Sixteenth Judicial District Circuit Court Judges J. Mark Rogers and Royce Taylor announced their respective bids for re-election, the Cannon Courier reports. Rogers practiced law for 27 years before being appointed by the Governor in 2004. He was elected in 2006 for an 8-year term. Taylor has 23 years of experience as a lawyer before being elected as judge in 1998. The 16th Judicial District covers Cannon and Rutherford counties.

The Tennessee District Public Defenders Conference has elected Donna Orr Hargrove to serve as the Middle Tennessee Representative on its Executive Committee. Hargrove is the District Public Defender for the 17th Judicial District, which includes Bedford, Lincoln, Marshall and Moore counties. The Elk Valley Times has more.

In a filing Friday, BP asked a federal judge to order restitution — plus interest — to what it says are hundred of millions of dollars in overpayments to some businesses that claimed losses due to the 2010 Gulf oil spill, News 5 reports. BP points to a revised policy for calculating losses that was approved by the court in May and says the court should order recalculation of awards paid prior to that change.

The Shelby County Juvenile Court has improved its approach to mental health, one of the many reforms outlined in the 2012 mandate from the U.S. Department of Justice. The report called for improvements in the competency evaluations used in court and in the detainees’ overall mental health care. Changes began in August 2013, the Commercial Appeal reports, when the court’s health care budget jumped from $100,000 to $800,000 annually, thanks to a $700,000 contribution from the Shelby County Commission. Now, there is a nurse on call 24 hours a day and full-time mental health professionals available seven days a week. 

Law school “stock” is currently undervalued after the recent decline in legal jobs, a Slate article claims. With the number of law school applications at its lowest in 30 years and the legal market starting to stabilize, the articles says now might be a good time to go to law school as job-hunting in 2016 is going to be “a relative cinch.” Above the Law wholly refutes Slate’s premise, however, saying, “Law school isn’t an ‘investment’ like buying a stock, so much as it’s a gamble like buying a lotto ticket.” Read more at the ABA Journal.

Nashville-area attorneys raised $15,000 for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee at the fifth annual “Lawyers for Littles” Bowl for Kids’ Sake event. Twenty-one teams participated in the event, representing all spheres of the legal profession, including law firms, corporate counsel, government agencies and bar associations. For more information on how to get involved with “Lawyers for Littles,” contact Tom Shumate or Laura Baker.

Coffee County District Attorney Mickey Layne has received the McCutchen Award from the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference, Tullahoma News reports. The award is presented annually to one of Tennessee’s district attorneys who exemplifies the goals and ideals of the organization by improving the quality of justice in the state, especially regarding the collection of child support payments. “My staff is focused on bettering the lives of children,” said Layne. “They truly deserve this award as the best performing child support office in Tennessee. Our responsibility to prosecute criminals is important, and our work to ensure that child support commitments are met is a critical piece of that responsibility.”

A complaint has been filed against a Hawkins County-based probation company, alleging it made inappropriate campaign contributions to General Sessions Judge J. Todd Ross and court clerk-elect Randy Collier. The complaint was filed last week by outgoing Hawkins County Clerk of Courts Sarah Davis. It alleges the contributions violate the "conflict of interest" section of the Tennessee Private Probation Services Council rule of professional conduct. The Kingsport Times News has more.

Attorney Rhonda Lee got trapped in a Knox County jail while visiting clients Saturday, Knoxnews reports. She had to use her cell phone to call 911 to reach the Sheriff’s Office after the jail buzzer failed to work. Someone came to free her about seven minutes after the call. Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Martha Dooley said they have now repaired the buzzer and added another security camera.

Sex trafficking and counter-terrorism remain top priorities for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), including in West Tennessee, Director James Comey told West Tennessee law enforcement officials Wednesday in Memphis. The director was in the area to learn what the officials need, what programs and initiatives are working well and how local law enforcement is doing in general, the Jackson Sun reports.