South Carolina-based law firm McAngus Goudelock and Courie has opened a new office in downtown Nashville, the Nashville Business Journal reports. The office is staffed by four attorneys who left Leitner Williams Dooley & Napolitan. This marks the firm’s 12th office with others in North Carolina, South Carolina and Mississippi.

House Republican leaders said Thursday they will try to defeat a Senate amendment next week that would allow handgun-carry permit holders to go armed on the grounds of the State Capitol complex. The Senate voted 28-0 Wednesday to add that amendment to the controversial “guns-in-parks” bill. House Speaker Beth Harwell said she will ask House members to reject the Senate amendment because “it was poorly drafted and it jeopardizes the entire bill.” The Commercial Appeal has more.

The Arkansas Supreme Court yesterday decided a separate case is needed before justices can determine the legality of same-sex marriage — a move the Associated Press reports will likely push the consideration until after the U.S. Supreme Court rules on the same topic. The state Supreme Court ruled a new case is needed to decide whether a justice sworn-in in January should help decide whether gay marriage is legal in Arkansas. Justices originally heard oral arguments in November. News Channel 5 has more.

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence today signed a bill to clarify a "religious freedom" bill that sparked a blistering wave of criticism and boycotts, NBCNews reports. The bill now makes clear the state's Religious Freedom Restoration Act does not allow businesses to refuse to serve gays or other minority groups. Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed a similar bill that had been revised over concerns about discrimination, ordering that it be changed to more closely reflect federal law.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has ordered a new trial in a Union County sexual battery case because the jury was not selected in the manner prescribed by the Tennessee Rules of Criminal Procedure. The court determined that the deviations from the jury selection procedure deprived the parties of their opportunity to properly exercise their peremptory challenges and resulted in prejudice to the judicial process. The AOC has more.

Attorney and history activist Clarence Edward Elkins Jr. died Tuesday (March 31). He was 76. A 1966 graduate of Cumberland School of Law at Samford University, Elkins served the state of Tennessee for 30 years before retiring and embarking on a new career as a part-time tour guide at the Sam Davis Home in Smyrna. In 2010, then Governor Phil Bredesen recognized Clarence’s work and commitment to preserving the history of Tennessee by appointing him to the Tennessee Historical Commission. Visitation will be held at Woodfin Memorial Chapel in Murfreesboro tomorrow from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 1 p.m., with a funeral service to follow at 1 p.m. Burial will follow in the Simpson Cemetery in the Rover community of Bedford County. Memorial contributions may be made to Enon Primitive Baptist Church, 1401 Cherry Street in Shelbyville.

The annual “Tapas for Justice” fundraiser to benefit Justice for Our Neighbors will take place April 14, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the law offices of Baker Donelson in Nashville. Contact wade@tnjfon.org for more information.

Tennessee CASA will host its third annual CASA Conference May 1 from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at New Vision Baptist Church in Murfreesboro. Session topics will include secondary trauma, child victim compensation, ?writing quality court reports and new rules in juvenile court.

A new national award to honor attorneys has been named after George Barrett, the late Nashville civil rights and labor attorney who started his career representing sit-in demonstrators when few would. The Sidney Hillman Foundation, which historically recognizes journalists, recently announced the creation of the award. Barrett died in August after practicing law in Nashville for more than 50 years. Bryan Stevenson, founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama, will be the inaugural recipient. The Tennessean has more.

Verizon Wireless has announced it will match all donations up to $10,000 made to the Knoxville Family Justice Center during April, which is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Child Abuse Prevention Month, WATE reports. The center supports victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in Knox County and surrounding areas, and is one of only 15 nationwide created by a presidential initiative to help those affected by domestic violence. Donate to the Knoxville Family Justice Center.