Philadelphia-based law firm Royer Cooper Cohen Braunfeld has opened an office in Nashville. Law firm partner Hope Hammer will lead the office and chair the real estate practice group. Hammer has been with the firm since its inception in 2012 and is a member of its executive committee. Prior to joining the firm, Hammer served on the women's steering committee for the Urban Land Institute's Nashville chapter and co-chaired its professional development series. Hammer earned her law degree from Temple University School of Law. Joining her in the Nashville office is Frank Toub, a graduate of Belmont University College of Law, who handles construction, transportation and health care matters. Toub made news as a law student when he won the 2022 ABA Journal Ross Writing Contest. Finally, firm partner Jennifer Tintenfass will have some involvement in the office. The firm has 71 attorneys with offices in New York and in suburban Philadelphia. The Nashville Post has more.

The Tennessee General Assembly adjourned its 114th session yesterday, following the passage of a $59.8 billion state budget that received bipartisan support, including reallocating approximately $180 million of funding from Gov. Bill Lee’s proposed budget amendment in order to fulfill their own legislative priorities.

The budget for Fiscal Year 2025-2026 that passed the General Assembly included $78 million for TennCare, $4.5 million to expand staffing and raise salaries within the attorney general’s office, and $37.5 million to replace the Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) campus in Robertson County. The budget also committed an additional $35.6 million to the Rainy Day Fund and $597 million in disaster-related expenditures, including funds for Hurricane Helene relief and local Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) match requirements. Lawmakers also established a $42.5 million grant pool to support essential community organizations and services such as volunteer fire departments, EMS providers, senior centers, museums and the Second Harvest Food Bank.

The final budget preserved key initiatives from the governor’s original proposal, including $17 million to overhaul the state’s Indigent Representation Program, $1 billion for transportation infrastructure, $62.7 million for K–12 facility upgrades and $25 million in grants to attract new businesses and grow the state’s workforce, and $145.9 million in Education Freedom Scholarships. A controversial proposal that would have allowed Tennessee school districts to deny enrollment or charge tuition to noncitizen students has stalled for the year. HB793/SB836, which sought to challenge the landmark 1982 Supreme Court ruling Plyler v. Doe — guaranteeing all children access to free public education regardless of immigration status — was paused after lawmakers raised concerns about possible violations of federal law and financial consequences. Additionally, legislation seeking to implement a takeover of the Memphis-Shelby County School Board will be taken up next year, as House and Senate leadership could not reach an agreement on the bill.

Gov. Bill Lee thanked the General Assembly “for its partnership and continued commitment to responsible fiscal stewardship and innovation to improve the lives of the people we serve.”

Some Hamilton County residents are expected to be selected as sequestered jurors for the trial of three former officers accused of second-degree murder in the 2023 death of Tyre Nichols. About 150 people were seated for possible selection Wednesday morning in the lobby of the Hamilton County Courthouse, the Times Free Press reports. Those selected for jury service will begin their duties Sunday, and the trial is expected to last about two weeks. Former Memphis Police Department officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith are set to stand trial starting Monday in connection with the beating death of Nichols.

The winners of the seventh annual Chattanooga Civics Essay Contest will be honored at a ceremony May 1 at 5 p.m. EDT at the Joel W. Solomon U.S. Courthouse in Chattanooga. This year’s divisional winners are Emma Hornsby, first place; Eliza Perryman, second place; and Victoria Matthews, third place. Each will receive cash prizes. Open to public, private and homeschool students across 17 East Tennessee counties, the contest is co-sponsored by the court’s Civics and Outreach Subcommittee and the Chattanooga Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. The 2025 prompt asked students to explore what factors courts should consider when determining whether a police officer’s use of deadly force was reasonable under the 14th Amendment.

Two Texas men have been convicted of wire fraud, bank fraud and money laundering in connection with a 2022 phishing scam that cost the City of Memphis $773,695.45, according to the Daily Memphian. The scam involved impersonating a local construction company with an active city contract, submitting fraudulent invoices that were subsequently paid by the city. The case was part of a broader criminal conspiracy investigated by the FBI. “The FBI and our partners are committed to holding accountable those who seek to line their own pockets through business email compromise, romance and money laundering schemes,” said Special Agent in Charge Joseph E. Carrico of the FBI's Nashville Field Office.

Walgreens has agreed to pay $300 million to settle allegations by U.S. prosecutors that it illegally filled millions of invalid prescriptions for opioids and other controlled substances, the U.S. Justice Department said Monday. Under the agreement, the amount will be paid over six years with 4% annual interest, and the company will owe an additional $50 million if it is sold, merged or transferred before Fiscal Year 2032, Reuters reports. Prosecutors alleged Walgreens violated the Controlled Substances Act by ignoring “red flags” and filling unlawful prescriptions. The company said in a regulatory filing that it does not anticipate any major future opioid-related cases. Walgreens joins a number of other entities — drug manufacturers such as Purdue Pharma, Teva and Allergan, pharmacy operators such as Kroger, CVS, Walmart and Food City, marketing firms and consulting firms — that have agreed to pay billions of dollars to resolve multiple lawsuits tied to the nation’s opioid epidemic.

The law firm of Rainey Kizer Reviere & Bell celebrated its 50th anniversary on Monday with a ribbon cutting at its Jackson office. Founded in Jackson in 1975 by Tom Rainey and Jerry Kizer, the firm now employs 50 lawyers and has offices in six cities across Tennessee and Kentucky. WBBJ was on site to record the ceremony and interview the firm's president, Dale Thomas.

The Tennessee Safe Baby Court program has expanded to Blount County with the overall goal of reducing the amount of time a child is removed from a home. “Children are their most vulnerable and most resilient at this age, so if children are removed from their home into the child welfare system ... the long-term effects of that trauma are significant,” Blount County Juvenile Court Judge Kenlyn Foster told WATE News. The Safe Baby Court will operate out of the Juvenile Court. WVLT reports that last year, Knox County’s program took on the most cases of any county in the state, helping more than 20 families, totaling nearly 40 children. Twenty-two counties across the state operate Safe Baby Courts, which are focused on children ages 0 to 3 who are involved in the child welfare system.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed a class action lawsuit over the Trump administration’s decision to terminate the legal status of some student visa holders in four northeastern states and Puerto Rico. The group argues the move puts those students in danger of being deported, The Hill reports. The U.S. State Department defended the actions saying it revokes visas every day to secure the borders and to keep communities safe. According to the Associated Press, about 1,100 students at more than 170 schools have been impacted since last month. In Tennessee, three schools so far — Christian Brothers University, University of Memphis and University of Tennessee — have reported impacts on their students.

Baker Donelson has opened new offices in Princeton and Iselin, New Jersey, adding 26 new attorneys, including a health care transactional team, a litigation team, and several real estate attorneys in a significant expansion. Of the 26 new attorneys, 17 are joining as shareholders, two as of counsel and seven as associates. Also joining are two paralegals and six support staff. All of these professionals are joining from the health law firm of Epstein Becker Green. Baker Donelson Chair and CEO Timothy M. Lupinacci said, "A key aspect of our strategic vision is elevating our ability to serve clients as trusted advisors with industry depth and proactive counsel ... As a national firm, expanding our footprint to include New Jersey is exciting, and our growth will continue to be driven by adding the right talent who share our vision." Read more in a press release from the firm.