Jobs requiring intellectually challenging tasks may help preserve thinking skills and memory as workers age, a new study suggests. Researchers compared IQ scores obtained around age 11 from more than 1,000 Scottish people with their memory and reasoning scores around age 70. The scientists found that those who had mentally stimulating jobs appeared to retain sharper thinking even years after retirement. Researchers from the University of Edinburgh scored workers' jobs for their complexity with people, data and other criteria. Jobs scoring highly for the complexity of work with people, include lawyer, social worker, surgeon and probation officer. WRCB has the story.

More than 420,000 cases are pending in U.S. immigration courts, a steadily growing backlog that immigration lawyers say they hope will be eased by President Barack Obama’s soon-to-be-announced executive actions, the National Law Journal reports. Obama is set to announce tonight a series of executive actions he says will help fix what he has called the country’s “broken immigration system.” The executive actions are expected to include an expansion of temporary protections from deportation and an update to the guidelines that prosecutors use in deciding whether to close or stop pursuing certain cases.

Learn about the ethics of getting paid with two new online CLEs. One program offers tips on invoicing, billing processes and collecting fee procedures, while the other session teaches value pricing, ethics of pricing strategies and identifying red flags. Earn one ethics credit for each from the comfort of your own home. Visit the TBA CLE website for more information.

Longtime Knoxville lawyer Charles Bailey Lewis died Nov. 16 from chronic illness. He was 84. After graduating high school, Lewis served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. He later graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Law and was one of the founding members of the law firm now known as Lewis Thomason PC. He served as chairman of the board of the predecessor firm that bore his name for many years. During his tenure, the firm grew in membership from three lawyers to the now approximately 90 lawyers at offices in Memphis, Knoxville, Nashville and Sevierville. A memorial service will be held Saturday at Central Baptist Church of Bearden. The family will receive friends in the sanctuary from 10 a.m. until the service begins at noon. A celebration of Lewis’ life will follow at Cherokee Country Club. In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations in Lewis' name be made to the Alzheimer's Association or a non-profit organization of your choice.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam is the front runner to be the next leader of the Republican Governors Association, the Nashville Business Journal reports from the Associated Press. Many GOP governors with presidential ambitions, such as Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, have taken themselves out of the running. The RGA is currently led by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

Rep. Rick Womack, R-Rockvale, today issued a letter condemning the personal attacks on Speaker Beth Harwell, R-Nashville. “While I appreciate the efforts of undisclosed supporters across the state, I am not responsible, do not condone, and do not support these, or any future emails, that degrade, attack, or misrepresent the character of any individual associated with the Tennessee House of Representatives,” he states. Womack is challenging Harwell for Speaker of the House. The Nashville Post has more.

CLE Ski is celebrating 30 year’s this winter. Participants at this annual event will earn all 15 hours of CLE credit for the year. Sign up for the January 18-23 event and connect with lawyers across the state. Relax and enjoy the slopes and spa at the Vail Cascade Resort and Spa in Vail, Colorado. Visit TBA CLE to register.

A pair of dual rulings released Tuesday by two federal courts appear to have largely dismantled South Carolina's constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, barring a stay or emergency order from the United States Supreme Court, WSMV reports. The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson and denied his request for an emergency stay on a court ruling last week that ruled the state's ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. The appeals court ruling means same-sex marriages in South Carolina can proceed beginning tomorrow at noon, the deadline set by U.S. District Court Judge Richard Gergel last week when he tossed out the state's ban. The 4th Circuit already ruled same-sex marriage bans unconstitutional earlier this year in other states like Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina.

A number of Putnam County law enforcement agencies will participate in a lethality assessment training program through a partnership with the Upper Cumberland Family Justice Center (UCFJC) to better help domestic violence victims. Officers will be trained in the Maryland Model Lethality Assessment Program, which consists of 11 questions a police officer will ask a victim when responding to domestic violence calls in order to assess the danger the individual is in. UCFJC opened its doors earlier this year through the District Attorney’s Office as an effort to centralize and help victims better access various domestic violence services in Putnam, Cumberland, Overton, White, Clay, DeKalb and Pickett counties. The Herald Citizen has more.

Carter County this week began a series of renovations to the 30-year-old Justice Center, the Johnson City Press reports. The renovations will include painting the first floor interior, remodeling courtrooms and replacing all the ceiling tiles, many that have suffered water damage. Work crews from Northeast Correction Complex and from the Carter County Jail are providing the labor for the project.