In its final meeting of the year Tuesday, the Nashville Metro Council approved Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s $527 million capital spending plan, which includes allocations for a new juvenile justice center, infrastructure improvements, schools and maintenance work around the county, according to the Nashville Banner. The council also approved a sign permit for country singer Morgan Wallen’s downtown bar, reversing a decision made in May when the request was rejected 30-3.

The Knoxville Bar Association (KBA) held its Annual Meeting recently. At the event, outgoing president Carlos Yunsan of the University of Tennessee College of Law passed the gavel to Jonathan Cooper, a criminal defense attorney at Knox Defense, Knox TN Today reports. During the meeting, members also elected officers for 2025, with Rachel Hurt of Arnett Baker Draper & Hagood being named president-elect, Ursula Bailey as treasurer, and Cathy Shuck of East Tennessee Children’s Hospital as secretary. Members also elected Kim Burnette of Arnett Baker Draper & Hagood, Meagan Collver of Lewis Thomason, Samuel Lee of the Knox County District Attorney General’s Office, and Scott Taylor of Bernstein Stair & McAdams LLP to the KBA Board of Governors. Three awards were presented. Wayne Kramer received the Governor's Award, the KBA’s highest award; Cathy Shuck received the Courage in the Face of Adversity Award; and Regina Koho was honored with an award for outstanding legal writing.

A DeKalb County grand jury indicted 31st Judicial District Attorney General Christopher Robert Stanford on one count of reckless endangerment Monday, The Tennessean reports. Stanford is accused of firing his weapon while attempting to apprehend a man accused of a triple homicide in Warren County, according to authorities. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said Stanford was pursuing a wanted fugitive when he fired his weapon, but there was "no immediate threat" to Stanford or others. Stanford has served as district attorney since 2022. The district serves Van Buren and Warren counties. Stanford's first court hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. CST on Jan. 7, 2025.

The share of first-year law school enrollment by racial and ethnic minority students remained steady overall in the year since the U.S. Supreme Court's decision that effectively ended race-conscious college admissions. The data released Monday by the American Bar Association covers 196 law schools and shows a total of 40,650 entering law students in 2024, a 4.5% increase from 2023. With regard to race and ethnicity, the data shows the following: white students made up 56.8% of first-year students, a slight 1.1% decrease from last year; Hispanic students held steady at 14.2%; Asian students saw the largest increase, rising from 7.8% to 9.8%; Black students dropped slightly from 7.8% to 7.7%; and students who did not report their race or ethnicity grew to 6.2%. According to Forbes, the 2024 class was being closely watched as the first to be admitted after the high court's 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College.

Crime rates in Memphis are trending down from last year, according to data from the Memphis Police Department. The Daily Memphian reports that year-to-date, overall violent crime incidents are down around 8% compared to the same point last year, and at the same time, arrests are up, likely due to a new department task force. Murders are down 31%, guns stolen from cars have decreased 24%, juvenile arrests for gun charges are down 7.3% and car thefts and car break-ins are down 38% and 19%, respectively. The number of interstate shootings also has decreased.

The Biden administration has released a rule “overhauling” the H-1B work visa program with the aim of streamlining the application process and limiting abuse of the program. An article from The Hill highlights the changes, which include clarifying who can apply for an H-1B work visa, expanding the definition of specialty occupation positions, and spelling out the requirements for nonprofit and governmental research organizations to sponsor visas. Of note, the changes impose H-1B eligibility requirements on third-party beneficiaries rather than applicant organizations; codify numerical cap exemptions for research jobs to allow nonprofits and academia to sponsor visas year-round; allow foreign nationals transitioning from a student visa to an H-1B to avoid gaps in employment; and expand the government’s authority to conduct site visits to ensure proper implementation of the visa.

Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law (LMU Law) has announced the hiring of Lucille C. McGee as director of experiential learning and assistant professor of law. McGee is a graduate of Harvard University’s Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, where she earned a higher education teaching certificate in 2020. She received her law degree from the Appalachian School of Law and a degree in English from the University of Georgia. In her new role, McGee will oversee LMU Law’s experiential learning programs, including clinics, externships and simulation courses. She also will teach practice-oriented courses such as externships and pleadings and practice. Read more in a press release from the law school.

After a state investigation found Nashville District Attorney (DA) Glenn Funk's office secretly recorded criminal defense attorneys, office employees and visitors, a special prosecutor has been appointed to handle a 24-year-old murder case. Robert Nash, DA for Montgomery and Robertson counties, will take over the case of Calvin Atchison from Funk's office. The Tennessean reports that in October, Judge Cynthia Chappell postponed the trial for Atchison, who is accused of killing a North Nashville woman in 2000. Atchison's defense attorney Ben Powers had asked Chappell to disqualify the Nashville DA's office from prosecuting the case because Powers and a private investigator were pictured in the state's audit report about the situation. State investigators also found an audio recording of the two as they worked in the Funk's office.

The TBA has released the December episode of its BarBuzz podcast. "A Discussion on Health and Wellness for Lawyers During the Holidays" features Brad Bald from Lifestyle Communities and Lauren Castor from the Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program (TLAP) and focuses on the importance of mental health and wellness for attorneys during the holiday season. Bald and Castor share insights on upcoming programs and resources offered by the TBA Attorney Well Being Committee and TLAP, while also discussing their personal strategies for prioritizing well-being during the busy holidays. The conversation also emphasizes the need for legal professionals to take advantage of available resources and support each other to maintain mental health during this time of year. BarBuzz is a monthly show that recaps legal happenings from across Tennessee, upcoming events at the bar, attorney shout outs and more. It is available on the TBA’s website or wherever you listen to podcasts. Find past episodes at the BarBuzz archive.

The TBA has announced the selection of 35 attorneys from across the state for its 2025 Leadership Law (TBALL) program. Now in its 22nd year, Leadership Law is designed to equip Tennessee lawyers with the vision, knowledge and skills necessary to serve as leaders in their profession and local communities. The class will meet for its first session in January and spend the next six months learning about leadership in the legal profession, issues in the courts, policymaking in state government and the importance of community service. Read more about the new class members.