The Tennessean reports there have been 119 assaults against Tennessee correctional officers since Jan. 11, following prison officials changing the definitions of assault on officers and inmates. The American Correctional Association recommended that the state change its definitions for assaults. Following the implementation of those definitions, department Commissioner Derrick Schofield said he assumed the number of reported assaults would increase. The Tennessean also reports Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey today said he is "adamantly opposed" to a state measure that would reconstitute a corrections oversight committee.

The University of Tennessee College of Law reports Karen Britton will leave her position as director of Admissions and Financial Aid and the Bettye B. Lewis Career Center after more than 20 years of service to the law school. Britton has also served as president of The National Association for Law Placement and on the TBA’s Committee on Racial and Ethnic Diversity. Read a statement from Dean Melanie D. Wilson.

The Tennessee Local Government Forum 2016 will be held March 18 from 9 a.m. – 3:15 p.m. at the Tennessee Bar Center in Nashville. Topics include the Tennessee Open Records Act, recent changes in laws related to whistle blower protection and ethical considerations for government lawyers. The forum is approved for five CLE credits.

Nearly 250 corporate lawyers sent a letter today to President Barack Obama and U.S. Senators urging the president to fill the U.S. Supreme Court vacancy. “…Nearly one third of all presidents have nominated a justice in an election year who was eventually confirmed,” the letter said. Read more from the ABA Journal.

A legal analyst told WSMV that the $55 million in damages awarded earlier this week to TV personality Erin Andrews is “unusually high.” From 2014 to 2015, the average monetary award for cases in Tennessee was $404,323. A juror described the trial's nine-days as an “emotional rollercoaster,” and said to The Tennessean that the seven-hour deliberation was “intense” and “heated.” Andrews sought $75 million after secretly being filmed nude in a Nashville hotel.

Gov. Bill Haslam said his plan to outsource management and operation of all state-owned buildings and real estate will save the state $35.8 million a year. The Times Free Press reports that the figure includes state property and protection for all existing state jobs. Haslam also told the state legislature and the public that $10.6 million of the amount is projected for University of Tennessee's statewide campuses, with current employees protected. The plan has drawn criticism from lawmakers and UT employees.

The Administrative Office of the Courts is seeking to employ a Pro Bono Coordinator to work with the Access to Justice Commission. The main job duties will be to cultivate, monitor and follow-up with new pro bono initiatives. Tasks include staffing select Commission Advisory Committees and Commission initiatives, planning and executing meetings, and conducting outreach to facilitate pro bono resources. A law degree is required, but applicants who are in their final year of law school may also be considered for the one-year grant-funded position, ending June 30, 2017.

The Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts is accepting applications for two grants: Grant Funding by State Appropriation Parent Education and Mediation Fund and Grant Funding by State Appropriation Victim Offender Reconciliation Program. The deadline for both grants is April 8.

Former judge John Gasaway was barred from representing his wife, Carrie Gasaway, who is charged with three counts of theft in Montgomery County. Carrie Gasaway, a former Clarksville attorney, was disbarred by the Tennessee Supreme Court in October and convicted of extortion in May. The theft charges stem from a case in which Gasaway is accused of depositing money from a client’s settlement into her personal bank account, shared with her husband. Read more from The Tennessean.

National blight-elimination experts will speak at the University of Memphis Law Review’s annual symposium, scheduled for March 18, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. The title of this year’s event is “Urban Revitalization: The Legal Implications of Remaking a City.” The event, held at the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, will examine the problems facing many major cities as a result of blighted and vacant buildings and neighborhoods. Registration is available online.