Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel has named shareholder Stephen Adams the new section chair of its intellectual property service group. A longtime member of the Chambliss Startup Group, Adams works with early innovators on a variety of matters related to protecting their business as it grows and matures. He is a member of the Tennessee Intellectual Property Law Association, the Chattanooga Technology Council (ChaTech) board of directors, the ChaTech Early Innovators Award selection committee and the Tennessee PATENTS Pro Bono Assistance Program. Read more from the Hamilton County Herald.

A bill mirroring the restrictive abortion ban passed last year in Texas is set to be heard by the Tennessee House Health subcommittee next week, the Tennessean reports. Rep. Rebecca Alexander, R-Jonesborough, signed an amendment to House Bill 2779 that would ban abortions except to prevent the death or "substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function" of the pregnant woman. The legislation blocks state enforcement of the ban, instead allowing state residents to sue abortion providers or a person who "aids or abets" abortions, such as by paying for or reimbursing the costs of a procedure. Residents who successfully sue under the proposed law could receive $10,000 or more for "each abortion that the defendant performed," according to Alexander's amendment. 

The TBA’s Entertainment & Sports Law Section has announced its annual forum will take place on May 19 at Belmont College of Law from 12:30 to 4:45 p.m. CDT. Additional information about the program is forthcoming. Entertainment & Sports Law section members will receive a special discounted price on the program. Not a member of the section? Join today.

A request from Knoxville group Unmask Knox County Kids to remove the county’s mask mandate has been denied by federal Judge J. Ronnie Greer, the Knoxville News Sentinel reports. Greer’s order said the families behind the suit had to show "irreparable injury, loss or damage" in a verified complaint or affidavit, which they did not do. The mask rule—which Greer had implemented in the original lawsuit brought by four families of children with disabilities who asked for help protecting their kids from COVID-19—was kept in place. The judge has not addressed the families' request to tie the mask rule to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, which show masks are not required indoors in Knox County. He did, however, order the Knox County Board of Education and the four families in the lawsuit to enter mediation. The board and the families have 60 days to meet and file a mediation report.

Former Memphis City Councilman Brent Taylor today announced that he will run to represent state Senate District 31, a seat that will soon be vacated by Republican Sen. Brian Kelsey, the Commercial Appeal reports. Taylor has previously served on the Shelby County Commission and last week resigned from the Shelby County Election Commission. “My focus will be on fighting violent crime, reducing inflation, helping small businesses and supporting schools,” Taylor said in a statement. Taylor has not yet pulled a nominating petition. Brandon Toney, Nasser Fazlullah and Paul Boyd have also pulled nominating petitions for the seat.

Stanley Daniel Kupiszewski Jr. of Tallahassee, Florida, died on Feb. 16. He was 89. Kupiszewski was drafted into the U.S. Army and served in combat during the Korean War before earning his law degree from the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University. During his career, Kupiszewski served as assistant attorney general for Florida and general counsel for the Florida Department of Education. He appeared before the Supreme Court, was a member of both the The Florida Bar and Tennessee Bar Association, was an adjunct professor at FSU and past president of the National Advocate Society where he was presented as its 1997 Man of the Year. Donations can be made in Kupiszewski’s name to the Kosciuszko Foundation, St. Jude or Blessed Sacrament or a charity of your choice.

The Tennessee Attorney General’s Office Division of Consumer Affairs (DCA) received 5,561 complaints in 2021, a 37% increase compared to 2020. The top three complaints categories include Home Improvements, Home Repairs and Home Warranties, which received 787 complaints; Landlord/Tenant with 466 complaints; and Health Services & Products with 372 complaints. Rounding out the top 10 were: Personal/Professional Services, Motor Vehicle–Used Sales & Advertising, Debtor/Creditor, Internet Sales, Motor Vehicle–Repairs & Warranties, Timeshare/Vacation Clubs and Imposter Scams. The AG’s Office has more on each category.

Rep. Robin Smith, R-Hixson, today resigned from the Tennessee House after she was charged on one federal count of honest services wire fraud, the Tennessean reports. Prosecutors allege Smith, Rep. Glen Casada, R-Franklin, and Casada's former top aide Cade Cothren worked to set up a firm known as Phoenix Solutions, concealing its operator as Cothren engineered kickbacks to Smith and Casada. Smith and Casada allegedly received kickbacks from Cothren in exchange for using their official positions to pressure the House Speaker's Office to approve Phoenix Solutions as an official vendor and disburse state funds to the firm, according to court records. The Tennessee Journal reports that Smith has reached a plea agreement with federal prosecutors. A hearing on the matter is set for tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. CST in Nashville.

The TBA Leadership Law (TBALL) program kicked off the 2022 year last week with a three-day opening retreat at Montgomery Bell State Park. Now in its 19th year, the six-month leadership training program is designed to equip participants with the vision, knowledge and skills necessary to serve as leaders in the profession and in the community as a whole. The select group of 34 lawyers comes from across the state, representing diverse practice areas and backgrounds. During the weekend retreat, class members participated in a variety of leadership exercises and heard from presenters like Nashville attorneys Byron Trauger and Randy Kinnard, TBA President Sherie Edwards and a panel of judges that included Magistrate Jennifer Wade, Judge Mary Wagner and Judge Danielle Mitchell Sims. The group’s next session, titled “Issues in Policy & Politics,” will take place next month in Nashville. Meet the Class of 2022.

In honor of Women’s History Month, for the second year, the TBA has rallied its past, current and future female presidents for a one-hour conversation on their experiences, influences and the impact women have made on the legal profession. The virtual panel will take place on March 30 from 3 to 4 p.m. CDT. Attorney Julie Bhattacharya Peak will moderate the panel, which will include former TBA presidents Judge Cindy Wyrick, Jackie Dixon, Marcy Eason, Sarah Sheppeard and Michelle Greenway Sellers, as well as current TBA President Sherie Edwards and President-Elect Tasha Blakney. RSVP for the event and submit questions for the panelists here.