped motorist Tyre Deandre Nichols on Jan. 7 for a traffic violation. After what police described as two confrontations, Nichols was arrested and complained of a shortness of breath. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition and died on Jan. 10. The officers involved with the stop have been placed on leave.