Former President Donald J. Trump appeared in a New York courtroom this afternoon to plead not guilty to charges brought against him by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. The indictment was unsealed and read in court by Judge Juan Merchan. It alleges Trump falsified business records in violation of New York state law and did so to conceal another crime, though that crime was not disclosed. At the center of the case are payments to three individuals allegedly designed to buy their silence: adult film star Stormy Daniels, former Playboy model Karen McDougal and a doorman at Trump Tower. Read more from today’s proceedings and see the indictment and statement of facts from The Hill.

Fastcase, the TBA’s preferred legal research platform, announced it has merged with vLex, a global legal research company. According to the newly formed entity, which will be known as vLex Group, Fastcase founders Ed Walters and Phil Rosenthal will remain on staff serving in global executive roles. The combined group says it now hosts the world’s largest subscriber base of lawyers and law firms, and a legal research library of more than one billion documents from more than 100 countries. As part of the merger, Oakley Capital and Bain Capital Credit are investing an undisclosed amount to expand the company’s global reach and accelerate development of artificial intelligence tools for the legal market. The two companies’ products will retain their branding, with vLex as the primary brand outside the United States and Fastcase, Docket Alarm and NextChapter continuing to be used in the country. Read more about the deal from Bob Ambrogi in LawNext.

The Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) has confirmed at least 15 weather-related deaths after last weekend’s storms in five counties: McNairy, Shelby, Roane, Tipton and Henry. The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) also estimates that more than 260 homes were damaged, and according to the National Weather Service, tornadoes touched down in Covington and Adamsville and Lewis County. Shelters are open in Readyville, Covington and Waynesboro, according to Action News 5. Gov. Bill Lee has not requested a federal disaster declaration but those in need of legal assistance can call the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services’ helpline at 1-844-HELP4TN. Attorneys interested in volunteering to help storm victims can sign up here. Also be sure to check out the TBA’s disaster resources webpage for more ways to help.

Butler Snow LLP has expanded its presence in Alabama by opening a new office in Huntsville. With this addition, the firm welcomes 23 attorneys in Huntsville. It also adds nine new staff members including managers, paralegals, legal assistants and marketing staff. It is the third office in the state, joining offices in Montgomery and Birmingham. The firm has two offices in Tennessee: in Memphis and Nashville.

Tennessee Bar Association members have elected three new representatives to their Board of Governors. Final election results released today show that Knoxville attorney Ben Jones will fill the District 2 seat and that Chattanooga attorneys Brittany Faith and David McDowell will fill the two Eastern Grand Division seats. Jones is a shareholder in the Knoxville office of Lewis Thomason, where he focuses primarily on personal injury, insurance and casualty defense in civil litigation. Faith is partner and head of the Immigration Practice Group at Grant, Konvalinka & Harrison PC in Chattanooga, where her primary focus is immigration. McDowell is a member of the firm Gearhiser, Peters, Elliott & Cannon PLLC in Chattanooga, where he is a civil litigator. Jones will serve a three-year term, while Faith and McDowell will serve one year terms. All three will take office at the TBA Convention June 14-17 in Knoxville.

The Tennessee Court Talk podcast is out with a new episode that explores the work of the state’s general sessions courts. In Tennessee, these courts have broad jurisdiction over civil claims and play a key role in almost every criminal prosecution in the state. Join Judges Lee Bussart of Marshall County, Lynda Jones of Davidson County, Alex McVeagh of Hamilton County, and Kee Bryant-McCormick of Sumner County as they discuss the role of general sessions courts in the state judicial system. The podcast is available on the court's website, or anywhere podcasts are normally available.

Due to the recent death of 21st Judicial District Attorney General Kim Helper, the governor’s office is accepting applications to fill the office until the next biennial election takes place in August 2024. To be considered, interested attorneys should submit a resume and cover letter by mail to Chief Counsel to the Governor Erin Merrick, 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 April 14. Applicants must have been a resident of the state for five years and of the judicial district for one year. The 21st Judicial District serves Williamson County. Read the full announcement.

The deadlines for nominating individuals for three of the TBA’s annual awards have been extended due to technical issues with the online forms. Nominations for the Claudia Jack Award and Justice Frank F. Drowota III Outstanding Judicial Service Award are now due on Wednesday. Nominations for the Judge Pamela L. Reeves Tennessee Professionalism Award are due on Friday.

The Board of Professional Responsibility on Friday released two proposed formal ethics opinions and asked the legal community to provide comments on them. The first, FEO 2023-F-169, deals with the ethical obligations of attorneys and their firms to notify clients of their options when an attorney leaves a firm. The second, FEO 2023-F-170, deals with updated guidelines for an attorney’s acceptance of electronic payments. Comments should be submitted no later than May 1 by email to Laura Chastain or by mail to The Board of Professional Responsibility, 10 Cadillac Dr., Ste. 220, Brentwood, TN 37027.

Kevin G. Ritz, U.S. attorney for the western district of Tennessee, has launched a new initiative aimed at educating high school students on identifying, reporting and preventing hate crimes and other civil rights violations. “Civil rights enforcement is a priority of the United States Attorney’s Office,” Ritz said. “Ensuring that our citizens, even the young ones, understand the law and how to report what they believe are civil rights violations or hate crimes is essential.” The first event was held at Central High School in Memphis. Learn more about the program or read the full release from Ritz’s office.