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The law license of Davidson County lawyer Leslie Ann Freemon Benmark was reinstated on Dec. 20. Benmark had been placed on inactive status on Dec. 1, 1995. She filed a petition seeking reinstatement in October and the Board of Professional Responsibility determined that reinstatement was appropriate.

Raleigh, North Carolina, lawyer Brett Tyler Smith has been reinstated to practice law in Tennessee. Smith was placed on inactive status on Dec. 2, 2010. He filed a petition seeking reinstatement and the Board of Professional Responsibility determined that the petition was satisfactory. He was reinstated as of Nov. 22. The court issued the order yesterday.

The last of the so-called T-14 law schools has made its decision about participating in the U.S. News & World Report rankings, Law.com reports. The University of Virginia School of Law will also boycott participation in the process. A number of other schools also have announced they will follow suit. These include Campbell University Law School, George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School, NYU School of Law and University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law. Law.com reports on each of these. (Subscription required)

A new bill introduced in the state legislature would require the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) to test sexual assault evidence kits within 30 days, the Commercial Appeal reports. The legislation, introduced by Sen. London Lamar, D-Memphis, is the first measure filed to address the backlog in Tennessee. The TBI drew sharp scrutiny earlier this year after the high-profile kidnapping and murder of Eliza Fletcher in Memphis. Lawmakers in both parties have signaled the Fletcher case will lead to new criminal justice legislation during the upcoming 113th Tennessee General Assembly, which convenes Jan. 10, 2023.

Effective Jan. 1, 2023, there will be a new county court for Lafayette County, Mississippi. The county has created the court now that it has exceeded 50,000 in population in the most recent national census. The judge for the new court will be Tiffany Kilpatrick. Offices will be located on the third floor of the Lafayette County Courthouse, 1 Courthouse Drive, Ste. 101, Oxford, MS 38655. The court can be reached at 662-234-4954 or by fax at 662-232-2883. All filing fees are the same as the circuit court and filings will remain at the same location, the main floor of the courthouse. Read more about the court in the attached FAQ from the county.

The Nashville law firm of Tune Entrekin & White is honoring local artist Phil Ponder with a display of his artwork in the firm’s new Capitol View office. Ponder uses watercolors and his own mathematical technique to create detail-oriented work that often represents buildings down to the exact number of bricks. A Navy veteran and former Nashville Metro councilman, Ponder did not begin painting until "retirement" — yet still has more than 700 works to his name. Tom White, the firm's managing partner, said that “Phil Ponder is a Nashville Icon and we were pleased to recognize him with this event.” Ponder was on hand for the unveiling and to sign copies of his book “Phil Ponder.”

The very first arguments for the Tennessee Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board took place at Belmont University College of Law in Nashville in 2016. The court announced today that it will return there on Jan. 27, 2023, for another set of arguments. The proceedings will begin at 9 a.m. CST. The docket is available here. The court will hear four cases: Acevedo v. Crown Paving, Earheart v. Central Transport, Stone v. Lowe’s Home Centers and Mitchell v. AECOM, d/b/a Shimmick Construction. Read more about the cases in a blog post from the court.

The Tennessee Department of Revenue will host a free webinar Tuesday at 9 a.m. CST to discuss tobacco taxes. Participants will engage in discussion about topics such as registration, filing requirements, frequently asked questions and resources. Learn more on the department's website or register here.

This year’s crop of new law students is the most diverse on record by a significant margin, new data from the American Bar Association shows. Reuters reports on the finding that the percentage of first-year law students who are racial or ethnic minorities jumped nearly 2% this year.