The DeKalb County Bar Association recently elected new officers. Gayla C. Hendrix will serve as president, Tecia Puckett Pryor was elected vice president, and Brad Hannah will fill the dual role of secretary/treasurer. Attorneys in the Smithville area should contact Hendrix at gaylachendrixlaw@gmail.com to get involved with the bar's activities.

The Department of Labor and Workforce Development announced that Tennessee's unemployment rate dropped to a historic low level, setting a record at 3%. WSMV reports that the rate decreased by 0.1% between April and May to 3% and made history as the lowest unemployment rate since the government began tracking the statistic in 1976. “Tennessee employers created 3,300 new nonfarm jobs between April and May. The accommodation and food services sector was responsible for most of those new jobs. The professional, scientific, and technical services sector was the next top job creator in May, followed by the health care and social assistance sector,” the department said.

An inmate in the Gibson County Correctional Complex in Trenton filed a lawsuit alleging unsafe living conditions and being denied access to file court documents. The Tennessean reports that Thomas Brandon Karnes is seeking $100,000 in mental and emotional damages and $100,000 for the jail's failure to pass inspection. The suit names Gibson County Sherriff Paul Thomas, who is currently facing misconduct charges, as well as other corrections employees. Records show the Gibson County jail passed inspections in 2020, 2022 and 2023; in 2021, two infractions were noted in terms of supervision and storage of medical and dental equipment.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division met last week at the TBA's 2024 Annual Convention in Memphis. On Friday, the group held its Annual Meeting during which Franklin attorney Sean Aiello took office as president. Others taking office were President-elect Alex McVeagh, Hamilton County General Sessions judge; Vice President Jen Sneed of Memphis; Secretary Ross Smith of Nashville; and Treasurer Darius Walker Jr. of Nashville. The 2024-2025 YLD Board met on Saturday for committee planning sessions and its first board meeting. On Friday evening, both the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 boards met for the YLD annual dinner and gavel pass tradition. They were joined by members of the 2024 DLI Class for their graduation and the YLD Fellows for induction of new fellows. The YLD Fellows also elected new officers: Jackson lawyer Michelle Greenway Sellers, president; Memphis lawyer Mason Wilson, vice president; Chattanooga lawyer David McDowell, secretary; and Memphis lawyer Nicole Grida, treasurer. Click the links above to see photos from the events.

HB2472/SB2682, sponsored by Rep. Kevin Raper, R-Cleveland, and Sen. Dawn White, R-Murfreesboro — both former teachers — was signed into law recently by Gov. Bill Lee. The new law requires a one-year suspension for students who assault teachers at school. According to data from the Tennessee Department of Education, there were 1,918 assaults of teachers and staff reported by schools across Tennessee during the 2022-2023 school year ― the highest number in the last five years and up nearly 700 from the 2021-2022 school year. “We have a teacher shortage,” Raper said. “And we are losing a number of these teachers because they just said 'I'm not going back to this situation, and I'll go work somewhere else.'” The Tennessean reports on the story.

The Biden administration will allow certain undocumented immigrants who are married to U.S. citizens to stay in the country and work legally, expanding a program that’s currently used for immediate family of military service members. The Hill reports that the new effort, announced Tuesday, expands the “parole in place” program to new individuals and pairs it with measures designed to make the work visa application easier for those — particularly DACA beneficiaries — who have graduated from U.S. colleges and have been in the United States for 10 years. Approved applicants will receive a three-year work permit, deferral from deportation and three years to apply for permanent residency.

A growing number of law schools are adding courses and degree programs in artificial intelligence (AI) as a way to meet employer demand and capitalize on the booming AI industry. According to a recent American Bar Association (ABA) survey, more than half of schools now offer classes on AI, while at least two law schools — Arizona State University and University of California Berkeley — are launching special degree programs focused on AI. Reuters reports on the developments. The TBA launched an AI Task Force this past spring to explore the intersection of AI and the legal profession with the goal of ensuring that Tennessee attorneys are well-equipped to navigate this evolving technology.

The Metro Nashville Council approved a new budget Tuesday night, including $400,000 to launch an Indigent Defense and Excellence in Advocacy program. Developed by former Davidson County Public Defender Dawn Deaner and veteran defense attorney Jodie Bell, the program mirrors a federal model program to improve representation for poor criminal defendants and more thoroughly vet attorneys appointed to take their cases. The council also approved use of the funds to hire additional staff for the public defender’s office. Nashville’s public defenders, like those around the country, regularly carry a far heavier caseload than state guidelines recommend, Nashville Banner reports.

More than a dozen lawyers were in Davidson County Chancery Court on Monday expecting a hearing on whether the Tennessee Star should be held in contempt for publishing leaked documents related to the Covenant School shooting. Instead, according to the Nashville Banner, lawyers on both sides argued that issues around the leak and subsequent publication should not delay a ruling on the underlying case of whether the Covenant documents are subject to Tennessee’s Open Records Act. Chancellor I’Ashea Myles indicated that a decision on that question is imminent. She also revealed that she had an opinion ready to release on June 14 when she learned about the Star’s coverage.

Attorneys general from 19 Democratic-led states have pledged to help defend the American Bar Association’s (ABA) requirement that law schools advance diversity goals. The move comes after a coalition of Republican-led states, including Tennessee, questioned the ABA accreditation standard earlier this month, Reuters reports. The Democratic group argues that the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 2023 ruling curtailing the consideration of race in college admissions does not extend into ABA policies or corporate diversity programs. The ABA previously announced it is revising its diversity standard and could adopt changes as early as August.