Summer associate hiring is up for the fifth straight year and the 2015 summer associate class is expected to be the biggest since 2009, Above the Law reports. A close look at the data suggests proceeding with caution, however, as recruiting growth was uneven, according to the National Law Journal. While 52 percent of firms reported making more summer associate offers than they had in 2013, 35 percent of law firms made fewer offers.

Floyd Ernest Hutcherson died Wednesday (March 4) at the age of 88. Hutcherson served in the U.S. Army in World War II before attending law school at the University of Tennessee. He practiced law in Rockwood for 60 years. The family will receive friends tomorrow from 4-5:30 p.m. at First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in downtown Rockwood. The funeral will follow at 5:30 p.m. Concluding services and interment will be held Sunday at 2 p.m. in the Oak Grove Cemetery with full military honors. Memorial contributions may be made to First Christian Church, 328 W. Rockwood St., Rockwood, TN 37854.

Jackson attorney Tom Murray died yesterday (March 5). Visitation will be this Sunday from 2-4 p.m. at Woodland Baptist Church, 365 Wallace Rd., Jackson 38305. The funeral will take place Monday at 1 p.m. at the church. Murray was a 1979 graduate of the University of Memphis School of Law and worked for years for the Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development.

A motivated, independent attorney is sought to represent clients in complex and/or high-risk civil litigation. The ideal candidate will live in the Knoxville area. The opening is a full-time, work from home position that requires a technology savvy attorney who can work in a paper-less environment with support staff located in Nashville. Read all the details at TBA Joblink.

The 13th Judicial District Recovery Court (formerly known as the drug court) will expand its services to assist former military service members who find themselves involved in the criminal justice system. The new Veterans Treatment Court (VTC) will address the underlying causes of criminality among veterans by focusing on treatment and rehabilitation. The expansion will offer both outpatient and residential treatment. The 13th Judicial District covers Clay, Cumberland, DeKalb, Overton, Pickett, Putnam and White counties. The Crossville Chronicle has more.

Nashville lawyer Julian Bibb was recently elected president of the Tennessee Board of Law Examiners (TBLE), the Williamson Herald reports. This is Bibb’s second election as president of the TBLE, which administers the bar exam for law school graduates seeking to become licensed attorneys in the state of Tennessee, and administers the admission of attorneys from other states seeking to move their practice to Tennessee. Bibb is a member of Stites & Harbison. In other news, the TBLE recently unveiled a revamped website. Check it out here.

Enough members of the Tennessee House and Senate braved the winter storm gripping the state to hold scheduled floor sessions today, but they decided to move the balance of their bills to next week because of heavy absences. Seventy of 99 House members were in attendance, as were 23 of 33 Senators, the Associated Press reports.

A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers yesterday introduced the Songwriter Equity Act. Led by U.S. Rep. Doug Collins, R-Georgia, the legislation would allow the special royalty rate-setting board to consider the fair market value of a song when setting digital royalty rates. Music industry advocates believe this would lead to better royalty payments for songwriters and publishers. While an identical bill went nowhere last year, supporters hope it may fare better this year in the now GOP-controlled congress, the Tennessean reports.

The annual “Tapas for Justice” fundraising event 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. The suggested contribution of $50 to Justice for Our Neighbors will help keep Nashville immigrant families together and strengthen the cultural and economic life of our city. Contact wade@tnjfon.org for more information.

Former Rutherford County District Attorney Bill Whitesell has been named interim executive director of the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference, the Murfreesboro Post reports. Whitesell took the position following the resignation of executive director Wally Kirby, who had earlier been suspended by the conference for hiring Nashville District Attorney Glenn Funk for a part-time position with the conference before he was sworn in so that Funk could join a state pension plan that was about to change. News Channel 5 has more.