Gov. Bill Lee on Friday signed a the campaign finance and ethics bill into law, the Associated Press reports. The bill, which was opposed by several influential advocacy groups, requires politically active nonprofits to disclose spending totaling at least $5,000 within 60 days of an election on communications that contain a state candidate’s name or likeness. It also requires political committee leadership to provide identification. “I think that transparency is a good idea,” Lee said earlier this month. “I think that whenever we have transparency into organizations that politically lobby, that’s a good thing.” Opponents of the bill include Americans for Prosperity, Tennessee Right to Life and the National Rifle Association.

Legal services company Latitude has named Anne McKnight as director of legal recruiting and placement in the company’s Nashville office, the Nashville Post reports. McKnight was most recently senior counsel at Ogletree Deakins and has also worked at Wimberly Lawson Wright Daves & Jones and Howell & Fisher. In her new role, McKnight will work with attorneys, paralegals and other legal professionals on placements at law firms and in corporate legal departments. Since being established in Nashville, Latitude has expanded into several markets across the country, including Boston, Miami and Minneapolis.

A lawsuit filed last week by the mother of a Hawkins County eighth grader says the county’s school system failed to act after her son was repeatedly subjected to racially-motivated attacks, the Tennessee Lookout reports. The lawsuit says the student, who is biracial, was subjected to a “racially-hostile school environment” where he was called by a “barrage” of “racial epithets” and taunted with hate-based drawings and caricatures. The suit says officials from the Hawkins County Board of Education “knowingly tolerated, condoned, and were deliberately indifferent to the pattern of racial harassment suffered by” the plaintiff’s son. School officials “vehemently” deny that the system “tolerates racial discrimination or harassment of any kind.” The suit seeks an injunction against the school system to prevent further abuse and $2.5 million in damages.

The Board of Judicial Conduct has issued an order of suspension for Roane County General Sessions Judge Dennis W. Humphrey. The suspension stems from an October 2021 incident in which Humphrey received citations for having an open container of alcohol in his vehicle and for failing to use due care and a February 2022 incident in which he was charged and pleaded guilty to a DUI. Humphrey will be suspended for 30 days effective July 1. He will also be monitored by and adhere to the recommendations of the Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program for a period of five years consistent with his Substance Use Disorder Recovery Monitoring Agreement. Read the order from the Administrative Office of the Courts.

Memphis law firm Nahon Saharovich & Trotz PLC is seeking an associate attorney to represent clients in social security disability matters. The candidate will help screen potential clients, prepare clients for administrative hearings, advocate for clients at administrative hearings and handle appeals. Some training will be provided, but prior experience is preferred. To apply, send resume, cover letter and references to Greg Coen. Find this position and others like it on the TBA’s JobLink page.  

Memphis attorney Colby Shannon Morgan Jr. died May 24. He was 73. A graduate of Vanderbilt University Law School, Morgan’s legal career included years of service with the Jackson Lewis law firm, FedEx and Holiday Corporation and private practices in New York and Memphis, including Apperson Crump PLC. He received several awards for his litigation successes during his time with FedEx, including the Five Star Award, FedEx's highest honor, as well as multiple Bravo Zulu and Star Rating awards for outstanding performance. Morgan was admitted to practice in Tennessee and New York, as well as 15 federal district courts, seven U.S. Courts of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court. Funeral Services will be held at Second Presbyterian Church in Memphis, with a visitation on Thursday from 4 to 6 p.m. CDT, followed by a memorial service on Friday at 1 p.m. CDT.

In-person CLE programming at the TBA’s Annual Convention will include a 2022 Legislative Update with the TBA Government Affairs team. Worth 2.25 hours of general CLE, the session will provide a live recap of the legislation that is impacting lawyers from the most recent session of the Tennessee General Assembly. TBA Director of Public Policy and Government Affairs Berkley Schwarz and TBA lobbyist and Adams and Reese attorney Brad Lampley will talk to a panel of legislators that will include Rep. Bill Beck, D-Nashville; Rep. Johnny Garrett, R-Goodlettsville; House Majority Leader William Lamberth, R-Portland; and Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, R-Franklin. Read more on all in-person programming here.

Highlights from the TBA’s 2022 Tort & Insurance Law Forum are now available on-demand as a one-click CLE package. Programming in the package includes an overview of case law and statutory changes impacting litigation surrounding the Health Care Liability Act. The package also includes a session featuring ethical issues with errata sheets and the use of Zoom in depositions, and a panel of attorneys discussing evidentiary rules every litigator needs to know. Earn one dual and two general CLE credits with just one click. Read more and purchase the CLE here.

The Tennessee Department of Revenue will host a free webinar to discuss sales tax issues for contractors on May 31 at 9 a.m. CDT. Participants will learn when contractors are subject to sales tax and exemptions for certain special situations. Register for the webinar here. The program is part of a series offered by the department each month. The Department of Revenue has more on upcoming webinars.

The Tennessee Star quotes unnamed sources saying that Gov. Bill Lee’s preferred choice for state attorney general is former Tennessee Court of Appeals judge and state Chief Operating Officer Brandon Gibson. The Tennessee Supreme Court ultimately appoints the state attorney general, but the Star reports that its sources say it is a “generally held belief amongst those high up in the Lee administration and the Governor himself, that she [Gibson] has the job in the bag.”