As corporate transactions return to, or surpass, pre-pandemic levels, some local legal insiders are reporting a “high demand” for junior attorneys in the field, the Nashville Post reports. Candice Reed, executive vice president at Latitude, a company that provides contract attorneys to law firms and businesses, says she’s seeing “an extremely high demand for junior attorneys in transactional fields.” Reed also notes that national firms are moving into Nashville, which is adding to the labor crunch. Am Law 50 firm, K&L Gates, recently launched a Nashville office, and other national firms are recruiting Nashville attorneys to work for their existing clients remotely, without establishing a physical office in Nashville. While salaries at some firms have increased, Reed says in-house positions generally have not, which “could impact the flow of attorneys moving from law firms to in house.” Brian Holmes, managing partner at Cornelius & Collins, didn’t see many drastic changes, but his firm did see an uptick in employment work. “People keep suing even when times are bad,” Holmes said.

The Administrative Office of the Courts has compiled a list of new state laws that will have an impact on Tennessee’s court system. The list includes laws dealing with data collection in state and juvenile courts, victims rights, sentencing and reentry and more. Several laws were passed to create new courts and dockets, including the creation of the state’s 32nd Judicial District that will cover Lewis, Perry and Hickman counties. Another law extends the Board of Judicial Conduct through June 30, 2025. Browse the full list on the AOC’s website.

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee & the Cumberlands will host three in-person legal advice clinics and one phone clinic next week for members of the public with questions about housing and renters’ rights, bankruptcy, medical bills, debt collection, domestic violence, SNAP benefits and unemployment benefits. The in-person clinics will take place Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Thursday from 3 to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. CDT. The phone clinic will be held Wednesday from 4:30 to 6 p.m. CDT. To volunteer, contact Andrae Crismon or Kendra Cheek or call 615-780-7131.

This month’s episode of BarBuzz was recorded live from The Peabody in Memphis during the TBA’s Annual Convention last week. TBA Board of Governors member Trey Thacher of Burch, Porter & Johnson in Memphis co-hosts the episode, which covers important legal news from the last month and gives a rundown of events and award recipients from the convention. BarBuzz is part of the TBA Podcast Network and can be found on the TBA’s website or wherever you listen to podcasts.

The Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court today announced that it is suspending Rudy Giuliani’s law license, The Hill reports. The court concluded in its 33-page decision that Giuliani made “demonstrably false and misleading statements” to courts, lawmakers and the public while representing former President Donald Trump and his campaign in an effort to overturn the 2020 election results. His license will remain suspended while disciplinary action continues to be considered which, the court added, will “likely result in substantial permanent sanctions.”  

Murfreesboro assistant city attorney Elizabeth Taylor was chosen as the recipient of this year’s Larry Dean Wilks Leadership Award by fellow members of the TBA Leadership Law (TBALL) class. All 33 members of the leadership training program met for one final session last week during the TBA’s Annual Convention in Memphis. Taylor was presented with the award during the group’s graduation ceremony on Friday. The award is named for former TBA president Larry D. Wilks and recognizes a TBALL class member who exhibits exceptional leadership qualities.

The new Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) building has made available more than 10,000 boxes of full state Supreme Court case files, some that date back to the early 19th century. The high court’s opinions in those cases have long been available to the public, but the associated case files have not. According to the Administrative Office of the Courts, TSLA staff worked for roughly 15 years to painstakingly clean and index the records—a massive undertaking led by Court of Appeals Judge Andy Bennett. “If you really want to go behind the opinion, these documents are great,” Bennett said. The TSLA also houses a legislative history collection containing old volumes of state codes and recordings of legislative hearings. The new building opened in April and is located at 1001 Rep. John Lewis Way N. in Nashville.  

The Tennessee Judicial Conference Foundation (TJCF) is working to fund a scholarship in honor of retired Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Jerry L. Smith who died in February. Smith, who was appointed to the court in 1995, was elected to full terms in 1998 and 2006. Prior to joining the bench, he worked for the Tennessee Attorney General's Office as an assistant attorney general and deputy attorney general. Smith was an instructor at Nashville School of Law and an adjunct faculty member at Belmont University College of Law. Donations to the scholarship fund can be made to the TJCF, and sent to 629 Woodland Street, Nashville, TN 37206-4211.

The U.S. Supreme Court yesterday ruled that when police officers pursue someone suspected of a misdemeanor, that pursuit does not automatically allow for warrantless entry into a home the suspect has entered, the Associated Press reports. “On many occasions, the officer will have good reason to enter — to prevent imminent harms of violence, destruction of evidence, or escape from the home,” Justice Elena Kagan wrote in the majority opinion. “But when the officer has time to get a warrant, he must do so — even though the misdemeanant fled.” Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito suggested the majority’s opinion gave “no guidance at all” to officers in the field and left too much for them to consider in the midst of a chase.

Part of Hohenwald’s West Main Street/Highway 412 will be renamed in memory of local attorney and former TBA president Landis Turner, the Lewis County Herald reports. Turner died in March 2020 following a brief illness. Turner was a longtime attorney in Hohenwald, practicing there from 1967 until his retirement in 2007. He also served as the city’s attorney for 40 years. In addition to the many positions he held with the TBA, Turner also served on boards for the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association, Tennessee Justice Center, American Bar Association and many more. The renaming will be dedicated to Turner during a ceremony on Saturday at 4 p.m. CDT at the intersection of West Main Street and Darbytown Road.