Holland & Knight LLP is relocating and has signed a lease for seven floors at Highwoods Properties’ Symphony Place tower, where it will anchor the office building. The law firm, which ranks as the second largest in Nashville, is moving from downtown’s Nashville City Center to Symphony Place — formerly known as the Pinnacle at Symphony Place — as the tower undergoes a major renovation, the Nashville Business Journal reports. Two of the building's largest tenants moved out at the start of the year. “We chose to stay in the heart of Nashville. We’re proud of Nashville. We’re excited to be in that area, and we’re particularly excited to literally watch the development of the East Bank,” said Matt Burnstein, executive partner of Holland & Knight’s Nashville office.

Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell signaled Friday that the Metro government is no longer actively pursuing the Fusus program, which was promoted as a way to give police easier access to private surveillance footage. A proposed contract with Fusus failed to gain Metro Council approval by one vote in December, but the council passed legislation in March to establish “guardrails” for a future agreement with Fusus or a similar product. According to the Nashville Banner, some council members supported the protections as a way to mitigate the risks of such a policy, while others were more hesitant. The administration, O’Connell said, is still having conversations with council members who are concerned about how such tools could be used to target immigrants and other marginalized communities.

Twenty three Vanderbilt University law students were recognized this month for completing the school's Pro Bono Pledge. The program requires students to complete at least 75 hours of pro bono legal work and community service during their law school career, including a minimum of 50 hours in law-related activities and 10 hours in Nashville. The group included three law school students who achieved the honor in both 2024 and 2025, and 14 members of the 2025 graduating class, four members of the 2026 class and two doctorate students who completed the pledge this year. Collectively, the students reported a total of 6,020 pro bono and community service hours through the program. Beth Cruz, assistant dean, and Martha Craig Daughtrey, director for public interest, announced that beginning this year, students who complete the pledge will receive a cord to wear at graduation. “We thank all students who completed the Pro Bono Pledge, and to everyone who engages in pro bono work, for helping to keep a vibrant culture of service thriving here in our law school community,” Cruz said in a press release.

A Franklin city ordinance is facing pushback from a First Amendment organization for potentially violating the Constitution by regulating how residents can display flags and signs on their properties. According to The Tennessean, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) sent a letter to Franklin’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen last week saying the city’s policies violate the First Amendment. The letter followed a September citation issued to a Franklin resident for displaying too many American flags in his yard. The ordinance regulates flags and temporary signs, stating that residents may display only two temporary signs at a time and no more than three flags. While the city has held workshops to explore revisions, FIRE contends the proposed changes still unlawfully restrict free expression and discriminate based on content, citing a 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that referenced a 4th Circuit case finding such ordinances unconstitutional.

Reporters from across the state gathered in Nashville recently to learn about open meetings law, investigative journalism and more during the fifth annual Reporters Workshop program, produced jointly by the Tennessee Bar Association, the Tennessee Association of Broadcasters and the Tennessee Press Association Foundation. Participants were selected from applicants interested in developing a deeper understanding of media law issues that may affect their everyday work. Friday's programming began with a panel of veteran investigative reporters — Jennifer Krause from NewsChannel 5, Meribah Knight from WPLN News and Stephen Elliott from the Nashville Banner — moderated by Amy Mohan of Sherrard Roe Voigt & Harbison. Other speakers included Jennifer Safstrom with Vanderbilt's First Amendment Clinic, who presented on reporter's privilege; Jay Harbison from Neal & Harwell, who spoke to attendees about staying on the right side of the law in reporting; and legal media experts Paul McAdoo from the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and Deborah Fisher from Tennessee Coalition for Open Government, who discussed the open records law. Saturday's session featured an overview of defamation with Ron Harris of Neal & Harwell and a panel on covering state and local government with Alex Apple from Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell's Office, Steve Cavendish from the Nashville Banner, and Holly McCall from the Tennessee Lookout. That panel was moderated by Clint Brewer from Imperium Public Strategies. The day wrapped up with a panel moderated by Robb Harvey of Holland & Knight on covering the courts with Judges Valerie Smith, Ana Escobar and Sam Coleman. See photos from the event. Thanks to this year's sponsors Sherrard Roe Voigt & Harbison, Neal & Harwell and Holland & Knight.

Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Chris Craft will be honored next month with the Tennessee Bar Association’s (TBA) prestigious Justice Frank F. Drowota III Award. The award will be presented at the Bench Bar Luncheon set for June 12 as part of the association’s Annual Convention in Franklin. TBA President Ed Lanquist Jr. said the association is honoring Craft for his leadership in judicial education, ethics and professional well-being: “The TBA is pleased to honor Judge Chris Craft for 30 years of service to the Tennessee legal community. Throughout his career, Judge Craft has worked to improve the practice of law, foster excellence among state judges and help colleagues in need. We are grateful for his contributions. Additionally, I particularly enjoyed working with him when he previously served on the TBA Board of Governors when he was president of the Tennessee Judicial Conference.” Craft, who was nominated for the award by a group of fellow judges, has served on the criminal court since 1994. The Drowota Award is presented to a judge or judicial branch official who has demonstrated extraordinary devotion and dedication to the improvement of the law, the legal system and the administration of justice. Read more about Craft's selection in the TBA's press release.

Cody Smith, the former director of the 12th Judicial Drug Task Force, last week pleaded guilty to two charges of possession of meth with intent to sell in Marion County. He received two 10-year sentences, which will be probated after 11 months and 29 days, WCYB reports. This week, the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office released an investigative report finding that Smith misappropriated more than $7,000 from the task force between 2017 and 2021. He was fired in May 2021. Writing in the report, Comptroller Jason Mumpower said, “It is critical for law enforcement agencies to maintain clear, thorough documentation and strict oversight of both evidence and financial transactions. Written policies must also be in place for the collection, recording, storage and destruction of evidence.” The office says it sent the findings to the Hamilton County District Attorney's Office but the district attorney says the information “could not be presented to a grand jury before the statute of limitations had run."

The state criminal trial of three former Memphis police officers accused of killing Tyre Nichols got underway Monday in Memphis. Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith Jr. are facing charges that include second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression. Yesterday’s proceedings included not-guilty pleas from all three defendants, opening statements from the prosecution and defense, and testimony from Nichols’ mother, RowVaughn Wells. The jury in the case has been brought to Memphis from Hamilton County. The Commercial Appeal provides a wrap up of the day.

Death row inmate Oscar Smith, who is scheduled to be executed on May 22 after a three-year hiatus in executions, has declined to choose the method of his execution. The Nashville Banner reports that Federal Public Defender Kelley Henry has confirmed that by default, Smith will die by lethal injection rather than electrocution. Smith previously was scheduled to be executed on April 21, 2022, but that was called off a little more than an hour beforehand when problems with the execution procedures were revealed. The state has now shifted from a three-drug cocktail to a one-drug protocol using barbiturate pentobarbital. Read more in a newsletter from the paper.

The Tennessee Court of Appeals ruled unanimously on Monday that the legislature’s attempt to take over the Metro Nashville Airport Authority was unconstitutional because it singled out Nashville and thus violated the state constitution’s Home Rule Amendment. The decision upholds that portion of a ruling from an October 2023 special three-judge panel. According to The Tennessean, however, the appeals court reversed the lower court's ruling that five sections of the law violated equal protection guarantees and remanded the case back the special court “for further proceedings consistent” with the opinion. In 2023, the state legislature passed a law to vacate the mayor-appointed airport board and create a new system by which the governor and Republican legislative leaders would appoint a majority of board members. Metro Nashville sued to block the move at the time the bill was signed into law. The state had argued that the law did not single out Nashville and that because the airport authority is a separate legal entity, Metro Nashville did not have standing to sue.