A new report commissioned in Canada by the Criminal Lawyers' Association revealed that women are leaving criminal practice at a higher rate than men, CBCNews reports. The study attributes low pay, lack of financial support for maternity leave and being treated differently than male peers by judges as reasons. "We need diverse perspectives to make sure the law develops in step with social values,” said Breese Davies, vice-president of the CLA.

Chattanooga attorney Paul Hatcher, a partner at Duncan, Hatcher, Hixson & Fleenor, has been named a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, The Hamilton County Herald reports. The ABF, a research center, focuses on the social aspects of the law and legal practice.

A Tennessee bill (SB 1677 / HB 1823) would allow pharmacists to provide birth control after interested pharmacists enter into a collaborative agreement with a physician, who would oversee a series of protocols for the pharmacist to follow. An item in Thursday’s TBA Today cited a media outlet that incorrectly reported pharmacists would be able to prescribe birth control.

What are some ways for making law firm budgets go further? Natalie R. Kelly, director of the State Bar of Georgia’s Law Practice Management Program, offers advice on how solo and small firms can cut costs and stretch dollars in this ABA Journal podcast.

The Commercial Appeal highlights the work of Mid-South Immigration Advocates, a non-profit organization that received two major grants this week to continue representing children in immigration cases. Nationwide, 80 percent of the children who went to immigration court without an attorney were deported. "It's our obligation to make sure children are protected from abuse, neglect and persecution" said attorney Sally Joyner. "We legally can't turn them away."

In the highest state courts across the country, only 29 percent of judges are women, according to the National Association for Women Judges. Penny J. White, professor at the University of Tennessee College of Law, says the lack of females in courtrooms can me attributed to a lack of women in the “back rooms” where deals are made. Read more from The Washington Post.

Assistant District Attorney Abby Wallace said Thursday that a man charged nearly 14 years after an alleged rape failed to present evidence showing that the delay in testing a rape kit harmed his right to a fair trial. Wallace added Maurice Summerall must prove that the state purposely delayed his indictment. "The reason for the delay … was systematic bureaucratic indifference and incompetence,” Wallace said. Attorney Charles Mitchell last month filed a motion to dismiss the indictment against Summerall. Read more from The Commercial Appeal.

Misael Chica-Arguenta, who said he fired shots at Memphis police in an attempt to get the police to kill him, was sentenced today to six years in prison. Chica-Arguenta claims he was drunk and suicidal during the 2014 incident, The Commercial Appeal reports.

Jury selection in the new trial of two former Vanderbilt football players accused of rape is scheduled to begin later this month in Chattanooga, WSMV reports. Attorneys in the case met today to discuss scheduling. The selected jury will travel to Nashville for the trial scheduled to begin April 4. A new trial was declared for defendants Cory Batey and Brandon Vandenburg in June 2015.

Circuit Court Judge Michael Binkley said he plans to discover who leaked details about sworn testimony in the case of Nashville developer David Chase, WTVF reports. The testimony of Chase’s parents involving Nashville District Attorney Glenn Funk was obtained by media outlets. Binkley said he will question attorneys involved in the case before deciding if an investigation is needed.