The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) is seeking $2 million in contracts with outside labs to process 1,000 rape kits it says need to be tested before the end of June, the Associated Press reports. The bureau issued the request for proposals for up to three contractors, as the state’s turnaround times for sexual assault kits continue to face scrutiny. The contractors also would testify about the tested kits in court cases. As of October, the agency said the average turnaround time for a rape kit was 43 weeks at the Knoxville lab, 42.4 weeks at the Jackson lab and 32.7 weeks at the Nashville lab. The bureau wants the contractors signed on by the end of January.

Tennessee is the latest state to take action against the social media app TikTok, WKRN reports. In a statement to the station, the governor’s office said steps have been made to ban the app on all devices that access government networks. Cybersecurity professionals warn that the app, owned by a Chinese-based company, could access users’ personal information. Some lawmakers, including Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennesssee, have said the app should be banned in the United States.

A new agreement between the Knoxville Police Department and Police Advisory and Review Committee (PARC) formalizes interactions between the two entities for the first time, Tennessee Lookout reports. The new agreement reportedly gives PARC staff greater access to the department’s disciplinary process and the ability to refer complaints to third-party mediation. It also codifies a number of informal procedures, according to officials. PARC was created in 1998 following the deaths of four men (three of whom were Black) in confrontations with police. Officers were cleared of wrongdoing, but the Black community lashed out at what they perceived to be a culture of brutality and indifference. The committee is comprised of seven volunteers, a full-time executive director and an investigative manager.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division Mock Trial Committee has released the case material for the 2023 Tennessee State High School Mock Trial competition. The case, Kat McNable v. Marty Bird, involves an accident between a scooter and open-air party wagon. The question centers on whether sand from the beach-themed, tractor-drawn wagon spilled onto the road and caused the scooter to spin out of control. McNable sustained serious injuries, including losing both front teeth. District mock trial competitions will take place in February 2023, with the state competition taking place March 17-18, 2023, in Nashville. The new problem, rules and other information can be found online. To volunteer click here.

The city of Chattanooga is seeking a staff attorney to provide legal counsel to applicable city departments, including conducting legal research, drafting contracts, monitoring the status of pending legislation, preparing legal documents and representing the city in court. Work is performed with general direction, working from broad goals and policies. Applicants should have five to seven years of experience with at least three years of litigation experience in Tennessee or federal courts. Get the full job description and instructions for applying on the TBA’s JobLink platform.

The Ethics Roadshow will be in Nashville on Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. CST. The program will be held at the Nashville Public Library Downtown. This year’s program is again presented by Memphis attorney Brian Faughnan, owner of Faughnan Law. The theme is “While You Were Sheltering” because while most of us were “sheltering in place” during the last couple of years, there have been some significant changes to Tennessee's ethics rules. The program will offer three components: an update on which rules have changed, an overview of important rules that remain unchanged, and a look ahead at rules changes that may be on the horizon.

Document assembly and management tools can help your office increase accuracy and efficiency. TBA’s Practice Management Center offers several resources related to document management, including comparison charts, a check list and whitepapers. See recent updates to our whitepapers on document automation considerations and automation stumbling blocks. See full list of resources.

 The Barristers is looking for volunteers to serve food or sponsor the monthly Volunteer Breakfast. The breakfast serves the unhoused in Knoxville and takes place from 6:15 to 7:15 a.m. EDT on the fourth Thursday of each month at the Volunteer Ministry Center, 511 N. Broadway, Knoxville 37917. The cost is $150 to sponsor and four to five volunteers are needed for each breakfast. Contact Matt Knable at 865-360-5044 or Laura Wyrick at 865-297-5511 with any questions and/or about volunteering. Sign up to sponsor a breakfast.

The Tennessee Supreme Court today upheld partial consecutive sentencing that was imposed by a trial court after it had found that a defendant’s record of criminal activity was extensive. The case involved the downloading of child pornography and child erotica material and subsequent uploading of 174 images and video to a Dropbox account. At trial, the defendant admitted those actions and that he had shared or traded electronic files with others. At sentencing, the trial court imposed partial consecutive sentences believing that the volume of material involved in the case qualified as extensive criminal activity. The Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the sentence though one judge dissented, arguing the trial court should not have relied just on the number of counts to determine the activity was extensive. The high court affirmed the majority appellate decision, saying that an extensive record of criminal activity is that which is large or considerable in amount, time, space or scope, and that the trial court was correct in finding extensive criminal activity in this case.

The Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law (LMU Law) Mock Trial team recently hosted the fourth annual Kimsey Cup Mock Trial Competition. The internal competition provides students an opportunity to practice trial skills in a friendly competition with fellow students while receiving valuable feedback from local attorneys. The competition also serves as a try-out for upper-level students for membership in the Mock Trial Program. Ten teams competed with the team of third-year student Kha’Doe Crosby and second-year student Allie Jo Shankle winning the cup. First-year law student Michael Fields was awarded best witness and second-year student McKenzie Wilson was recognized as best advocate.