The Memphis office of Bass, Berry & Sims is renewing the lease at its current location downtown after taking six months to assess a possible relocation to East Memphis, the Memphis Business Journal reports. Richard Spore, a member at the Memphis office, said most of the firm’s lawyers like working Downtown. “They can walk to restaurants and bars, the Orpheum, the Grizzlies’ game," Spore said. "Plus many of them live in Downtown, Midtown or Harbor town and like to walk or ride their bikes to work.” The firm also will be moving into additional floors in the Peabody Office Tower off Main Street, leasing a total of 28,448 rentable square feet.

Shelby County lawyer William Clark Barnes Jr. received a Public Censure on Oct. 28 from the Board of Professional Responsibility of the Tennessee Supreme Court. During the representation of a client in a civil lawsuit, Barnes’s law license was suspended for failing to comply with continuing legal education requirements. Barnes failed to notify his clients about the suspension. Read the BPR release.

The Tennessee Supreme Court denied Bridgestone entities’ request to dismiss a case because of lost evidence and a request for summary judgment. The decision affirmed a trial court ruling in the case in which a woman’s car was totaled in an accident after it appeared that a tire may have failed and the wrecking service later destroyed her car. The Court also reviewed the defendants’ additional reasons for requesting summary judgment, conducting the analysis under the Court’s recent opinion in Rye v. Women’s Care Center of Memphis. Justice Gary R. Wade wrote a concurring opinion, in which he disagreed with the new summary judgment standard, but reached the same conclusion under a different analysis. Read the opinion authored by Justice Jeffrey S. Bivins.  

Ndume Olatushani, a man who spent nearly 27 years in prison for a crime he did not commit, spoke at Vanderbilt Law School on Wednesday with his attorney and Vanderbilt Law School grad Anne-Marie Moyes. The Vanderbilt Hustler reports that Olatushani was accused of murdering a Memphis store owner in an attempted robbery in 1983, despite never having been to the state of Tennessee. “One of the first things I began to read was law books because I wanted to understand this process. I knew I had to understand this process,” Olatushani said.

The Knoxville Bar Association will hold its Annual Memorial Service on Nov. 20 at 3 p.m. in the Supreme Court Courtroom, 505 Main St., with Chief Justice Sharon G. Lee and the Rev. Charles W. B. Fels leading the service.

Members of the Tennessee Black Caucus of State legislators said they are considering legislative proposals that would provide alternative sentencing for individuals with drug or mental health problems, the Knoxville News Sentinel reports. "We've got to distinguish mental health issues from violent crimes," District Attorney Glenn Funk said. The group also said it is considering legislations that would change the sentencing guidelines for offenders convicted of selling drugs near a school.

A portrait unveiling ceremony for retired Circuit Judge Karen R. Williams will take place in Memphis at 4 p.m. on Nov. 10 in the Division III Courtroom of the Shelby County Courthouse, 140 Adams Ave. A reception will follow. RSVP by Nov. 5 to Sharon Bear, 901-526-6701.

The University of Tennessee College of Law will hold its 125th Anniversary Gala and Campaign Launch on Nov. 13, 6 p.m. at the Knoxville Convention Center, 701 Henley St. The event will include an orange carpet entrance, a cocktail reception and meal. Tickets are $75 per person and $125 per couple. RSVP online or by phone at 865-974-6691.

The Crossville Chronicle reports that the Cumberland County Commission did not publicly discuss issuing a check for nearly $31,000 from the county’s general funds balance to pay legal fees. The county was ordered to pay the law firm of Wolfe, McClane, Bright, Allen and Carpenter PLLC on July 14 after a failed legal attempt to gain easement access to a water tower. “I feel confident that every member of the county commission is aware of the legal challenges the county faced in bringing this much needed project to fruition,” Cumberland County Finance Director Nathan Brock said.

The Young Lawyers Division hosts its Wills for Heroes clinic Saturday in Gallatin to provide free wills, powers of attorney and advance directives for Tennessee’s firefighters and and law enforcement officers. The clinic will be held from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the Gallatin Civic Center located at 210 Albert Gallatin Ave. To volunteer, contact Cherelle Hooper at 615-451-1880.