A state court judge has lifted litigation sanctions against lawyers for Endo Pharmaceuticals after they completed a series of steps to atone for discovery misconduct in the “Sullivan County Baby Doe” opioid case earlier this year. Sullivan County Chancellor E.G. Moody said he would lift the sanctions after lawyers from Arnold & Porter: “without equivocation” apologized to the court and to plaintiffs, represented by Nashville’s Branstetter, Stranch & Jennings; completed a four-hour ethics course; paid for the plaintiffs’ attorney fees; and agreed not to commit similar conduct in the future. Arnold & Palmer submitted a notice of compliance earlier this month and the sanctions were lifted by the court. According to Reuters, a New York judge is now considering whether to impose default judgement or contempt after claims that Endo withheld evidence in the New York trial over its role in the opioid epidemic. Tennessee’s Baby Doe case ultimately settled for $35 million after Moody granted a default judgement against the drug maker.  

The investiture ceremony of Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Jill Bartee Ayers will be livestreamed on Aug. 30 at 9 a.m. CDT on the Tennessee State Courts YouTube page. The General Assembly unanimously confirmed Ayers to the Court of Criminal Appeals – Middle Section in April. Gov. Bill Lee will give remarks and administer the oath of office. Additional speakers include Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Robert W. Wedemeyer, Supreme Court Justice Roger Page, and Chief Justice Jeff Bivins. Earlier this week, Ayers, Judge Norma McGee Ogle and Judge Kristi M. Davis were the first all-female bench to hear an appellate court case in state history. Currently, there are eight female appellate judges in Tennessee state courts. Read more on the ceremony from the Administrative Office of the Courts.

Deputy and chief counsel to the governor Lang Wiseman today announced that he will resign from his post in order to return to the private sector, the Chattanoogan reports. Prior to his appointment to Gov. Bill Lee’s cabinet in 2019, Wiseman was a founding partner at the Memphis law firm of Wiseman Bray PLLC. "Lang is a brilliant legal mind who has faithfully served Tennesseans and been an invaluable part of our administration,” Lee said. According to the state’s release, Wiseman will remain on board to assist in the transition of duties.

Global law firm K&L Gates has signed a new lease for long-term office space in Nashville, the Nashville Business Journal reports. The firm, which announced its Nashville debut in February, will rent one floor at the city’s Fifth + Broadway building, located downtown at 501 Commerce Street. K&L Gates originally culled 27 attorneys from some of the city’s largest firms, including Bass Berry & Sims, Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis and Butler Snow. It has since added 10 attorneys to the roster, making it the eighth largest firm in Nashville. K&L Gates has more than 1,800 attorneys on five continents, with a U.S. headcount that ranked 13th on the National Law Journal's annual ranking.

The Lawrence County clerk’s office has halted all in-person business this week due to a recent spread of the COVID-19 virus among staff members, the Daily Herald reports. According to County Executive T.R. Williams, four of the eight staff members tested positive for the virus with another two awaiting test results. The office, located at 200 West Gaines St. in Lawrenceburg, will be closed for at least one week.

TBA CLE will present a new webcast, Cash, Coin, Cheddar, Dough: Ethical Issues with Money & Billing, on Sept. 30 from 9 to 10 a.m. CDT. Join the CLE Performer, Stuart Teicher, who will discuss issues with fee agreements and bad billing practices, with a focus on Rule 1.5. TBA members receive discounted CLE prices and three prepaid credits. Not a member? Join now.

Nine lawyers have recently been reinstated after being suspended for failure to complete required CLE hours and other administrative violations. See the full list of those suspended and reinstated in 2021 for 2020 violations. The TBA also has records of all administrative suspensions and reinstatements going back to 2005. See all lists here.

The Tennessee Republican Party in a 33-22 vote has decided to charge candidates seeking to represent the GOP on the ballot, the Nashville Post reports on the original story from the Tennessee Journal. Republican candidates for governor and U.S. Senate will be charged $5,000 for the privilege of running, candidates for U.S. House will pay $2,500, candidates for state Senate will pay $1,000, candidates for state House will pay $500, partisan judicial candidates will pay $500, candidates for countywide positions will pay $100 and county commission and constable candidates will pay $25. The measure was passed to cut down on unserious candidates and to bring in more money for the state party. 

Gov. Bill Lee today signed an executive order declaring a major disaster and state of emergency for Humphreys County after deadly flooding in Middle Tennessee last weekend, the Tennessean reports. Executive Order 85 frees up state aid for residents while they repair damage caused by the flood. It gives the Humphreys School District the flexibility to implement its Continuous Learning Plan and allows qualified medical professionals and contractors licensed outside the state of Tennessee to assist in treatment and relief efforts for disaster victims. EO85 also allows state officials to waive fees for residents needing to replace driver’s licenses, motor vehicle titles and other paperwork. State-level aid will supplement federal aid approved by President Joe Biden yesterday.

Nashville law firm Bone McAllester Norton PLLC today announced that it will merge with Kansas City, Missouri-based firm Spencer Fane LLP. According to the Nashville Business Journal, partners at Bone, Nashville’s sixth largest law firm with 43 attorneys, voted unanimously in favor of the merger. They will operate under the Spencer Fane brand effective Oct. 1. "It gives us a bench of practice-area expertise and breadth so that we can compete not only with anybody in Nashville, we can compete with anybody in the country," Bone President and CEO Charles Robert Bone said of the merger. “It really gives us the ability to make some deep investments that would have been a strain for us to do." After the merger, Spencer Fane will have 20 offices spread over 12 states, totaling almost 380 attorneys firmwide. Bone McAllester was founded in 1978 by Charles W. Bone, Sam McAllester and the late Mike Norton.