Bass Berry & Sims, the largest law firm in Nashville, acquired 10 Harwell Howard Hyne Gabbert & Manner shareholders along with five associates and additional staff members from the firm. The merger, expected to be completed in mid-March, dissolves HG3M, which had been home to 26 attorneys. Eight shareholders did not make the move but say they don't plan to stay together.  Read more from Nashville Post.

An item in Wednesday’s issue of TBA Today used an incorrect term in identifying courtroom facility dogs, which are currently being debated in a Tennessee Senate bill. A 2014 Tennessee Bar Journal article offers guidance on the use of service animals, therapy animals and assistance animals, along with current laws regarding their use.

A juvenile court corrections officer was indicted on child abuse and assault charges yesterday for allegedly punching a 15-year-old boy, according to the Shelby County Sheriff’s office. Willie Jones was also indicted for official misconduct and official oppression, The Commercial Appeal reports. The alleged altercation was caught on video. "Let this serve as a reminder that this type of behavior will not be tolerated in any way," Shelby County Sheriff Bill Oldham said.

According to The Jackson Sun, it is currently unknown if the suspension of Montgomery County attorney John Herbison will affect the attorney’s representation of Jason Autry on charges related to Holly Bobo’s death. Herbison is not allowed to practice for 60 days. Autry’s former attorney Fletcher Long lost his law license in September 2015. A judge announced in November that the trial for the suspects charged in the murder will not be heard in 2016 “due to a voluminous amount of discovery." 

Seven candidates are being considered for an open seat on Bartlett’s municipal court. The vacancy was created by the December death of longtime judge Freeman Marr. Biographies of the candidates are available on the Bartlett Express. 

An 11-year-old White Pine boy was found guilty of first-degree murder in the 2015 killing of an 8-year-old girl, the Citizen Tribune reports. Fourth Judicial District Attorney General Jimmy Dunn said the juvenile court “ordered the boy to be sent to the Department of Children’s Services for a determinate sentence until his 19th birthday."

The state House of Representatives this morning approved the call for a Constitutional Convention in an attempt to limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal government, Nashville Public Radio reports. Tennessee is now the fifth state to take the action; 34 states are required to call for a convention in order to propose new amendments to the U.S. Constitution. "If there was ever a time in the history of our republic that states need to take advantage of having that constitutional authority, it is now," Rep. Sheila Butt, R-Columbia, said.

Nashville’s Metro Council has asked the Davidson County state delegation to comply with the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on same-sex marriage and to oppose any bills that are anti-gay marriage. The council yesterday unanimously approved the resolution, The Tennessean reports. “This is letting folks know on the Hill that we request that they simply confer with the Supreme Court ruling on this matter,” said Nancy VanReece, one of the bill’s sponsors.

WRKN writes about Tennessee’s Youth Courts program in Nashville, where students serve as attorneys, jurors, court clerks and court reporters for students who have committed minor crimes. According to Judge Sheila Calloway, fewer than 4 percent of kids reoffend after going through Youth Court, compared to the 18 to 40 percent chance of coming back in Juvenile Court. “They are being held accountable by people that they trust,” Calloway said.

The Tennessean reports former Metro Nashville Councilman Loniel Greene will not be prosecuted after admitting that he lied in court last month when he said the $10,000 he paid to get his cousin out of jail was his own money. Greene said Nashville prosecutors granted him immunity from prosecution on charges of money laundering and perjury in exchange for his testimony and resignation from Metro Council.