The Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association (TTLA) has bestowed the Trial Lawyer of the Year Award on attorneys Shea Callahan and Matt Hardin. For seven years, Callahan and Hardin handled a medical malpractice case in Davidson County Circuit Court. The duo was recognized for their exceptional work on the case, which resulted in a $16 million verdict for their client. Callahan earned a law degree from Vanderbilt University in 2010. Hardin is a second-generation Tennessee attorney specializing in plaintiff personal injury law, practicing throughout the state and Kentucky. Read more in a release from TTLA.

Nicholas Waldon Smotherman, 41, of Mt. Juliet was arrested for allegedly assaulting law enforcement officers and other charges stemming from his participation in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. According to court documents, Smotherman was filmed shoving a police officer, attempting to take the officer's baton, and yelling obscenities during the riot. He is charged with felony offenses of obstruction of law enforcement and assaulting officers in addition to several misdemeanors. The case is ongoing and being investigated by the FBI's Memphis and Washington, D.C., field offices. Smotherman will make his initial appearance in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee. The U.S. attorneys office for the district announced the charges in a press release.

The University of Memphis School of Law has expanded its faculty with the addition of Danielle Copes and Jeffrey Miller as assistant professors. Copes, an expert in contracts and corporate law, brings extensive experience in both academia and legal practice. Notably, she taught the nation’s first fully online J.D. legal communication and skills course. Miller will direct the school’s Disability Rights Law Clinic, using his background in disability rights advocacy and litigation. The law school announced the hirings in a new e-newsletter from Dean Jim Strickland.

The American Bar Association (ABA) has unveiled a new report exploring the profound influence of artificial intelligence (AI) on the legal landscape. The report, released by the ABA's Task Force on Law and Artificial Intelligence, delves into a wide range of AI-related legal issues, including its impact on legal practice, ethics, access to justice and legal education. The task force aims to equip lawyers and judges with the tools and knowledge necessary to navigate this rapidly evolving technological landscape. To complement the report, the ABA has also published a book offering practical guidance on AI's legal implications.

The Nashville Davidson County Register of Deeds Office will be closed from Aug. 7-9 due to construction-related work. Register of Deeds Karen Johnson announced yesterday that the office will reopen Aug. 12. This construction work is being required to install air units for the building. E-recording Services will remain available and uninterrupted. "We are working diligently to open the entire space and this time is necessary to ensure construction deadlines are met but to also ensure the safety of our customers." Johnson said. "We expect to be back operational from 8 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. [CDT] Monday during our regular business hours.

The TBA House of Delegates has vacancies in several of its districts. In accordance with Article 29 of the TBA Bylaws, if no candidate files a declaration of candidacy for district delegate in a district or if there is no district delegate by reason of death, declination or other cause, the officers of the House of Delegates may fill the vacancy with the term to commence at the time of appointment. The following seats are available: 7th Judicial District (Anderson County); 9th Judicial District (Loudon, Meigs, Morgan and Roane counties); 12th Judicial District (Bledsoe, Franklin, Grundy, Marion, Rhea and Sequatchie counties); 14th Judicial District (Coffee County); 15th Judicial District (Jackson, Macon, Smith, Trousdale and Wilson counties); 17th Judicial District (Bedford, Lincoln, Marshall and Moore counties); 23rd Judicial District (Cheatham, Dickson, Houston, Humphreys and Stewart counties); 26th Judicial District (Chester, Henderson and Madison counties); 28th Judicial District (Crockett, Gibson and Haywood counties). Individuals interested in being considered for any of these positions should fill out this interest form by Aug. 19.

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings recently announced Scarlett Singleton Nokes as the new leader of its Government Enforcement and Investigations Practice Group and John P. Rodgers as the new leader of its Labor & Employment Practice Group. Both are partners in the firm’s Nashville office. Nokes is a former federal prosecutor in Birmingham, Nashville and Savannah, and now represents clients in a range of matters related to internal investigations, internal risk analysis, government investigations, white-collar criminal defense, regulatory and compliance issues, civil litigation matters, and enforcement actions. Rodgers handles employment-related litigation and counsels clients on termination and disciplinary decisions, as well as issues related to the Americans with Disabilities Act, Fair Labor Standards Act and Family and Medical Leave Act. He assists employers with transactional needs and devotes substantial attention to ERISA litigation.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a lawsuit against TikTok and parent company ByteDance for failing to protect children's privacy on the social media app, The Hill reports. The government says TikTok violated the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, which requires that services aimed at children obtain parental consent to collect personal information from users under age 13. In related news, a group of 21 states and more than 50 U.S. lawmakers on Friday backed the DOJ in another TikTok case defending a federal law that requires ByteDance to sell TikTok's U.S. assets by Jan. 19, 2025, or face a ban. Read the filing in that case.

Federal grants have been issued to more than 1,500 Black and minority farmers, ranchers and forest landowners in Tennessee who experienced discrimination in U.S. Department of Agriculture farm lending programs prior to January 2021, reports the Tennessee Lookout. Funds were granted to 626 producers and 958 individuals in the state who had planned to start a farming or ranching operation, for a total of 1,584 awardees. National Black Farmers Association President John Boyd called the payouts "historic" in a statement posted to the association’s website. While the statement describes the application process as “lengthy and complex, compounding the pain and frustration felt by many farmers,” Boyd said it was worth it in the end.

Jonathan Cole, a lawyer with Baker Donelson in Nashville, became chair of the American Bar Association (ABA) House of Delegates at the conclusion of the 2024 ABA Annual Meeting in Chicago. As chair of the House of Delegates, the ABA’s policymaking body, Cole will serve for two years in the second-highest office in the association. Action taken by the House of Delegates on specific issues becomes official policy of the ABA. Cole has been a member of the House of Delegates since 2009 and currently serves as one of Tennessee's state delegates. Cole received his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1994. Read more in a press release from the ABA and see a photo from the event.