U.S. News & World Report will change its law school ranking system after most top law schools announced they were boycotting the rankings due to concerns about metrics that emphasize reputation and disincentivize support for public-interest careers. The new system will give less emphasis to reputation surveys based on peer assessments by academics, lawyers and judges and more emphasis to outcomes such as employment and bar-passage rates. Additionally, U.S. News & World Report will no longer consider student debt at graduation, school spending per student or employment at graduation. The ABA Journal has the story.

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s (TDEC) Office of General Counsel is now accepting applications for a team lead/senior associate counsel in Nashville. This role will advise clients relative to state parks and natural areas (including hospitality operations and law enforcement), procurement of goods and services, administration of grant programs and land transactions that support TDEC’s mission. The team also advises boards administratively attached to TDEC, such as the Tennessee Historical Commission and the Ocoee River Recreation and Economic Development Fund Board. Learn more about the position and find application instructions on the TBA’s JobLink site.

The TBA’s Estate Planning & Probate Section will host its annual forum next week, featuring the insight you need to stay on top of key developments in the practice area. The program will feature the annual clerk & master’s panel and presentations on legislative updates, ethics, real estate in probate court, estate administration and much more. Lunch will be provided during this in-person event. Join the program on Feb. 24 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST at the Embassy Suites Cool Springs in Franklin. Get more information and register here.

The Sumner County Law Department is looking to hire a staff attorney who would be responsible for providing legal counsel to applicable county department(s), including the enforcement of applicable procedures, representing the county, county officials or employees in court, hearings, prosecuting violations and/or providing advisement to county officials/administrators on various legal issues relating to local government operations. Three years of related experience is required and preferably two years of litigation experience in state or federal courts. Read more on the opening and learn how to apply on the TBA’s JobLink site.

A viral video is raising questions about how much authority Nashville airport police had during an incident in which officers threatened to arrest Southwest Airlines customers with canceled flights on Christmas evening. The video shows an officer telling those with canceled tickets to leave the secured area and go to a pre-security ticket desk for help. He then tells them they would be arrested for trespassing if they did not leave. Nashville criminal defense lawyer David Raybin said the response to the situation was “clearly inappropriate.” Based on his understanding, Raybin said what happened at the airport that night did not rise to the level of criminal trespassing. "There was nothing that these people were doing that would constitute any kind of breach of the peace or any kind of bad behavior,” he said. The Tennessean has the full story.

Much of the U.S. Capitol will reopen for visitors on Tuesday after nearly three years of restrictions prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, The Hill reports. The House office buildings will reopen to the public and visitors will no longer require a staff escort. The public will also be able to access House galleries with a pass obtained from a member’s office. The Capitol Visitor Center is expected to fully reopen in March.

U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-New Jersey, will speak at Spencer Fane Bone McAllester’s 22nd Annual MLK Fellowship Breakfast in Nashville. The yearly event honors Dr. Martin Luther King “through the opportunity to engage with each other and recall and continue his work towards his global vision, Beloved Community.” The first MLK breakfast was organized in 2001 by the firm, which was then known as Bone McAllester Norton. The breakfast will take place on Jan. 16 at the Tennessee State Museum. The Tennessee Lookout has more.    

Scrambling to get those last-minute CLE hours in before the Dec. 31 deadline? The TBA is here to help! Check out TBA Year End CLE to choose from a quality mix of CLE packages ranging from six hours to 15 hours of credit on a variety of topic areas. Or, shop our online CLE products at cle.tba.org where you can access more than 30 practice areas and 200 on-demand programs. Don’t forget to use the prepaid credits that come with your TBA Complete Membership and save on your CLE costs. Not a member? Join now to start saving.

The TBA will be closed Monday in observance of New Year’s Day. The office will reopen at 8 a.m. CST on Tuesday. Happy New Year!

Metro Nashville Vice Mayor Jim Shulman expects to meet with Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, in the coming weeks to discuss rumored legislation that would decrease the size of Metro Council, the Tennessean reports. The potential legislation is allegedly in retaliation for councilmembers not supporting efforts to bring the 2024 Republican National Convention to the city. Metro Council’s 40-member size is one of the largest in the country. There is no set meeting between Shulman and Sexton yet, but Shulman says there is a need for “better lines of communication.”