Gallatin resident Jack Jesse Griffith pleaded guilty in federal court today to his role in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., the Tennessean reports. Griffith pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building. He faces a $5,000 fine and a possible six months in jail with potential supervised release. He will also pay $500 in restitution. Griffith was captured on video participating in the riot and was arrested at his home in Gallatin on Jan. 16. He will be sentenced on Oct. 15.  

Attorney Steve Groom has announced the launch of Dedicated General Counsel PLLC, the Nashville Post reports. The new firm will offer legal services to companies without having to hire in-house counsel. Groom has previously worked at Nashville firms Neal & Harwell, Stites & Harbison and Butler Snow and general counsel and other leadership positions at CapStar Bank, Franklin Financial, CoreCivic and SunTrust. According to Groom, businesses who hire Dedicated General Counsel will pay “for a predetermined ‘fraction’ of the general counsel’s time.” 

Thomas “Tom” Jessee, a well-known attorney with offices in Greeneville and Johnson City, was found dead at his home Tuesday evening, WJHL reports. A spokesperson for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said yesterday that “foul play does not appear to be involved,” but the agency is heading up an investigation into his death. District Attorney General Dan Armstrong requested TBI’s assistance in the investigation. Greeneville’s assistant police chief, Mike Crum, says the TBI was requested due to “due to potential conflicts of interest.”

The Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services will host its annual Equal Justice University (EJU) virtual conference on Sept. 21- 23. Join members of the state’s equal justice community for three days of sessions covering substantive law, ethics and paraprofessional skills, engaging and inspiring plenary sessions, the annual Access to Justice Awards presentations and much more. Registration for the conference is now open.

Applications are due Monday for the TBA's Scaling Small Law program—a comprehensive business education and development program offering training in business planning, marketing, solo/small firm finance and budgeting, client service and experience, ethical considerations and outsourcing and leveraging technology. Check out the syllabus, peruse the application or find out more about this four-month long advanced program for entrepreneurial lawyers, solo practitioners or newly formed solo/small firms. 

If you missed the TBA Labor & Employment Law Section’s annual forum, it is now available in just 1-Click. This bundle of sessions from the forum includes a case law update, a discussion on what the first 100 days under the Biden administration looked like for the practice area, a discussion on controversial topics ranging from court-packing to kneeling and much more. This package is worth two dual and three general CLE credits and can be purchased on the TBA CLE website.

Seven Tennesseans struggling to find work have filed suit against Gov. Bill Lee for opting out of federal unemployment benefits earlier this year, the Tennessean reports. In May Lee withdrew from the federal program, which had given unemployed Tennesseans an additional $300 per week in benefit payments and an extra $100 in weekly benefits for mixed earners. Unemployment benefits now come from the state’s Unemployment Compensation program, which pays up to $275 per week—one of the lowest weekly benefits in the country and below the national average of $387 per week. The plaintiffs asked the court to order Lee to reenter the federal program. The filing also asks the court to open the suit to all members of a proposed class, specifically state residents who have or will continue to receive Pandemic Unemployment Assistance.

Days before a jury trial was set to begin, opioid manufacturer Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc. has agreed to pay $35 million over its role in the state’s opioid epidemic, the Associated Press reports. Nine counties and 18 cities and towns in northeast Tennessee and a child born dependent on opioids, nicknamed Baby Doe, had originally sued Endo for $2.4 billion. An attorney for the plaintiffs, Gerard Stranch of Nashville’s Branstetter, Stranch & Jennings, said the settlement was the drug maker’s “last, best and final” offer. He added that a jury verdict could have tied the money up on appeal or the company could have declared bankruptcy. Sullivan County Chancellor E.G. Moody previously entered a rare default judgement in April, ruling the pharmaceutical company was liable despite lack of a civil trial.  Moody said he entered the ruling due to a “coordinated effort” by Endo and its attorneys to delay proceedings and interfere with the administration of justice. The counties will each receive a lump sum big enough to fund mobile addiction units and the money for Baby Doe will be placed in a trust fund.

A gathering of friends, old and new, provides this month's quick inspiration for your busy day.

The TBA Real Estate Section in conjunction with the Tennessee Land Title Association will host Hot Topics in Real Estate 2021 virtually on Nov. 5 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. CDT. The hot topics forum will include programming on legislative updates, cyber security, housing discrimination, consumer protection, elder abuse and more. Be sure to register for this event prior to 7:30 a.m. CDT the morning of the program to receive the link to join the webinar.