A U.S. labor board official says that requiring workers to sign agreements not to join competing companies is usually illegal, reported Reuters. National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo wrote in a memo to agency lawyers that "noncompete agreements" discourage workers from exercising their rights under U.S. labor law to advocate for better working conditions “unless the provision is narrowly tailored to special circumstances justifying the infringement on employee rights." In January, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission proposed a rule that would ban companies from requiring workers to sign noncompete provisions. That proposal is pending.

After reviewing more than 140 legal podcast recommendations, Attorney at Work announced the results of its first Podcast Survey. Among the top podcasts included The Hearing, Lawyerist Podcast, On Record PR, and the Digital Edge. Go here to see the full list and learn more about the survey.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation served a court-authorized search warrant yesterday at the family home of Shelby County Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr. and Memphis City Councilman Edmund Ford Sr. Jeff Ridner, assistant attorney general for the 17th Judicial District of Tennessee, confirmed that the search was related an ongoing criminal investigation into Ford Jr. precipitated by Ford ushering a $450,000 grant to the nonprofit Junior Achievement of Memphis and the Mid-South and then also selling them computers, a business interest he did not disclose. Read the full report from the Commercial Appeal.

The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE), which develops bar exam content for 54 U.S. jurisdictions, has published the content scope for the NextGen bar exam, which is set to launch in 2026. According to a press release from the NCBE, the exam is expected to include new integrated sets of questions — combinations of short-answer and multiple-choice questions in scenarios involving complex legal issues, drawn from multiple subject areas, that require applicants to demonstrate both in-depth knowledge of the law and skill in a range of essential attorney functions, in addition to traditional multiple-choice questions and longer written analyses.

The Tennessee Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board will hold in-person oral arguments in two cases on June 8. First, the Board will consider the definition of “reasonable and necessary” medical bills, and if the trial court erred by excluding bills at a compensation hearing, in Lentz v. Coca-Cola Consolidated. (Read additional order.) Second, in Semich v. AT&T Services Inc., the question is whether the trial judge abused its discretion by ordering an employer to give employee’s counsel contact information of employees, who might provide information about the willful misconduct defense, outside of the parameters of a deposition. Arguments will start at 9:30 a.m. CDT in the Supreme Court Building, 401 7th Ave N, Nashville 37219. The docket (revised) is available here.

The governor’s office has extended to June 5 the application deadline to fill the post of 10th Judicial District attorney general. The position will be vacant as of July 16 following the resignation of current district attorney Stephen D. Crump, who earlier announced he would be filling the executive director position for the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference. Candidates must have resided in the state for five years and in the judicial district for one year. The district includes Bradley, McMinn, Monroe and Polk counties. Interested attorneys should submit a resume and cover letter by mail to Erin Merrick, Chief Counsel to the Governor, State Capitol, First Floor, 600 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Nashville, TN 37243 or by email to Katelin.Brown@tn.gov by 5 p.m. CDT on June 5. 

The three attorneys practicing as Goodman Callahan Blackstone PLLC have joined Gullett Sanford Robinson and Martin PLLC. Joe M. Goodman, William E. Blackstone and Michael R. Griffin will practice in GSRM’s Wills, Trusts and Estates and Tax sections. Goodman and Blackstone will continue to operate out of their Franklin office at 725 Cool Springs Boulevard. Griffin will move to GSRM Law’s downtown Nashville office at 150 3rd Avenue South. Read the full press release here.

The Tennessee Bar Association is closing today at 3 p.m. CDT and will remain closed Monday for the Memorial Day holiday. We will reopen at 8 a.m. CDT on Tuesday. Access staff email addresses and direct lines here.

Two Tennessee women are suing the state over its public employee health insurance plans that exclude coverage for gender-affirming care, claiming they are discriminatory and unconstitutional. Gerda Zinner and Story VanNess had scheduled surgeries to address their gender dysphoria and were denied insurance coverage. The University of Tennessee and Knox County Board of Education, as well as several Tennessee insurance committees, are named as defendants, reports the Commercial Appeal. VanNess worked as a special education teacher for Knox County public schools from 2016 until 2022. Zinner is currently an adviser at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.  

Nashville filed a lawsuit Wednesday seeking to strike down a new state law lowering the approval threshold needed for the Metro Council to approve renovations to the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway. The new law, which overrides a provision in Nashville’s charter that requires 27 votes to approve demolition on the fairgrounds premises, would now only require 21 votes. The law was signed by Gov. Bill Lee on May 5, reports the Tennessean. Metro argues the new statute violates the Home Rule Amendment of the Tennessee Constitution, which bars the state from passing laws that impact only a particular county or city in its governmental capacity without local voter approval. The 27-vote supermajority rule for fairgrounds demolition was approved by voters in August 2011 by a two-to-one margin.