The Washington County Commission unanimously voted to assess an additional $45 in court fines for people convicted of certain criminal charges in the county, WCYB reports. Money collected from the Victim Assistance Fee, set to go into effect in early 2016, will go toward funding the new Family Justice Center. "That's part of paying for your crime, so I don't have a problem with it at all," Washington County District Attorney General Tony Clark said.

Major violent crimes – including murder, rape, aggravated assault and robbery – dropped in Shelby County and in Memphis from January through October compared to the same time period a year ago, according to statistics released by the Memphis Shelby Crime Commission. The Memphis Daily News reports major violent crimes in Memphis are down 33 percent since 2006.

Attorney Lance Baker on Monday filed a $5 million federal lawsuit on behalf of former Knox County inmate Louis Flack against the county and six county sheriff’s office jailers, who were involved in an alleged beating of the mentally-ill Flack. The Knoxville News Sentinel reports that the lawsuit also claims Flack was strapped into a restraint chair that is the subject of another civil-rights lawsuit filed earlier this year.

Sixteenth Judicial District Circuit Court Judge Keith Siskin has been nominated for the Sandra Day O’Connor Award for the Advancement of Civics Education. Deborah Taylor Tate, director of the Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts, said she was inspired to nominate Siskin for the award after he recently installed a large video screen hanging on the wall outside of his courtroom in the Rutherford County Judicial Building. “Since taking office, my top priority has been to make the court system more open and accessible to the public; hopefully, the information that we display on our video screen furthers that goal,” Siskin said. Read more from The Daily News Journal.

The Knoxville News Sentinel reports that Campbell County General Sessions Court Judge Amanda Sammons is charging people a fee for court-appointed counsel even if they do not use the service. Sammons said that in each incident, the families initially asked for court-appointed counsel before choosing to hire private lawyers. “The AOC fusses at us if we do not collect that fee. In order for the indigent defense [system] to work statewide, that fee must be paid,” Sammons said. But others say that the law establishing the fee as well as court rules provide a mechanism to waive the fee.

The Times Free Press shares the successes – and difficult failures – of the Hamilton County Drug Court, which is celebrating its 10-year anniversary. Judge Tom Greenholtz spent time Monday thanking the coordinators, medical partners, former graduates and former judge Rebecca Stern.

A new report released by Norton, a cybersecurity company, reveals in the 12 months to September, more than 348 million identities were exposed as a result of data breaches. Norton says consumers globally spent $150 billion in the past year dealing with the issues related to cybercrime. Read more from the Wall Street Journal’s Law Blog.

The Tennessee Bar Association announces that 33 attorneys from eight Tennessee cities -- Chattanooga, Cleveland, Gallatin, Jackson, Knoxville, Madisonville, Memphis and Nashville -- have been selected for its 2016 Leadership Law (TBALL) program. Now in its 13th year, Leadership Law is designed to equip Tennessee lawyers with the vision, knowledge and skills necessary to serve as leaders in their profession and local communities. View the 2016 Leadership Law class. 

Lawyers from across state join TBA's 6-month leadership training program

NASHVILLE, Nov. 23, 2015 — The Tennessee Bar Association (TBA) announces that 32 attorneys from across the state have been selected for its 2016 Leadership Law program.

The 2016 Bloomberg Law Write-On Competition is open for submissions on topics impacting the legal landscape. Ten winners will have their articles published in a national Bloomberg BNA Law Report and receive $2,500. Submissions must be received by Feb. 17.