A second former police officer charged in the death of Tyre Nichols has asked for his upcoming federal trial to be moved outside of Memphis. Demetrius Haley yesterday asked for the trial to be moved outside of the city due to excessive media coverage of the case, according to the Daily Memphian. Haley's attorneys, Michael Stengel and Stephen Leffler, asked the court to consider several options, including moving the trial to Jackson, expanding the jury pool or sequestering the jury. Tadarrius Bean made a similar change of venue request on Jan. 5. The trial is set for May 6.

The Memphis Bar Association announced in an email this afternoon the following area courts will be closed tomorrow: Shelby County Circuit Court (please note: if there are emergency matters that require attention, emails should be sent to the division clerk), Chancery Court, Probate Court, Criminal Court, General Sessions Civil, General Sessions Criminal and Juvenile Court; U.S. Bankruptcy Court; and Memphis and Jackson federal courts.

The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) recently named George Nolan as the new director of its Tennessee office. A native of Bon Aqua, Nolan has practiced law in Nashville for 33 years. He was previously a member of Boult, Cummings, Conners & Berry PLC and Leader, Bulso & Nolan PLC. Nolan received his undergraduate degree from the University of Tennessee and  law degree from the University of Virginia. SELC is a nonprofit, nonpartisan law firm with offices in six southeastern states and Washington, D.C.

Womble Bond Dickinson has named Josh Mullen as the new managing partner of offices in Nashville and Huntsville. This, and other leadership appointments, were effective as of Jan. 1. Mullen will focus on government contracts and business litigation, and assist various government contractors with litigation and general counseling in all aspects of procurement law. In addition to Nashville, Womble Bond Dickinson has 24 offices in the United States and eight in the United Kingdom.

Miller & Martin's Women's Network has announced a new community partnership with The Launch Pad, a Chattanooga non-profit organization offering support to local women in recovery. The Launch Pad provides residential, 12-step based sober living to women recovering from alcohol and drug addiction, and currently serves as a safe haven for 49 residents in five group homes. Residents attend AA/NA meetings, participate in weekly group therapy and obtain gainful employment. “The members of Miller & Martin’s Women’s Network are honored to partner with The Launch Pad and have been inspired by its commitment to ... its residents in 2024," said Lynzi J. Archibald, Chattanooga co-chair of the network.

Taylor English Duma LLP announced it has expanded its fractional GC practice "tle General Counsel" to Nashville. The firm, which currently employs nearly 200 attorneys, also announced that David “DC” Roberts joins the practice as a partner in Nashville. “The addition of DC to t|e General Counsel is a continuation of our expansion across the country,” said co-founder Allen W. Nelson. Prior to joining t|e General Counsel, Roberts was corporate/in-house counsel and chief medical compliance officer for The Providence Groups LLC and corporate/in-house counsel for Providence Consulting and Design.

The ABA Task Force for American Democracy, a nonpartisan task force formed to bolster voter confidence in elections, recently announced its roadmap for the 2024 election season. The group says it will work to mobilize the legal profession to uphold its duty to support and defend the Constitution and the rule of law, educate lawyers regarding their professional obligations, and leverage the legal profession to educate the public on importance of democracy and the rule of law. The task force also announced a listening tour across the country. Stops are scheduled in Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Arizona. Each session will feature local election officials and community leaders discussing ways to enhance public confidence in the election process. Read more about the Task Force's work.

Due to inclement weather, the Nashville Bar Association reported by email the following closures, cancellations and rescheduling: The Circuit Court’s Order of Protection docket is canceled for today. The First Circuit Court will hold court virtually today. Please contact the court directly with questions about dockets. For the Second Circuit Court, Judge Amanda McClendon will continue Friday’s cases one week to Jan. 26. The Third Circuit Court will be closed today. For tomorrow’s motion docket, the court will offer the Bridge line as an option for their docket. In order to participate by phone, contact Catherine Jackson ahead of time. The Fourth Circuit Court will postpone the show cause docket for today and will be operating virtually by Zoom tomorrow. A Zoom link is provided. Additional information can be found at CircuitClerk.Nashville.gov. The Fifth Circuit Court will be closed today. Canceled motions will be reset for Jan. 26. Sixth Circuit Court scheduled conferences will be conducted via WebEx. Contact the court directly with questions for other dockets. The Eighth Circuit Court will be operating virtually today and tomorrow. In addition, the Tennessee Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims announced in an email today it will be open tomorrow as scheduled for settlements between 8 -11 a.m. CST, depending on any developments in the weather overnight Thursday. Judges will be at the Judicial Conference Jan. 25-26 so the court will be closed then, but the Nashville office will be open for settlement approvals Jan. 22 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

A group of freelance writers and editors filed a lawsuit in Georgia federal court Tuesday against the U.S. Department of Labor, claiming a new rule making it more difficult for companies to treat workers as independent contractors is vague and should be struck down, reports Reuters. The rule is scheduled to take effect March 11. In their complaint, freelancers said they would seek an order temporarily blocking the rule while their lawsuit plays out. The rule was intended to clarify the test for determining whether workers are independent contractors or employees and who was entitled to legal protections. More legal challenges are expected, the news source says.

The Memphis Bar Association announced this evening that the following area courts will be closed tomorrow: Shelby County Chancery Court, Circuit Court (if there are emergency matters that require attention, emails should be sent to the division clerk), Criminal Court, General Sessions Criminal Court, Juvenile Court and Probate Court, as well as Memphis city courts. General Sessions Civil Court as well as the federal courts in Memphis and Jackson will be closed tomorrow and Friday. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court will be closed to the public tomorrow, but court proceedings will take place virtually and all staff will be available to answer calls.