A Republican lawmaker said during a public hearing this week that the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) is probing the conduct of current and former employees of the Department of Children's Services — an investigation the TBI would neither confirm nor deny. "I've been made aware of a specific instance where the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has gotten involved in an internal investigation of DCS employees and former DCS employees," Rep. David Hawk, R-Greenville, said Monday during a Finance, Ways and Means Committee hearing on emergency funding for the agency. The Chattanooga Times Free Press has the story.

Nashville parks officials are seeking state approval to remove a monument of a confederate soldier in Centennial Park, Tennessee Lookout reports. The statue, a life-sized bronze sculpture of a young man holding a rifle, sits across a field from the Parthenon. Officials have not said where they will move the monument to if they get approval. Their request will be heard by the state Historical Commission on Feb. 17.

The American Bar Association (ABA) kicked off its Midyear Meeting in New Orleans this week. Today, the ABA the Board of Governors met. Tomorrow, Tennesseans at the meeting will gather for a reception to honor past TBA Executive Director Joycelyn Stevenson. On Sunday, the House of Delegates Nominating Committee will vote on the next president-elect nominee. Bill Bay, a partner with Thompson Coburn in St. Louis and past chair of the House of Delegates, is running unopposed. On Monday, the House is expected to consider nearly 30 proposed resolutions and amendments. Among those is a proposal to eliminate the law school admissions test (LSAT) requirement. A previous push to abandon the exam fell apart at the last minute, Reuters reports. The ABA Journal has more on the meeting.

Franklin-based legal services firm Latitude is expanding to Charlotte, North Carolina, marking its fifth new office in the last year, the Nashville Post reports. Latitude has opened offices in Minneapolis, Philadelphia, San Francisco and St. Louis since early last year. Led by CEO Ross Booher, the company provides attorneys on an as-needed basis to both law firms and businesses. “We continue to see increased demand from legal department and law firm leaders for the peer-level contract attorneys we specialize in providing,” Booher said in a release. The new office will be led by Clark Goodman, previously managing partner of Womble Bond Dickinson’s Charlotte office.

A group of lawyers and law students have established the Knoxville Latino Bar Association (KLBA). The organization’s inaugural board consists of president Christina Magráns-Tillery, vice-president Esperanza Yañez, secretary Eric Amarante, and treasurer Arléne Amarante. Sherley Cruz will serve as community legal education coordinator while Willie Santana will serve as membership director. Lincoln Memorial University School of Law and University of Tennessee College of Law students Talton Dunn and Kevin Ross will represent their respective student organizations on the board. Finally, law students Sonsirez Robles will serve as special events coordinator and Ryan Valdez as sergeant at arms. KLBA will launch with a celebration honoring Knox County Criminal Court Judge Hector Sanchez on March 10 at 5:30 p.m. EST at the Foundry on the Fair Site. Tickets for the event are available, as are table sponsorships. For more information, contact Sonsirez Robles. Read more about the KLBA.

Gov. Bill Lee today announced he has appointed Jackson attorney Matthew Wilson to the Court of Criminal Appeals, Western Section. Jackson is an assistant U.S. attorney in the Western District of Tennessee with nearly 20 years of legal experience at both the state and federal levels. He earned his law degree from Florida State University College of Law and was a 2016 member of the TBA Leadership Law (TBALL) program. “Matt’s extensive background in criminal prosecution has prepared him well to serve Tennesseans on the Court of Criminal Appeals,” Lee said. “I am confident he will bring valuable expertise to the bench, and I appreciate his service.” Wilson was nominated to fill a vacancy created by the death of Judge John Everette Williams. Read the announcement. The nomination is subject to legislative confirmation, according to the Nashville Post.

Gov. Bill Lee today appointed Knoxville attorney Dwight E. Tarwater to the Tennessee Supreme Court. Tarwater, a partner at Paine, Tarwater, Bickers LLP, has more than 40 years of legal experience, including decades of trial and appellate practice and service as chief legal counsel to former Gov. Bill Haslam. Lee said Tarwater’s “understanding of the judiciary’s appropriate role and commitment to the conservative principles of judicial restraint make him well-suited for the state’s highest court, and I am proud to appoint him to this position.” Tarwater is a graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law. He is nominated to fill the vacancy that will be created when Justice Sharon Lee retires on Aug. 31. Read the announcement. The nomination is subject to legislative confirmation, according to the Nashville Post.

Shelby County has launched a pilot program that will offer free bus passes for those in need of a ride to their court appearance, the Commercial Appeal reports. With the goal of making it easier for people to get to court, the program has started with 200 bus passes, costing the county $400 and the cost of posters. If the program works, there will also be a cost savings to the government in not having to jail people who miss their court dates. Every bus pass will be logged, with the county tracking whether the program helps people show up for court. The passes are "day passes" for the Memphis Area Transit Authority. After the pilot, the county will discuss whether data warrants expansion of the program, just as they did with the successful texting program, which sent defendants court date reminders via text.

All courts housed in the D'Army Bailey Courthouse at 140 Adams Ave. in Memphis will remain closed for the second day tomorrow due to inclement weather. This includes the circuit, chancery, probate and general sessions civil courts. In addition, the following courts will also be closed: general sessions criminal court; criminal court and the court clerk's office; juvenile courts and their offices; municipal courts Divisions 1, 2 and 3; state workers' compensation claims court; and the Memphis and Jackson courthouses of the federal district court.

Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz — with offices across Tennessee — has prevailed over a malpractice lawsuit brought by a company that invested $5.8 million in mass-tort litigation stemming from the BP oil spill, Bloomberg Law reports. Duncan Litigation Investments (DLI) and owner Max Duncan had accused the law firm of negligence for allegedly fumbling a lawsuit against attorney Mikal Watts, who was accused of seeking investors to fund numerous claims against BP. Judge George C. Hanks Jr. held that Baker owed no duty to DLI because at the time it represented Duncan individually. It wasn’t until later in a separate case that the firm represented the company.