Members of the TBA staff gathered recently to celebrate the holidays with a dinner in Nashville and a donation to the Room in the Inn toy drive. Room in the Inn provides a winter shelter program as well as services year-round that support those who call the streets of Nashville home. Programs for veterans, those seeking recovery and the medically fragile, emphasize human development through education, self-help and work. The nonprofit’s annual toy drive provides Christmas gifts for the children of its clients. See photos.

The Urban League of Greater Chattanooga recently honored U.S. District Judge Curtis Collier for his service to the group. According to the Hamilton County Herald, Collier was presented with the Whitney M. Young Award and given an emeritus seat on the group’s board. Collier has been a member of the Chattanooga Urban League’s board of directors for more than 25 years. Most recently, he assisted with planning for the 41st annual Equal Opportunity Day celebration. Early in his tenure with the group, Collier assisted with the Young Professionals program, and later was instrumental in starting the annual Civics Bowl competition for the National Achievers Society. In addition to the award from the Chattanooga chapter, Collier received the Quarter Century Award from the national Urban League.

The American Bar Association (ABA) is accepting nominations for its 2024 Silver Gavel Awards for Media and the Arts. The awards recognize outstanding work that fosters the American public’s understanding of law and the legal system. Projects must have been published or released during 2023. The deadline to submit a nomination is Jan. 10, 2024. The awards will be presented at the ABA Annual Meeting, set for Aug. 3, 2024, in Chicago. Read more in a news release from the group.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a hot topic in law, and the TBA is creating a new AI Task Force to educate and provide guidance to Tennessee lawyers on issues surrounding this technology. Some of the goals of the task force will be to help inform lawyers about the proper use of AI in the substantive practice of law, the potential risks of using AI, and the beneficial use of AI in the administrative practice of law. The group also will review AI tools and contribute new information to the TBA's online practice management resources. If you are interested in participating in this new task force, please email TBA Coordinator Chelsea Bennett before Jan. 31.

Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy has announced that his office will place a priority on 12 violent crimes in the new year, reports the Commercial Appeal. The offenses include first- and second-degree murder, carjacking, aggravated robbery, aggravated assault while firing a gun, violent sex offenses, aggravated burglary, possession of a firearm by a violent felon, possession of a firearm with a stolen car, possession of a Glock switch, and retail smash and grabs. Mulroy said his office will focus on investigating and expediting processing of these crimes. The office also will argue for court-ordered monitoring if bail is set in any of these cases, and notify victims if the individual commits another crime while out on bail.

The state of Tennessee is suing owners of the cattle farm Browning Land & Cattle Company LLC, accusing them of polluting waterways in Clay County, reports News Channel 9 The suit, filed in Davidson County Chancery Court on Dec. 8, alleges the owners have been illegally operating a 174-acre animal feeding farm with over 8,000 cattle without permits, a violation of the Tennessee Water Quality Control Act. Documents obtained by FOX 17 News allege “dangerously high” levels of E. coli were detected following water sampling inspections one year after the first notice of violation was issued to the farm by the Department of Environment and Conservation.

Nebraska and Kentucky are the latest states to commit to using the updated bar exam for licensing attorneys, reports Reuters. The two states' highest courts said they will begin administering the Next Gen bar exam in July 2027, two testing cycles after the new exam is slated to debut in July 2026. Nine states so far have said they will move to the Next Gen test. The new version will emphasize legal skills and rely less on the memorization of laws. The National Conference of Bar Examiners will stop making the current Uniform Bar Exam available to states in 2028.

Initial funding to plan and construct a mental health facility for current detainees in the Shelby County Jail was approved by the Shelby County Commission on Monday, reports the Commercial Appeal. Commissioner Britney Thornton amended the item to require quarterly reporting on the development of the facility. The estimated cost of the construction cited by commissioners and the administration is over $25 million.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti and a bipartisan group of 52 other attorneys general announced a $700 million agreement with Google today in a suit accusing the company of anticompetitive conduct. Google will pay $630 million in restitution, minus costs and fees, to U.S. consumers who made purchases on the Google Play Store between August 2016 and September 2023. Google will pay the states an additional $70 million for sovereign claims. The agreement also requires Google to make its business practices more pro-competitive. Read the full announcement.

New data from the American Bar Association shows that racial diversity among first-year law students hit a historic high in the final admissions cycle before a national ban on affirmative action took effect, Reuters reports. The data shows that 40% of this year's class are students of color, up one percentage point from last year. Law schools admitted 37,886 first-year students in law school programs across the country, a slight decrease from 38,060 last year.