The five-member board tasked with overseeing Rutherford County’s Juvenile Detention Center has met three times so far and is working to better understand the center’s inner workings, WPLN reports. The board — comprised of Rutherford County Mayor Joe Carr, retired judge Steve Daniel, longtime juvenile court prosecutor Leslie Collum, pastor and attorney Michael McDonald, and school board member Claire Maxwell — has questioned what the center does to rehabilitate kids, and how many juveniles end up in adult facilities. It says it is trying to build a general understanding this year before it begins to review policies and procedures in the new year.

Indianapolis-based Barnes & Thornburg LLP has opened a Nashville office with longtime Bass Berry & Sims health care executive Eleanor Smith. The firm has named Smith as chief client officer, the Nashville Business Journal reports. Smith worked at Bass Berry & Sims for the last 17 years, serving most of that tenure as managing director of the firm's health care practice. Barnes & Thornburg has 22 offices across the country with a special focus on the health care market.

The Tennessee Attorney General’s Office is hiring assistant attorneys general in multiple divisions, including the Federal Habeas Corpus and Civil Law divisions, Criminal Appeals Division and Consumer Division. For the Consumer Division, applicants should have at least four years of litigation experience. Get the full job descriptions and instructions for applying on the TBA’s JobLink platform.

A number of lawyers have been reinstated after being suspended for various administrative violations. Three were reinstated after paying this year's annual professional privilege tax, while 43 were reinstated after completing required CLE hours. These included 37 from this year, three from 2021, one from 2020 and two from 2019. The TBA has records of all administrative suspensions and reinstatements going back to 2005. See all lists here.

The legal services sector saw relatively flat job growth in November, adding 800 jobs to the economy, according to the U.S. Labor Department. That makes it the smallest monthly gain for the year. Total legal sector jobs in November reached 1.18 million, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Read analysis from Reuters.

Shelby County lawyer A. Sais Phillips Finney was suspended today from the practice of law for four years, with three years to be served on active suspension and the remaining one year on probation. The Tennessee Supreme Court also directed Finney to employ a practice monitor during the probationary period. The court took the action after receiving two complaints that Finney failed to reasonably communicate with clients regarding the status of their case, charged an excessive fee for work performed, and failed to refund all or a portion of retainers. These actions violated Rules of Professional Conduct: 1.4(a), 1.5(a), 1.16(d)(6) and 8.4(d).

Husband and wife teams faced off against one another in the Knoxville Bar Association’s 16th annual Ethics Bowl last week. Congratulations to Elijah and Avery Lovingfoss who took first place. Both practice at the Knoxville firm of Brock Shipe Klenk. They will be presented with the coveted Ethics Bowl trophy at the KBA’s Annual Meeting on Friday. Other teams participating in the “Til Ethics Do Us Part” contest were Jason and Carol Anne Long, Summer and Greg McMillan, Katie and Nate Ogle, Kacie and Andrew McRee and Joy and Richy Robinson.

The Tennessee Attorney General’s Division of Consumer Affairs reports that scammers may be targeting homebuyers by phishing for personal information from title companies. The office recommends a number of steps to protect against fraud. If a phishing email or text message is suspected, individuals should report it immediately to local law enforcement, the Federal Trade Commission and the Division of Consumer Affairs. Get more information on the attorney general’s website.

The University of Tennessee annually recognizes 40 alumni under the age of 40 who have excelled personally and professionally since completing their degree at the school. The list of 2022 class members was recently announced. Three graduates of the College of Law were included. They are: Chris Davis (class of 2019), Brittany Faith (class of 2012) and Kyle Hixson (class of 2008). See the full list.

The Nashville law office of New York-based Barton LLP has named Leslie Goff Sanders as its new managing partner. She joins the firm from Jackson Lewis and will work in labor and employment law. Barton also hired Daniel Crowell as a partner and Stephen Stovall as an associate — both from Jackson Lewis — doubling the firm’s presence in Nashville. “This is a huge opportunity for us,” Sanders said in a release. “The Nashville law firm landscape is rapidly changing ... We are excited to have found the Barton platform, which is known for providing a high-quality alternative to Big Law.” The Nashville Post has more.