The American Bar Association (ABA) Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section announced today that it will honor Nashville attorney Sam H. Poteet with the James K. Carroll Leadership Award on May 4. The award recognizes an attorney or judge who has demonstrated leadership qualities in service to the section. Poteet is a principal at Manier & Herod.

Key members of the newly appointed 2023-2024 Young Lawyers Division (YLD) Board met in Memphis last month for a spring retreat to make plans for next year's programs and projects. President-elect Quinton Thompson, who will take over as YLD president at the TBA Convention in June, welcomed the group to the downtown office of Morgan & Morgan. He provided an overview of the upcoming bar year and introduced his new initiative "Diversity Law Week." Board members also heard a presentation on leading with purpose with attorneys Amber Floyd, Nicole Grida, Charlotte Knight Griffin and Terrence Reed and Memphis Councilman J.B. Smiley Jr..

The American Bar Association (ABA) today told 1.5 million lawyers and others who had accounts on its website that their login information may have been stolen, Reuters reports. ABA said in an update on its website and email notices that an unauthorized third party penetrated its network last month and took usernames and passwords for online accounts used to access an old ABA website and its career center before 2018. A spokesperson said that no other information was taken, and there is "no indication" the information has been misused.

The Tennessean reports that Democrats in the state legislature are calling for a special session on gun reform as time appears to be running out for consideration of Gov. Bill Lee's proposed order of protection law as well as gun safety measures proposed by others. Democratic Reps. Bob Freeman and Justin Jones, both of Nashville, called for Lee to bring lawmakers back for a special soon. Meanwhile, Republican Caucus Chair Jeremy Faison, R-Cosby, said lawmakers aren't able to "get their minds around at 15-page bill" before session end, which legislators hope will happen today. Faison said he has encouraged the governor to spend a few weeks in conversation with affected groups and then call a session.

Both the state Senate and House have approved a bill fighting surprise fees that are tacked onto concert and sports tickets at checkout. A spokesperson for Gov. Bill Lee tells Axios the governor intends to sign it into law. The bill requires ticket vendors to show the base price of a ticket and the total price with fees and taxes included before asking for payment. It also bans sellers from using misleading websites to convince customers they are an official or approved source for tickets. Legislators were inspired to take action after the recent Taylor Swift concert ticket debacle, resulting in at least one lawsuit against Ticketmaster. That incident triggered bipartisan condemnation and a broader examination of ticket sales in the concert industry.

The Tennessee House yesterday gave final approval to legislation to designate Juneteenth as a legal state holiday, according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press. Juneteenth, already a federal holiday, commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger issued a proclamation declaring the freedom of Black slaves in Texas. Juneteenth is currently recognized as a Day of Special Observance in Tennessee. Legislation making it a legal state holiday passed the Senate last month. "I'm very appreciative of the legislature passing the bill. We expect the governor to sign it," said Rep. Yusuf Hakeem, a Black Chattanooga Democrat who supported the bill.

Three transgender children and their parents sued the state yesterday over a new law that bans gender-affirming care for minors, the Associated Press reports. The lawsuit was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee and other groups in federal court in Nashville. It claims the Tennessee law, which is scheduled to go into effect July 1, violates the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause because it allows the banned medical treatments when they are used to treat conditions other than gender dysphoria. The law prohibits health care providers from providing hormone treatments or surgeries for transgender youth where the purpose is to allow the child to express a gender identity “inconsistent with the immutable characteristics of the reproductive system that define the minor as male or female.”

While May 1 is officially recognized as Law Day, the American Bar Association (ABA) has announced a variety of events that will take place through early May to celebrate this year's Law Day theme “Cornerstones of Democracy: Civics, Civility and Collaboration.” See a full schedule of events on the ABA website.

Key members of the newly appointed 2023-2024 Young Lawyers Division (YLD) Board are meeting in Memphis this weekend for a spring retreat to make plans for next year's programs and projects. President-elect Quinton Thompson, who will take over as YLD president at the TBA Convention in June, welcomed the group to the downtown office of Morgan & Morgan this afternoon. He provided an overview of the upcoming bar year and introduced his new initiative "Diversity Law Week." Board members also heard a presentation on leading with purpose with attorneys Amber Floyd, Nicole Grida, Charlotte Knight Griffin and Terrence Reed and Memphis Councilman J.B. Smiley Jr. Committee members will continue to meet through tomorrow.

This year's Immigration Law Forum will cover timely topics affecting immigration attorneys. Sessions will include the discussion of the Southeastern Provision plant raid, family law immigration updates and the intersection of criminal and immigration law. Join us in person May 10 at 1212 Germantown in Nashville. Registration is from 8:30-9 a.m. with programming running from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. CDT.