Dodson Parker Behm & Capparella recently announced that Candi Henry has been named managing partner of the firm, effective July 1. Henry will succeed Tyler Chance Yarbro, who was selected by Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell to serve as the next director of the Metro Department of Law. Henry, who rejoined the firm in January, most recently served as chief legal counsel for the Greater Nashville Regional Council, advising the 13-county governmental entity and its affiliated organizations on a range of public services. She previously spent more than a decade with the firm and began her legal career clerking for Judge William C. Koch Jr. on the Tennessee Court of Appeals and the Tennessee Supreme Court. “Candi typifies the judgment and deep commitment to the community that have defined this firm from its beginning more than 40 years ago,” founding partner Margaret L. Behm said in a press release. As managing partner, Henry will oversee the firm’s day-to-day administration while continuing her litigation and transactional practice.

Tennessee’s unemployment rate held steady at 3.6% in March, even as 93 of the state’s 95 counties reported lower unemployment rates than the previous month, according to data released Thursday by the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Williamson County recorded the state’s lowest unemployment rate at 2.5%. Cheatham, Dickson, Rutherford, Sumner and Wilson counties also ranked among the 10 lowest rates statewide. Davidson County posted a 2.8% unemployment rate, improving from 3.2% in February and narrowly missing the top 10. Tennessee added 12,100 nonfarm jobs in March, with the largest gains in health care and social assistance and accommodation and food services. The state’s unemployment rate remained below the national average of 4.3%.

The office of 4th Judicial District Circuit Court Judge Adrienne Waters Ogle has relocated to the new Sevier County Justice Center, Rex Henry Ogle Courts Building, 127 Commerce St., Ste. 2208, Sevierville, TN 37862. Judge Ogle's office phone and fax number remain the same. Additionally, the Hamblen County Circuit and General Sessions and Juvenile Courts have a new address. They now are located at 440 N. Jackson St., Morristown, TN 37814.

U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant of the Western District of Tennessee has been named to the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee of U.S. Attorneys (AGAC). Dunavant joins 17 other federal prosecutors on the committee, which advises the attorney general on matters of policy, procedure and management impacting U.S. attorneys’ offices. The AGAC also may establish subcommittees and working groups in program and subject matter areas that reflect priorities set by the president. Dunavant served on the AGAC during his prior service as U.S. attorney from 2017-2021. Responding to news of his reappointment, Dunavant said he is honored and excited to serve on the committee to advance the department’s efforts to “achieve justice for victims, consequences for criminals, support for law enforcement, respect for the rule of law, protection of the U.S. Treasury, and better public safety outcomes for all citizens.” Read more in a press release.

The TBA encountered an email glitch on April 29 that prevented some members from receiving TBA Today. Those with Gmail, iCloud and Outlook email accounts may have been affected. The problem has been corrected, and all impacted members once again should be receiving TBA Today. To read any issues of TBA Today you may have missed, visit the TBA's archive page. Be sure to be logged into your TBA account to access the page. For help with any future delivery issues please email tbatoday@tnbar.org.

Tennessee Attorney General (AG) Jonathan Skrmetti has announced that interest groups have dropped their appeal of a federal court decision blocking Biden administration regulations that would have required schools to allow biological males into girls’ bathrooms and locker rooms, impacted Title IX, and directed teachers and school officials to use students' preferred pronouns. The decision from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky to block the rules came in a case filed by Tennessee and a coalition of states. That court blocked the rules in June 2024 and ultimately ruled in early 2025 that the rules were unconstitutional, striking them down nationwide. With the recent decision to drop the appeal, the district court’s ruling will stand according to Skrmetti. After all parties agreed to end the appeal, the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed the appeal. Read more in a press release from the AG's office.

Nashville Legal Director Wally Dietz says he will retire July 16 after a little more than five years as Metro Nashville’s legal director. As he prepares to step down, Dietz spoke with the Nashville Banner about his career, legal battles with the state and how a stroke last year changed his view of the job. The paper also reports that Mayor Freddie O’Connell has tapped Nashville lawyer Tyler Yarbro as Dietz’s successor. Yarbro, 48, is currently managing partner of Dodson Parker Behm & Capparella where she focuses on employment, probate, business and appellate matters. Prior to entering private practice, Yarbro served as Nashville’s public defender for more than six years. According to a news release from the city, the nomination will go before the Metro Council in June. Yarbro is married to Sen. Jeff Yarbro, D-Nashville.

The Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) Board granted the district’s attorney Justin Bailey an early contract extension during a special-called meeting on May 12. The move comes as the board is preparing a legal challenge of the state’s takeover of the school district. Bailey’s contract was set to expire in December 2026. The extension ensures his involvement through February 2029, with an option to extend for one year after that. “I’m grateful to the board and superintendent for their continued trust and confidence in me and my team, and I look forward to continuing to serve the district in partnership with them,” Bailey said in a statement to The Daily Memphian.

A federal judge will allow the state's newly-redrawn congressional district map to remain in place while a lawsuit against it moves forward, WRKN reports. Chief U.S. District Judge William L. Campbell Jr. in the Middle District of Tennessee issued an order today denying a temporary restraining order requested by congressional candidates and voters. Campbell had set a hearing in the suit for May 20. Because the new filing date for redrawn districts is May 15, the plaintiffs asked Campbell to either rule on their request for a temporary restraining order or reschedule the hearing for this week. In related news, the state has asked Campbell to consolidate the congressional candidates' suit with one from the ACLU, according to the Nashville Banner, and a three-judge state court panel has set May 21 as the first hearing date for a suit from the NAACP,  according to WKRN.

A Chattanooga nonprofit has filed a federal lawsuit challenging Tennessee’s new congressional redistricting plan, alleging it unlawfully dilutes the voting power of minority and opposition-party voters, News Channel 9 reports. The suit from The I AM Foundation claims the map divides communities with shared political, cultural and economic interests into multiple districts, alleging violations of the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause, the 15th Amendment’s protections against racial discrimination in voting, and Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The I AM Foundation provides transitional and independent living options and community-based programming for youth in crisis. The complaint, the fourth to be brought against the state, was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee.