The Tennessean reports House Republicans are calling for a caucus to discuss Rep. Jeremy Durham’s future as majority whip. "We have had members reach out and say they are gathering the signatures to have that meeting. They have assured me they are working on that and that we should have that in my office today,” House Majority Leader Gerald McCormick, R-Chattanooga, said. House Speaker Beth Harwell, R-Nashville, said no complaints have been filed against Durham, R-Franklin.

Improve business relationships with your clients with the Content, Clients and Counsel: Improving the Attorney-Client Relationship webcast. Topics include how to engage new clients, do’s and don’ts for engagement letters and navigating declination or termination of representation. The webcast is available now on-demand or on Dec. 30 from 3-4 p.m. CT. The course is approved for one CLE credit.

The Obama administration is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to refuse to hear a challenge to Colorado’s legalization of marijuana, USA Today reports. Nebraska and Colorado claim Colorado’s marijuana system has created “modern-day bootleggers” who are selling marijuana illegally across state lines. “Entertaining the type of dispute at issue here — essentially that one state’s laws make it more likely that third parties will violate federal and state law in another state — would represent a substantial and unwarranted expansion of this court’s original jurisdiction,” Solicitor General Donald Verrilli Jr. said.

Bartlett Judge Freeman Marr, who has been on the city’s bench since 1969, died this morning. He was 91. "Judge Marr will be missed and our hearts are with Nelda Marr and her family during this difficult time," Bartlett Mayor Keith McDonald said. Funeral arrangements have not been released. Read more from The Commercial Appeal.

According to the Rutherford and Cannon County Bar Association, Murfreesboro attorney John W. Price III died on Dec. 16. Price, a Johnson City native, began his law practice in Dyersburg after graduating from the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law. He served as a prosecutor in Dyersburg and Murfreesboro before becoming a partner at the Murfreesboro firm of Price and Tidwell. “John was a lawyer dedicated to helping others, often taking little or no fee,” Rutherford County General Sessions Judge Barry Tidwell said. “I knew him as a tough prosecutor and later, as his law partner, a fierce defender of his clients’ rights.”

Attorneys reporting health care liability claimants are required to provide specified information related to fee arrangements and TennCare payments to the Department of Commerce and Insurance. Per the Tennessee Health Care Liability Reporting Act, the department must submit an annual report summarizing information submitted by health care providers, facilities and attorneys by March 1. Reporting requirements and instructions can be found on the department’s website. 

Former AOC and Legal Aid directors, Belmont Law student to be honored

NASHVILLE, Dec. 16, 2015 — Two distinguished Tennessee pro bono attorneys and a recent Belmont University Law graduate will be honored with the state’s top pro bono and public service awards at a ceremony in January.

The U.S. Department of Labor filed a lawsuit against Convergys Customer Management Group Inc., which employs more than 900 people in Chattanooga. Department of Labor officials are seeking information about the company's affirmative action plan at facilities in Tennessee, Georgia, Florida and North Carolina. “Convergys knew when it became a federal contractor that it would be held to equal employment standards," Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs Director Patricia A. Shiu said. Read more from Nooga. 

Facebook posts from a 16-year-old rape victim paused day two of the trial of Jesus Martinez Wednesday in Murfreesboro, The Daily News Journal reports. The prosecution and defense both had concerns over the legitimacy of the posts, which would help in determining a timeline of events that took place in 2013. The trial continued today. 

Attorneys in a federal Medicare case involving Cleveland, Tennessee-based Life Care Centers of America met in Chattanooga Wednesday to argue motions before U.S. District Judge Harry S. Mattice Jr., the Cleveland Daily Banner reports. The federal government claims Life Care created a scheme to maximize the number of days it billed Medicare and Tricare for alleged rehabilitation therapy for patients. The Chattanoogan reports the claims in the case total $1.8 billion. The next hearing is set for early January.