The Belmont University College of Law’s Legal Aid Society is holding a golf tournament on March 31 from 1-5 p.m. CST at the Towhee Golf Club in Spring Hill. Money raised during the "Putt for Pro Bono" tournament will be used for pro bono student stipends. Register, sponsor or get more information or email fundraising chair Brooke Wanser with any questions.

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands recently added three new employees. Amia’ Butler joins the organization as development manager, the Nashville Post reports. She will oversee fundraising, philanthropy and advocacy efforts, including the annual Campaign for Equal Justice. In addition, Elizabeth Leiserson and Zane Jud have joined the firm’s Eviction Right to Counsel pilot program for low-income renters. Leiserson will serve as project director overseeing the existing group of housing attorneys, while Jud will serve as project coordinator. Leiserson previously was with Southern Migrant Legal Services, where she served as a staff attorney. Legal Aid is partnering on the pilot with Conexión Américas and the Nashville Hispanic Bar Association. WGNS Radio News has more on the program and the new hires.

The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday will hold its first hearing on the recent Ticketmaster debacle that resulted in thousands of Taylor Swift fans being shut out of purchasing tickets to her latest tour. Congress Minute by Politico reports that the hearing will begin at 10 a.m. EST. “At next week’s hearing, we will examine how consolidation in the live entertainment and ticketing industries harms customers and artists alike,” said Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, who chairs the Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust and Consumer Rights. Watch live feed of the hearing on the committee’s website.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has joined a coalition of 17 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in the case of Carter v. McDonough. That case, brought by a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) nurse, challenges a new rule from the department that he said “purports to authorize taxpayer-funded abortions and abortion counseling for veterans and their beneficiaries.” The brief opposes the rule saying the VA does not have the legal authority to issue such a rule. In November, Skrmetti joined a coalition of 14 attorneys general in sending a letter to the VA warning that it lacked authority to impose the new rule.

A portrait unveiling and reception will take place Jan. 31 to honor retiring Anderson County Chancellor M. Nichole Cantrell. The ceremony will take place at 11 a.m. EST in the chancery courtroom of the Anderson County Courthouse, 100 N. Main St., Clinton 37716. Cantrell has served as chancellor since 2014. Prior to taking the bench, she was in private practice.

State Rep. Mike Sparks, R-Smyrna, is pushing legislation he believes would have stopped the aggressive lockup of children in Rutherford County and saved the county millions of dollars paid to those affected by local policies. According to Tennessee Lookout, the proposed legislation would prohibit interviews or interrogations of children without the presence of legal counsel,  parent, guardian or custodian. In addition, children would be told of their constitutional rights to legal representation when taken into custody, and a video recording of any interviews would be made. Reporting by ProPublica and Nashville Public Radio in 2021 revealed the high level of juvenile arrests in the county. Juvenile Court Judge Donna Davenport stepped down in 2022 amidst the controversy.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division is offering three one-hour webcasts to help lawyers refresh and rejuvenate their practice. The programs all will be held on Jan. 26. Join TBA President Tasha Blakney, TBA YLD President Brittany Faith and others for informative and lively talks on How to Use Your Engagement Letter at 1 p.m. How to Log Off When Your Workday is Done at 2:15 p.m. and How to Measure Success at 3:30 p.m. Click on the topics to learn more and register. All times central.

The Tennessee Supreme Court on Friday suspended 22 attorneys for failure to pay the annual registration fee; 12 of them also failed to file proof that client funds are held in an IOLTA-compliant account. View the January fee suspension order and January IOLTA suspension order. See the list of all lawyers suspended and reinstated for fee and IOLTA violations in 2023 or access all administrative suspensions dating back to 2005.

Winding down a firm do to retirement or death? Check out sample forms, language and office policy manual in the TBA’s Practice Management Center. The "Winding Down a Firm" section also offers a planning tool kit and video tutorial to guide your process.

Pursuant to Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 9, Section 10.5 and Rule 43, Section 14, the following attorneys have been suspended in 2023 for failure to timely pay their annual registration fees and/or submit certification that all eligible funds are held in an IOLTA account. The annual registration fee is due and payable to the Board of Professional Responsibility on or before the first day of the attorney’s birth month of each year. Attorneys who have since complied with the requirements, and for whom notices have been received from the court, will be noted as reinstated.