Chattanooga attorney Hugh F. “Ken” Kendall III died July 23 at age 75. He graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Law and in 1972 moved to Chattanooga where he began his law career at Shumacker and Thompson. After 16 years there, he opened a solo practice where he practiced until his death. During his career, Kendall was recognized with several awards and served in numerous leadership roles, including chair of the TBA's Tax, Probate and Trust Law section. A memorial service will take place in the sanctuary of Brainerd Baptist Church, 300 Brookfield Ave., Chattanooga 37411 at noon EDT on Aug. 10. The family will receive friends starting at 10 a.m. in the sanctuary prior to the service.

Davidson County Juvenile Court Judge Sheila Calloway has been announced as the keynote speaker for the Nashville Conflict Resolution Center (NCRC) Mediation Matters Luncheon, set for Sept. 26 at 11:30 a.m. CDT. The event will take place at Hillwood Country Club, 6201 Hickory Valley Rd., Nashville 37205. A brief program recognizing Sara Figal, recently retired executive director of NCRC, and Kathy Alspaugh, courtroom clerk with Metro Government, will begin at noon. Read a press release from the organization.

Chattanooga lawyer and past TBA President Sam Elliott was confirmed as chair-elect of the Tennessee Bar Foundation (TBF) Board of Trustees at the group's annual meeting in Memphis. He will serve a one-year term and move into the chair position beginning in June 2025, succeeding Jackie Dixon, also a past TBA president. The TBF administers Tennessee’s Interest On Lawyers’ Trust Accounts program, honors distinguished attorneys as “fellows” and supports law-related public interest projects through grants. Chattanoogan.com has more.

Data from the Memphis Police Department (MPD) shows that crime is down in the city for the first half of 2024. The Daily Memphian reports that overall major property and violent crimes were down 18% through the first half of the year compared to the same period in 2023; homicides are down 11% with a total of 162 homicides as of June 30 compared to 182 on June 30, 2023; robberies are down 27% at 1,041 this year versus 1,427 last year; forcible rapes were down 7%; and aggravated assaults were down less than 1%. Officials credit Operation Code Zero, a bi-weekly enforcement effort that rotates through the city’s precincts, as one of the tactics contributing to the decrease. The Memphis Shelby Crime Commission also released similar data pointing to a decrease in crime from last year, but reports that the overall crime rate is up 20% from 2020.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti and 13 other state attorneys general on Monday sent a letter to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), expressing concerns over its revived pilot program aimed at removing title insurance requirements from certain loans sold to Fannie Mae. In the letter, Skrmetti emphasized the role of title insurance in safeguarding homeowners from fraudulent activities and exploitation, and stated that the pilot solely benefits homeowners with "lower risk" refinance loans, neglecting the needs of first-time and low-income homeowners. In a March 7 statement, FHFA Director Sandra Thompson said, "The title acceptance pilot will make it possible to test whether allowing lenders to sell these refinance loans is a responsible approach to reducing the closing costs incurred by existing homeowners. Lenders will also retain the option to provide evidence of clear title through other options, such as title insurance or an attorney opinion letter (AOL)."

The Memphis-based Community Legal Center (CLC) will host a ribbon cutting ceremony and reception commemorating the opening of its new office on July 25 from 4-6 p.m. CDT. The center recently relocated to Brinkley Plaza at 80 Monroe Ave., Ste. 415, Memphis 38103. The event will celebrate the CLC's 30-year history of providing quality, affordable legal services for Memphians in need. RSVP here or email austinb@clcmemphis.org with questions.

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) has awarded Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) a "green light" rating for free speech protections, the Tennessean reports. FIRE, a national free-speech advocacy organization that routinely reviews both public and private universities’ campus speech policies, says the green light rating is reserved for institutions with "no written policies that seriously imperil student free speech rights." MTSU revised its policies earlier this year having previously received a "yellow light" rating from the organization. MTSU is home to both the John Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence in First Amendment Studies, which promotes awareness of the First Amendment and quality journalism in Tennessee, and the Free Speech Center, a nonpartisan, nonprofit public policy center that seeks to further First Amendment education.

Aaron Sorkin’s stage adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize winning book and Academy Award winning movie "To Kill a Mockingbird" has rekindled interest in the role lawyers play in leading their communities. This highly interactive three part series, taught by Doug Blaze and Buck Lewis — founders of the Institute for Professional Leadership at UT Law — will examine the lynching scene on the porch of the jail, the trial and the final scene on the Finch porch after an attempt on the Finch children’s lives. Sessions will take place virtually on July 31, Aug. 28 and Sept. 19. The full program qualifies for 4.5 dual hours of CLE. Register online for Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.

Florida joins the list of states transitioning to the NextGen Bar Exam, making it the largest jurisdiction to do so. Reuters reports that the Florida Board of Bar Examiners said its bar exam would continue to include a component testing state law after the July 2028 switch to the NextGen test. Florida joins 21 other states in moving to the NextGen Bar Exam, including Tennessee, which will make the switch in July 2027.

The Tennessee government has agreed to remove individuals convicted of prostitution while they had HIV from its sex offender registry upon request. This decision comes after the state settled two lawsuits: one from the American Civil Liberties Union and four women who were convicted of aggravated prostitution, and one from the U.S. Department of Justice. The suits argued that Tennessee's laws were based on outdated science and unfairly labeled individuals with HIV as sex offenders. The Tennessee Lookout reports that at least 83 people are believed to be on the state sex offender registry solely because of those laws, with most living in the Memphis area, where undercover police officers and prosecutors most often invoked the the statutes. The Tennessee attorney general's office says it plans to “continue to defend Tennessee’s prohibition on aggravated prostitution,” which makes prostitution a misdemeanor in most cases but a felony for those who are HIV-positive.