The Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility (BPR) reportedly has dismissed an ethics complaint against Nashville attorney Cynthia Sherwood, who represents former House Speaker Glen Casada’s ex-chief of staff, Cade Cothren. The complaint, filed by the Tennessee Registry of Election Finance, alleged misconduct after a private investigator working for Sherwood visited the home of Bill Young, the registry’s executive director. Sherwood, who called the complaint "frivolous," provided the Tennessee Lookout with a copy of the BPR's confidential letter. The BPR has not made the decision public, pending an opinion from the Attorney General’s Office. Resolution of the complaint comes as Cothren and Casada, both convicted of federal bribery charges, are seeking new trials. In addition, the registery said it would revive a 2020 request for a criminal investigation into Cothren and the Faith Family Freedom Fund PAC based on new evidence from the trials.

The U.S. Department of Justice and Kilmar Abrego Garcia's lawyers agreed to keep Abrego Garcia in U.S. custody in Tennessee for 30 days if the court denies the government's motion to revoke his bond, again delaying his transfer to immigration authorities. Fox 17 News reports that Abrego Garcia's lawyers requested the delay to assess legal options amid potential deportation. The government did not oppose, noting it would not impact trial preparations or the current January 2026 trial date.

The Trump administration on Monday released over 240,000 pages of FBI surveillance records on Martin Luther King Jr., despite opposition from his family and civil rights groups who called for empathy and historical context in reviewing them. King’s two living children, Martin III and Bernice, reiterated in a statement their belief that James Earl Ray was not solely responsible for their father's assassination and emphasized the FBI’s efforts under J. Edgar Hoover to discredit King and the Civil Rights Movement. While the release was framed by officials as a step toward transparency, critics — including civil rights leaders — view it as a political distraction. The files, which were intended to be sealed until 2027 and were unsealed early by court order, are expected to offer researchers new material, though it remains unclear whether they will shed significant new light on King’s life, work or death. The Associated Press has the story.

State lawmakers Rep. Mark White, R-Memphis, and Sen. Brent Taylor, R-Eads, plan to renew efforts to give an appointed board oversight powers over Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS), arguing the district is too large to manage effectively. They say a $6 million state-funded forensic audit of MSCS, expected soon, could justify a compromise on their stalled takeover legislation, which advanced through several committees last session. The Daily Memphian reports that while some Memphis residents support the proposals — especially amid frustration with leadership changes and low test scores — others view them as overreach that undermines local control and unconstitutionally targets a single district. Both lawmakers, who represent suburban areas, also have floated the idea of breaking up MSCS into smaller districts, citing poor academic outcomes compared to wealthier neighboring systems.

Maxine Strickler, who worked for the Tennessee Bar Association (TBA) for 25 years, died June 21 at age 97. Former Tennessee Bar Journal Editor Suzanne Craig Robertson remembers that when she started working at TBA in 1987, "Maxine was in the membership department. Nothing was computerized then and each member record was on a card in a big metal file called the Cardex." Services were held June 27 in Goodlettsville.

The 78th Judicial Conference of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will be held in Memphis Sept. 3-5 at The Peabody Hotel. The conference will open with a welcome reception on Tuesday evening, followed by two days of programming that include plenary and breakout sessions, luncheons and special evening events, including the Life Member Reception at Old Dominick Distillery and a formal banquet at The Peabody. Conference details, including hotel and registration information, can be found on the court's website. Register by Aug. 15. Call 513-564-7270 or email CA06-Conf@ca6.uscourts.gov with questions.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee recently announced that Alec Richardson will depart the governor’s office at the end of the month after serving for nearly seven years in multiple roles, including his most recent position of senior advisor and director of external affairs. Richardson will transition to the role of state director for U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty. As one of the longest-serving members of Lee’s team, Richardson played an instrumental role in achieving the governor’s agenda to champion rural advancement through the creation of the Governor’s Rural Opportunity Summit. "Alec’s passion for rural Tennessee has contributed greatly to our administration’s work to expand opportunity across economically distressed and at-risk counties, and I am grateful that Tennesseans will continue to benefit from his leadership in a new role," Lee said. Casey Sellers has been appointed to serve as senior advisor to the governor, in addition to her current role as director of communications and a member of Lee’s cabinet. Read more in a press release from the governor's office.

On Aug. 1, the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board will hear in-person arguments in three cases at the Tennessee Supreme Court Building, 401 7th Ave. N., Nashville 37219. All three are interlocutory orders granting benefits. First will be Chad Graves v. Southall Adventures, where both parties have appealed. Southall takes issue with a trial court order where medical causation was disputed, while Graves contests the decision to decline to designate an unauthorized doctor as the treating physician. Next, in Brittney Russell v. Werner Enterprises Inc., Werner appealed an order involving an assault while working, resulting in physical and mental injuries. Russell was delivering freight and had a confrontation with the manager of a retail store, followed by a shopper inserting herself into the argument. The shopper’s husband assaulted the employee. Finally is David Rainey v. US Express, where US Express appealed an order challenging rulings on whether a specific incident at work occurred as Rainey described and medical causation. The arguments begin at 9 a.m. CDT. Access the full docket.

There is a substantial difference between being a good lawyer and running a well-oiled, profitable practice. While there are some “money things” one can outsource, such as payroll mechanics, it is critical that attorneys understand core financial concepts and the associated reports produced by a practice management system. In this webcast replay, Jeffrey Krause with Affinity Consulting will highlight the kinds of accounting information attorneys need to know, as well as who else within the practice should have access to that sensitive information. Get more information and register here.

Tennessee state Rep. Jay Reedy, R-Erin, who previously filed paperwork to launch a bid for the 7th Congressional District seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Mark Green, has decided not to run. Clarksville Now reports that Reedy dropped out of the contest, saying, “At this time I feel God has placed me in the Tennessee state House and the job is not yet finished. His departure leaves these five Republicans and two Democrats to face off in their respective party primaries. The field also includes former state Rep. Brandon Ogles and health executive Mason Foley on the Republican side and state Rep. Vincent Dixie on the Democratic side. Former Nashville mayor Megan Barry and state Republican Sen. Bill Powers of Clarksville, who originally had expressed interest in the seat, have decided not to run.