The Belmont University College of Law Journal will host a Health Law Symposium on March 21 entitled "Healthcare in a Changing Landscape: Navigating the Ever-Evolving Health Law Climate" from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. CDT. Keynote speakers include professors Scott Burris and Stacey Tovino, who will present on government responses to the opioid crisis and public and private insurers’ use of AI to deny claims. Nashville practitioner panels will discuss private equity in health care and the rise of arbitration in health care litigation. Direct questions to Executive Symposium Editor Maddie Sabourin.

Butler Snow recently announced that its Nashville office has moved to new space at The Neuhoff Building, Ste. 1400, 1320 Adams St., Nashville, TN 37208. “Nashville has a thriving business community where we have been serving clients across various industries for years and with this move, we’re furthering our commitment to Nashville and our clients for years to come,” said Christopher R. Maddux, chair of Butler Snow. The firm announced in March of last year that it would be moving out of downtown, following several other firms making a similar exit.

The Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) appeared before the state Senate Judiciary Committee for its regular budget review. Director Michelle Long presented the AOC’s budget request, including funding for a new Office of Indigent Conflicts and Civil Counsel, which would assume responsibility for managing the state’s indigent representation system. At press time, the group was still answering lawmakers’ questions about the proposed plan. Watch for a full report from the committee proceeding in tomorrow’s issue of TBA Today. To learn more about the state’s current crisis in providing legal representation to indigent individuals, and how the AOC’s plan seeks to address the situation, review the TBA’s indigent representation primer posts and past coverage of the AOC’s plan.

Eight Tennessee attorneys were admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court during the 39th annual TBA Academy on Tuesday. TBA President Ed Lanquist Jr. moved for admission of the members during a regular court session in Washington, D.C. The group heard oral arguments in a case brought by the government of Mexico against gun manufacturers Smith & Wesson and Colt accusing them of aiding illegal firearms trafficking to drug cartels and fueling gun violence in that country. Reuters has more on that case. Attorneys admitted before the high court were Nashville attorneys Mary Cheadle, Lauren Colaric, Chicoya Smith Gallman and Trevor Howell; Humboldt attorney Tim Fowler; Jacksboro attorney Leif Jeffers; Mt. Juliet attorney Angela Williams; and Johnson City attorney Deborah Yeomans-Barton. The visit to Washington, D.C., included a welcome reception, tour of the U.S. Capitol, the swearing in ceremony and a celebratory lunch. See photos from the event.

Shelby County Chancellor Melanie Taylor Jefferson on Friday dismissed all but one claim — the question of who owns the land — in a lawsuit against the new Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. The museum was sued by Friends for Our Riverfront, alleging that the project violates an easement established in the early 19th century. A temporary restraining order to stop construction was issued in September 2023 with a $1 million bond. The group never posted the bond. Jefferson denied a temporary injunction against the museum in June 2024, citing the unpaid bond as the primary reason to allow construction to resume, the. Commercial Appeal reports.

Vanderbilt University Law School has received a $6.8 million gift from the Anbridge Charitable Fund to endow the creation of The Gail Anderson Cañizares Innocence Clinic, which will support the exoneration of wrongfully convicted individuals in Tennessee while providing students with hands-on case experience. The clinic, which will function as a course available to 2L and 3L students, will launch in the 2026 spring semester, and will coordinate with the Tennessee Innocence Project to source cases. Read more in a press release from the law school.

A Brentwood man who threatened to "firebomb" the Fred D. Thompson Federal Building and Courthouse in downtown Nashville in the next two weeks was arrested Monday. Alexander F. Thompson, an attorney whose license was suspended in 2022, was charged with making a threat of terrorism and a false report. He is being held on a $100,000 bond and is not eligible for release until his mental health is evaluated. WSMV has the story.

The American Bar Association (ABA) Civil Rights and Social Justice Section will host a free two-day virtual boot camp titled “The Civil Rights Lawyer Boot Camp” on March 7 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST and March 14 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. EDT. The webinar is designed to help those interested in civil rights issues better understand how to advocate for justice, equality, legal rights and protections. The sessions are open to law students, recent law graduates, public service lawyers, other working or retired attorneys, and lawyers from any background.

A dozen federal offices are slated for lease termination in Tennessee, including the Social Security Administration (SSA) office in Nashville. The SSA explains: “Most of the leases we are not renewing are for small remote hearing sites that are co-located with other Federal space ... Other offices are non-public facing, being consolidated into nearby locations, or we had planned to close.” Other federal offices targeted for lease terminations in Tennessee include a 135,000 square-foot IRS office in Franklin and a 17,000-square-foot IRS space in Chattanooga; a 1,000-square-foot Department of Homeland Security border patrol field operations office in Chattanooga; an Occupational Health and Safety Office in Nashville; Food and Drug Administration offices in Memphis and Nashville; and a Mine Safety Health and Administration office in Knoxville. Tennessee Lookout has more on the plans.

The March/April issue of the Tennessee Bar Journal is now available online. Enjoy J. Hunter Robinson and Erik Halvorson's cover story on the Case v. Wilmington decision by the Tennessee Supreme Court, David Hudson Jr. and Bill Spaniard's look at remorse in lawyer disciplinary hearings, and columns by Buddy Stockwell, Wade Davies and Russell Fowler. TBA President Ed Lanquist Jr. reminds readers that lawyers can have a profound effect on their communities through active engagement in local initiatives and civic activities. Also get plenty of news in The Legal Life, including announcements of future leadership, an upgraded legal research tool launch, a tiny new addition to the TBA staff, mock trial information, an update on the Justice Drowota Trust and more!