The Environmental Protection Agency has awarded Memphis $1 million to support community-wide cleanup programs targeting contaminated commercial sites — “brownfields” — for redevelopment inside the city’s limits. The Daily Memphian reports that the grant will be administered by the Economic Development Growth Engine (EDGE) for Memphis and Shelby County. The EPA defines a brownfield as a property where the expansion, redevelopment or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant. 

The Veterans Legal Advice Clinic is a general advice and referral clinic that serves between 20 and 30 veterans in the community each month with a wide variety of legal issues, including family law, landlord/tenant, bankruptcy, criminal defense, consumer protection, contract disputes, child support and personal injury. Preregistration is not required for the in-person clinic, which will be held June 14 from noon-2 p.m. EDT at the Knox County Public Defender's Law Office, 1101 Liberty Street, Knoxville 37919.

Memphis Area Legal Services will host the June Second Saturday Legal Advice Clinic on June 10 at the Benjamin Hooks Central Library, 3030 Poplar Avenue, Memphis 38111 from 10 a.m.-noon CDT. The clinic operates on a first come, first served basis.

The Department of the Interior yesterday announced that nearly $725 million from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is available to Tennessee and 21 other states to reclaim abandoned coal mine lands. The money will help communities clean up dangerous environmental conditions and pollution caused by past coal mining. WATE in Knoxville reports that Tennessee is eligible for just over $8.5 million, and that at least 5,050 acres of abandoned mine land has already been reclaimed as a part of the Tennessee Land Reclamation Section that was started in 1981.

According to documents obtained through an open records request, Gov. Bill Lee’s administration accused the National Rifle Association of wanting to use involuntary commitment laws “to round up mentally ill people and deprive them of other liberties.” The memos were drafted in April as part of the administration’s attempt to pass legislation following the Covenant School shooting in late March. The Associated Press reports that the documents promote Lee’s proposal as “more targeted and more limited” than what the NRA currently supports.

The budget committee of the Sumner County Commission voted last week to eliminate the county’s human resources department, a move which would save the county approximately $100,000 annually. The Tennessee Lookout reports that HR Director Cheryl Lewis-Smith told the committee that she was concerned about the welfare of Sumner County employees and the potential liability risks to the county if the HR department is dissolved. The vote must be approved by the full commission.

Join your colleagues at TBA’s Annual Convention in Knoxville to learn about employment law issues that arise in a multitude of legal practice areas. “Top 10 Employment Law Updates All Tennessee Lawyers Should Know About” will discuss emerging issues in federal and state employment law that all Tennessee lawyers should know about to effectively spot issues, help their clients navigate them and identify resources to do so effectively. Visit the Convention CLE page for more information on this and other CLE programming. Can't make it to the full convention? You can register for just this individual course. 

On demand videos from this year's Business Law Forum: Business Transactions in the News — What Tennessee Lawyers Oughta Know are now available for purchase in the CLE Course Catalog. As a member of the TBA Business Law Section, you will always receive a discount on CLE programming produced by the section. This year’s program featured Tennessee practitioners commenting and interpreting many of these newsworthy developments, including issues related to artificial intelligence, crypto failures, non-competes and celebrity executives. The speakers examined ethical uses of AI-driven platforms such as ChatGPT in the legal profession, current concepts related to transactional non-competes (including the related impact of proposed federal policies), lessons learned from cryptocurrency bankruptcies like FTX, and the legal constraints that celebrity executives and directors must navigate when balancing their public image with regulatory obligations.

Check out the individual videos or purchase the convenient 1-click CLE package.

An exciting addition to the TBA's Annual Convention is an event featuring several Tennessee lawyers and friends who have recently published new books. Convention attendees will have the opportunity to meet and talk with the authors, and purchase those books and have them signed. The book signing will take place on June 15 in the Atrium of the Knoxville Marriott from 10:30 a.m.-noon EDT and 1:30-2:30 p.m. EDT. Authors in attendance will include Wendy Bach, 'Prosecuting Poverty, Criminalizing Care;' Ben Barton, 'The Credentialed Court;' Amanda Swanson and Bill Haltom, 'Full Court Press;' Angelia Nystrom, 'Legal Ease and Life Hacks,' Nick McCall, 'Pogiebait's War,' Suzanne Craig Robertson, 'He Called Me Sister;' Georgiana Vines, 'East Tennessee Newsmakers;' and Ashley Wiltshire, 'Everyday Justice.' Our thanks to Union Ave. Books in Knoxville for their assistance with this event.

The Nashville Bar Association's Diversity Committee and the Tennessee Stonewall Bar Association are hosting a happy hour to celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride month. Join your lawyer friends to toast equality for all on June 8 from 5-7 p.m. CDT at Noble's Kitchen & Beer Hall, 974 Main St., Nashville 37206. RSVP via email to Greg Maczko or by using the online form.