An increased number of private student loan lenders are taking delinquent borrowers to court, according to the Associated Press, despite less people missing payments. "Litigation is now an accepted collection effort," Christopher Koegel, assistant director of the Division of Financial Practices at the Federal Trade Commission, said. "In the past, it was rare. We're certainly seeing lawsuits we didn't see five to six years ago." Close to five percent of private student loans were delinquent in the first quarter of this year. The Bristol Herald Courier has the story.

Former gang members are mentoring Nashville teens on probation through a volunteer program known as GANG (Gentleman and not Gangsters), WZTV reports. “They can actually see somebody that has been where they've been and can come out of it and do better,” said Bishop Marcus Campbell of Mt. Carmel Baptist Church. The program is run out of Campbell's church in North Nashville. For more information, contact Campbell at (615) 636-0012.

More than one in every six freshmen women are raped while incapacitated by drink or drugs during their first year of college, according to a new study published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. "We should be talking about what people are expecting to get out of their drinking, and perhaps challenge that," Kate Carey, a lead researcher on the study, said in HealthDay. The research also found that freshmen with a pre-college history of incapacitated rape were even more at risk for assault.

The Memphis-based law firm of Baker Donelson has been hailed as one of the “Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality,” according to the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. The firm, along with Nissan North America Inc., headquarted in Franklin, Tennessee, received a perfect score in the organization’s annual Corporate Equality Index. Read more from the Memphis Business Journal.

Erica M. Clark has been named the new director of development at the University of Tennessee College of Law. Clark will work with college administrators, alumni and friends to advance fundraising efforts, which include a recently announced $45 million campaign. “From the time I first visited the College of Law in 2000, I knew I wanted to work here," Clark said. "It is a dream come true to be here now.” Clark began her fundraising career with the Boy Scouts of America in Louisiana and later served as director of development for the UT College of Human Ecology. She most recently worked in pharmaceutical sales.

The LGBT Bar Association, partnering with Prudential Financial Inc., is offering a 10-week summer internship at Prudential’s New Jersey office for a first-year law student. The position includes a stipend of $10,000. Applications must be received by Dec. 21.

Visit one of six locations across the state – Memphis, Nashville, Johnson City, Chattanooga, Knoxville, and Cookeville – for the annual Ethics Roadshow to help you complete your 2015 CLE requirements. Courses start Dec. 9. See details on all dates and locations here.

House GOP Caucus Chairman Glen Casada, R-Franklin, wants to activate the Tennessee National Guard to round up any Syrian refugees who have recently settled in the state and block any other additional Syrians from entering Tennessee, The Tennessean reports. "I’m not worried about what a bureaucrat in D.C. or an unelected judge thinks. ... We need to gather (Syrian refugees) up and politely take them back to the ICE center and say, 'They’re not coming to Tennessee, they’re yours’,” Casada said. Some lawmakers are seeking a special legislative session to look at the issue. Read more on Tennessee lawmakers and the resettlement debate. 

The Board of Professional Responsibility of the Supreme Court of Tennessee is seeking an attorney for the position of Disciplinary Counsel in the Investigations Section located in Brentwood. Applicants must be licensed in Tennessee and have a minimum of seven years litigation experience.

A trial date has yet to be set for Allison Beaver Burchett – the ex-wife of Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett – two months after she was indicted for six counts of identity theft in an effort to influence a divorce battle. Knox County Criminal Court Judge Steve Sword said this recent delay is because defense attorneys have been waiting on Assistant District Attorney General Bill Bright to turn over to them copies of computer evidence. According to The Knoxville News Sentinel, a trial date would have normally been set when Burchett was arraigned in September.