The Tennessee Registry of Election Finance has filed suit against former state senator Katrina Robinson to collect financial penalties stemming from failure to timely file financial disclosures, Tennessee Lookout reports. Court filings show the registry first assessed Robinson a $7,500 fine in August 2021 for failing to file the required early year-end supplemental campaign disclosure for 2020. In November 2021, the registry added a $10,000 fine after Robinson failed to submit a 2021 mid-year campaign finance disclosure. Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti’s office is prosecuting the case, which will be heard in Davidson County Chancery Court.

A Shelby County inmate died after a “physical altercation” with correctional officers exacerbated his heart condition, according to the Commercial Appeal. The newly released autopsy report showed that Gershun Freeman, 33, died Oct. 5, 2022, at the jail after collapsing. He had contusions on his scalp, neck, forehead and lower and upper lip, and hemorrhaging in his head, neck and back. Freeman was arrested after being accused of attacking, threatening and kidnapping his girlfriend. The paper requested video of the altercation but the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office declined to release the footage saying the investigation is still active or open. Today, Freeman's family called on the U.S. Justice Department to investigate his death. The Daily Memphian has more on that development.

Hamilton County General Sessions Court Judge Alex McVeagh has been elected the new TBA Young Lawyers vice president. He will take office this June at the TBA Convention and then will automatically advance to president-elect in June 2024 and president for the 2025-2026 bar year. There are no contested elections for the division this year, but there are several vacancies that will need to be filled. These include Middle and West Tennessee young lawyer delegates to the TBA House of Delegates and district representatives in District 1, 3,  7, 11 and 13. See the counties served by these districts. Those interested in being considered for any of these positions should contact YLD President-elect Quinton Thompson. 

Knoxville attorney Heidi Barcus, a shareholder at Lewis Thomason, will serve as president of the Tennessee Bar Association in 2025-2026. No other candidate filed for the vice president position by the Feb. 15 deadline. Barcus will take office as vice president this summer at the TBA Convention and then automatically advance to president-elect in June 2024 and then president in June 2025. In addition to Barcus, several other key positions for the 2023-2024 bar year were certified yesterday via uncontested election results. Contested elections include two positions on the Board of Governors (second district governor and East Tennessee Grand Division governor) and three positions in the House of Delegates (District 4, District 16 and District 30). Electronic voting will begin March 1 for contested races. There are also several vacancies that will need to be filled after no candidate qualified. Vacancies on the TBA Board of Governors include a second West Tennessee Grand Division governor and a second Middle Tennessee Grand Division governor. Contested seats in the House of Delegates include District 4, District 16 and District 30. For complete election information visit the TBA’s election webpage.

A press release this afternoon from Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy could signal that new information has come to light in the fatal 2015 shooting of Darrius Stewart by Memphis police, the Commercial Appeal reports. The release stated that, during a meeting, Stewart’s father and his attorney informed Mulroy of information the DA’s office “may have not been privy to that was uncovered during the civil investigation.” Mulroy's office will review the unspecified information, the release said. It's unclear how new the information is, what it is, and whether former District Attorney General Amy Weirich's office was aware of it. Stewart was killed by MPD officer Connor Schilling after a confrontation in 2015. Weirich recommended indicting Schilling on two charges, but a grand jury declined to indict Schilling on either charge. Stewart’s mother filed a wrongful death suit in federal civil court in 2020.

Two Shelby County Sheriff's deputies seen on body camera footage arriving at the scene of the traffic stop that preceded Tyre Nichols' beating have been suspended without pay, the Commercial Appeal reports. According to officials, Jeremy Watkins, a deputy since 2021, violated radio communication procedures, mobile video recording system procedures, patrol field duties and responsibilities, and operational responsibility of daily activity log. Johntavious Bowers, also a deputy since 2021, violated the radio communication procedures, mobile video recording system procedures, and patrol field job duties and responsibilities. Both have been suspended for five days without pay. All five former Memphis police officers charged in Nichols’ murder are set to make first appearances in court tomorrow.  

London-founded law firm Allen & Overy has partnered with artificial intelligence startup Harvey AI to automate some legal document drafting and research in what the company says could be the first of more such deals. "I think over time it will be a serious competitive disadvantage" for law firms that do not adopt generative AI, said David Wakeling, an Allen & Overy partner who heads the firm's markets innovation group. "We're seeing it as a way of saving our people a couple hours a week-plus" on the time it takes to perform client work, he said, adding that the technology serves as a starting point and a human lawyer will always check any AI-assisted work. Reuters has more on the story.

TBA’s Legislative Updates podcast is new with TBA Director of Public Policy & Government Affairs Berkley Schwarz and Adams and Reese attorney and TBA lobbyist Ashley Harbin. Schwarz and Harbin discuss HB176/SB124, which would require all documents recorded with the Register of Deeds to be in 12-point font size, and SB528/HB551, a measure that would make a variety of changes to adoption law. Legislative Updates airs each week on the TBA’s Facebook page. It is also released as a podcast on the same day and can be found on the TBA’s website or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Vanderbilt Law School students Evan Donaldson and Mary-Preston Austin were top performers at the Region 8 mock trial competition in Memphis and qualified for the upcoming National Trial Competition in San Antonio in March. “Evan and Mary-Preston were the epitome of poise and professionalism, and each earned a perfect cross examination score in the final round,” said Annie Berry Anselman, adjunct professor of law, who coaches the team and teaches Trial Advocacy at the school.

Baker Donelson President and Chief Operating Officer Jennifer Keller tells the Memphis Business Journal that the law firm is reassessing its office needs companywide. Keller, who works out of the firm’s Tri-Cities office in Johnson City, is the former chair of the firm's Labor & Employment Department. Read more of her comments and how the evaluation process may impact the firm’s two-office approach in Memphis.