The Hamilton County Commission today passed a resolution calling on attorney John Konvalinka to take legal action against Mayor Weston Wamp if his dispute with County Attorney Rheubin Taylor isn’t settled by Friday. According to the Chattanoogan, the resolution authorizes Konvalinka "to take such action as is necessary to enforce each and every resolution" that the commission earlier passed in support of Taylor. Wamp fired Taylor in October, but the longtime county attorney has stayed on, citing a four-year contract. The matter has already gone to chancery court.

Kay Griffin PLLC has an immediate opening in its Nashville office for an associate attorney. The position will primarily focus on commercial, construction and tort litigation. Two to five years of litigation experience is preferred. Visit the TBA’s JobLink site for instructions on how to apply or browse all available job openings.

The TBA Dispute Resolution Section will host a webcast later this month that will focus on technology in the realm of Access to Justice (ATJ). “Dispute Resolution 2022: The Future of Technology in the Access to Justice Realm” will take place on Nov. 29 from noon until 1 p.m. CST and will explore the experiences of mediators using remote technology to help resolve disputes across a wide spectrum of dispute types. Learn more and register here.  

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti is concerned about possible violations to consumer protection laws after Taylor Swift fans yesterday reported spending hours trying to get presale tickets to the singer’s 2023 tour, the Tennessean reports. Fans with special presale codes for tickets found huge queues, site crashes and inflated prices when trying to purchase tickets through Ticketmaster. Skrmetti called Ticketmaster a “very dominant market player” at a press conference this morning and said his office wants “to make sure that they're treating consumers right and people are receiving fair opportunity to purchase the tickets…” No actual allegations of wrongdoing have been made yet, but Skrmetti was clear he sees the size of the company as a possible detriment if its near-monopoly disincentivizes customer support and fair dealing.

State Sen. Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, has been nominated to another term as speaker, the Tennessee Journal reports. The Senate Republican Caucus made the nomination, which would have McNally serve another two-year term. McNally succeeded former Speaker Ron Ramsey in 2017. He served four terms in the state House before being elected to state Senate in 1986. The full Senate will officially vote on the speaker in January. But with Republicans holding a 27-6 advantage, it’s largely considered a formality.

The Tennessee Supreme Court today issued an order amending Rule 8. The housekeeping amendments were made to rules 5.5, 5.7, 7.1 and 7.3(f)(2). Read the order here.  

Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti today announced a settlement has been reached with Walmart to resolve allegations that the company contributed to the opioid addiction crisis by failing to appropriately oversee the dispensing of opioids at its stores. Walmart must pay $3 billion nationally and make significant improvements in how it handles opioids. Under the settlement, Tennessee and its local governments could receive more than $70 million if all incentives are met. State attorneys general on the executive committee, attorneys representing local governments and Walmart have agreed to this settlement, and it is now being sent to other states for review and approval. The settlement requires approval from 43 states by the end of the year. Read more from the Attorney General’s Office.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti and attorneys general from 39 additional states have reached a $391.5 million settlement with Google over its location tracking practices relating to Google Account settings. Tennessee is set to receive $14,560,086.13 from the settlement, which is the largest multistate attorney general privacy settlement in U.S. history. The attorneys general opened the Google investigation following a 2018 Associated Press article that revealed Google “records your movements even when you explicitly tell it not to.” The attorneys general found that Google violated state consumer protection laws by misleading consumers about its location tracking practices since at least 2014. The agreement requires Google to be more transparent about its practices. Read more from the AG’s office.  

Frost Brown Todd LLC has announced it is expanding to the west coast with the addition of California-based law firm AlvardoSmith, the Nashville Business Journal reports. AlvardoSmith, which has a presence in Los Angeles, Orange County and San Francisco, will operate under the name “Frost Brown Todd AlvardoSmith” through 2023 and then take on only the Frost Brown Todd name. The firm has 23 attorneys, bringing Frost Brown Todd’s total presence to more than 575 attorneys. In Nashville, its office includes about 30 attorneys, making it the city's 12th-largest local law firm, according to Nashville Business Journal research. Terms of the merger, which will be completed on Jan. 1, 2023, were not disclosed.

It’s no secret that social media algorithms are constantly changing and that the best practices of last year aren’t the same for the current one. From organic content to paid ads, TBA CLE’s “10 Social Media Best Practices for Law Offices” webcast will arm you and your law firm with the best practices you need to know in order to generate new business. Following this session, you’ll be able to execute a social strategy that helps you stand out amongst other law offices and succeed across all social platforms. Learn more about the program and register here.