Some Middle Tennessee families will soon receive assistance to battle addiction and keep children out of foster care, Chattanooga Times Free Press reports. Earlier this week, the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse announced a five-year, $3 million program that will provide intensive, in-home crisis intervention, and life skills education to help parents fight addiction and create better home lives for their children. Funding for the program came via a regional partnership grant through the Federal Administration for Children and Families. The program will operate in nine counties: Bedford, Coffee, Franklin, Giles, Hickman, Lawrence, Lincoln, Marshall and Maury counties.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti and Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares met face to face for the first time in their current roles on the state border, WJHL reports. The men visited with local businesses on State Street in Bristol, learning more about the current state of the economy and how businesses are overcoming COVID-19 challenges. Both Republicans, Skrmetti and Miyares have been outspoken about transgender issues, specifically as they relate to laws involving minors. Skrmetti said he looks forward to working with his Virginia counterpart. “We have a lot of common interests and a lot of the work that the AG’s do both on the constitutional cases and on the consumer protection cases,” Skrmetti said.

Early applicant data from the Law School Admission Council suggests law school may not be an especially hot ticket in 2023, Reuters reports. As of this week, the number of law school applicants was down 12% compared with this time last year, and nowhere near the 2021 cycle when the number of applicants ultimately spiked 13% — an unprecedented increase.

EMF Broadcasting, home to K-LOVE/Air1/WTA, is seeking two in-house counsels. The first opening is for a transactional and regulatory counsel, who would be responsible for providing legal advice on software and technology licensing, intellectual property development, mergers and acquisitions, distribution transactions, privacy, data security and e-commerce. This position requires at least five years of experience. The second opening is for an employment and compliance counsel, who would be responsible for providing advice on employment law issues including hiring, discipline, terminations, pay and benefits, and human resources policies and procedures. This position requires at least seven years of experience.

The TBA Administrative Law Section will host its Annual Forum on Dec. 15 from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. CDT at the Nashville office of Burr & Forman. A virtual option is also available. Sessions will provide updates on relevant legislation, case law, ethics and administrative rules. Speakers include Janet Irene Kleinfelter with the Tennessee Attorney General's office and Phillip Hilliard with the state Administrative Procedures Division. Administrative Law Section members will receive a special discounted price on the program. Not a member of the section? Join today.

The Memphis Bar Association will host its annual memorial service on Oct. 28, beginning at 11:30 a.m. CDT, for members who have died over the past year. The in-person event will take place at Calvary Episcopal Church, 102 N. Second St., Memphis 38103. A reception will follow the service. See the list of those to be honored and RSVP online at www.memphisbar.org.

The latest episode of the state Supreme Court’s “Tennessee Court Talk” podcast is out with a focus on everything attorneys need to know about taking appointed case work in criminal defense, guardian ad litem, juvenile or judicial hospitalization cases. The podcast walks attorneys through filing for payment, expense claims, experts, investigators and more. Tune in and learn how to avoid common pitfalls and why this work is essential to the administration of justice in the state. Access it on the Tennessee Court Talk page or podcasts sites, including Apple podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio and more.

As Montgomery County continues to grow, area leaders are looking to create their own juvenile resource center, WKRN reports. Montgomery County Mayor Wes Golden tells the station that often times youth are placed two hours or more away from the county and sometimes, they are just sent home for the night because staff cannot find a spot for them. The situation is draining county resources, Golden says, as two officers must accompany juveniles to doctor’s appointments and court appearances. This week, the Montgomery County Commission formally asked its state legislative delegation to support funding for a juvenile center.

First Lady Jill Biden was in Nashville today to visit a pop-up COVID-19 vaccination clinic, Nashville Post reports. Biden encouraged those in attendance to stay updated on their COVID-19 vaccinations, including the most recent bivalent vaccine, designed to protect against the Omicron variant. After the vaccine event, Biden attended a private Democratic National Committee fundraiser. Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jason Martin and state Sen. Heidi Campbell, the Democratic nominee in the 5th Congressional District, were among those attending.

An oversight board tasked with reforming Rutherford County’s Juvenile Detention Center met for the first time this week, Nashville Public Radio reports. The five-member board includes 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. The board was created to bring greater accountability to the county’s long-troubled juvenile justice system. It also has hiring and firing power over the detention center director. One of the board’s first tasks will be to review the center’s operating procedures.