Due to the winter storm and threat of hazardous travel conditions, Gov. Bill Lee closed state offices in the West and Middle Grand Divisions today. The announcement noted that state services offered online remain available and state employees able to work from home were encouraged to do so. A number of courts across the state also were closed.

New research shows most legal professionals are satisfied in their current roles and fewer are planning to change careers in 2025. The latest Job Optimism report, which surveyed more than 2,000 U.S. professionals from various industries, found that 74% of legal professionals reported being happy in their current roles; 73% cited competitive pay, 70% cited a strong workplace culture, and 65% cited fair workloads and job expectations as key factors. The report also found that only 25% of legal professionals plan to seek a new job in the next six months, a significant decrease from 40% a year ago. The Smart Lawyer has more on the findings.

Knox County recently renewed and expanded its contract with the U.S. Marshals Service to double the number of immigration detainees it can house. The contract, according to Knox News, increases the number of detainees Knox County will hold for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from 50 to 103. The agreement works in tandem with the county's voluntary contract with ICE, which deputizes local law enforcement to detain undocumented residents or asylum seekers. Since November, the number of ICE detainees in the county jail has surged, more than doubling the previous high with 90% of the detainees coming from outside Knox County. According to the paper, arrests of local individuals are within the same range as previous months.

Bradley has announced the launch of its new Defense & National Security team, which will be led by partner Jack Harrington, a former assistant U.S. attorney. He works out of the firm's offices in Birmingham and Washington, D.C. The team is designed to assist businesses in the defense and technology sectors navigate heightened legal risks, compliance challenges and growth opportunities, according to a press release. Harrington, along with attorneys experienced in military, government and intelligence sectors, will provide guidance on national security risks, cross-border investment, export controls, cybersecurity, government contracting and compliance with international sanctions. The team also will collaborate with several other practice groups, including Cybersecurity & Privacy, Government Contracts and Financial Crimes & Economic Sanctions.

The Tennessee court system is facing a crisis in providing legal representation to indigent individuals who are constitutionally and statutorily entitled to legal counsel. The Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) on behalf of the Tennessee Supreme Court has proposed a plan to help address the emergency and provide long-term stability through the development of a new structure for handling criminal conflicts and civil appointments for indigent clients. Specifically, the plan establishes an “Office of Indigent Conflicts and Civil Counsel,” with oversight by an “Indigent Representation Commission.” The plan highlights the anticipated outcomes, including an increase in the number of attorneys willing to accept appointments via the strategic use of retainers, flat fee and other types of contractual arrangements, and enhancing the quality of representation by providing training and mentorship for attorneys. The plan is structured to facilitate the work of the AOC, the courts, the district public defenders, the district attorneys general, and the private attorneys accepting appointments to be more efficient and effective as the need for indigent legal representation continues to grow. It also engages stakeholders in ongoing collaborations to improve function and accountability and prevent misuse of the system. The TBA has been working alongside the AOC to address this crisis and has key points for attorneys regarding the plan.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan on Tuesday declined the request of 14 Democratic state attorneys general to immediately impose wide-ranging restrictions on the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Chutkan ruled that the states had not made the necessary showing of “clear evidence of imminent, irreparable harm,” The Hill reports. A separate judge on Friday rejected a request to block access to two federal departments and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, while according to Reuters, a judge on Monday declined to block access to student borrower data at the Education Department. There are more than a dozen pending lawsuits challenging DOGE’s structure or its access to various federal departments, according to The Hill.

Sherrard Roe Voigt & Harbison attorney John L. Farringer IV has been elected as the Tennessee Bar Association’s next vice president. He will lead the association as president in 2027-2028. Farringer is a Tennessee native practicing as a commercial litigator for over 20 years. He has been active in the TBA for many years, including as chair of the Access to Justice Committee, as a six-year member of the board of governors, and as the current associate general counsel with a special focus on issues related to indigent representation. He also was a member of the 2011 Leadership Law class and received the 2015 President’s Award for his work as chair of the Medical-Legal Partnership Working Group. Farringer has made access to justice a passion of his career, including handling complex indigent cases and serving as chair of the Tennessee Supreme Court’s Access to Justice Commission. After taking office as vice president at this summer’s TBA Convention, Farringer will become president-elect in June 2026 and take over the organization’s leadership in June 2027.

The Tennessee Attorney General's Office has asked the state Supreme Court to set execution dates for five people on death row, five years after the state last put a person to death, the Tennessean reports. The motions, filed on Friday, ask the court to set dates for Kevin Burns, Jon Douglas Hall, Kennath Artez Henderson, Anthony Darrell Dugard Hines and William Glenn Rogers. The motions are the next step in the process to resume executions in Tennessee after they were paused in 2022. Executions will proceed in the state under a new lethal injection protocol using a single drug, pentobarbital.

Chattanooga law firm Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel recently announced that Steve Barham has been elected to serve as the firm's president and managing shareholder, succeeding Mark Cunningham. Barham previously served as chair of the Litigation & Risk Management Section and as the firm’s general counsel. “I am honored to take on this leadership role at Chambliss,” said Barham. “Throughout my time with the firm, we’ve seen incredible growth and success ... I am committed to supporting [our clients] in achieving their goals moving forward.” The firm also announced that John Jackson will succeed Barham as section chair while shareholder Andrew “Andy” Leffler will chair the Real Estate Practice Section. Barham said the pair "bring strong leadership and a commitment to fostering collaboration, and we look forward to seeing how they will continue to move our firm forward."

A group of state attorneys general (AGs) have sued to stop efforts by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to review federal government spending and recommend cuts, Reuters reports. The suit alleges that DOGE head Elon Musk was illegally appointed and given “unchecked legal authority” by the president without congressional approval. After a hearing today, a federal judge appeared inclined to deny a request to block access to sensitive records, but said she would rule on the issue within 24 hours. ABC has that development. In another suit, the Association of Administrative Law Judges has joined two federal employee unions in seeking to block DOGE from accessing workers’ personal and employment records. That suit alleges that the disclosure of such information violates the Privacy Act and poses a security risk to federal workers. Read the filing.