Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee was sworn into a second term of office in Nashville on Saturday, Tennessee Lookout reports. Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Page administered the oath of office. In his acceptance speech, Lee touted his first term achievements in education, health care and rural economic development. He also highlighted what his priorities might be for the coming term, referencing chronic problems in the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services, the need for a transportation strategy and efforts to conserve Tennessee’s environment. Lee is expected to expound further on his second term priorities during his State of the State address on Jan. 30.

The state trial court judges and chancellors of the 20th Judicial District have appointed attorney J. Bart Pickett as the district’s next state trial court administrator. Pickett will replace Tim Townsend, who is retiring after more than 12 years in the role, and many years of service before that as finance director and deputy director of the Administrative Office of the Courts. Pickett earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law and began his career as a law clerk for two of the district’s judges. He then practiced law for nearly 13 years, largely in the area of insurance defense. Read the court's release.

Voting is now underway to help select the third book in the TBA's quarterly book club. Continuing with the theme of race relations and divides, voters will choose between “Black Cake” by Charmaine Wilkerson, “Homegoing” by Yaa Gyasi or “Memphis” by Tara M. Stringfellow. Cast your vote here by 5 p.m. CST on Friday.

Metro Nashville is paying a Nashville man $236,000 and updating its police training materials following a 2019 wrongful arrest, WPLN reports. Nashville Metro Police arrested Ralph Ward for allegedly fleeing a traffic stop and evading arrest. Ward disputed his guilt and had GPS records of his driving route to prove he was not near the site. This exculpatory evidence should have been considered but Ward’s lawyer says he found the concept was hardly covered in the police manual. The department now says it has reviewed and updated its training materials.

The FBI is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for vandalism at a women’s health clinic in Nashville. The Associated Press reports that a fire occurred at the Hope Clinic for Women on June 30. An incendiary device was thrown through the clinic's front window and the building's exterior was spray painted, according to the FBI’s Memphis field office. The device did not ignite, but the agency has labeled the case an arson investigation. Gov. Bill Lee called the incident an act of “terrorism.” The clinic offers pregnancy tests, ultrasounds and counseling.

An updated version of the bar exam is on track to debut in July 2026, but not all states are expected to use it right away, Reuters reports. States will be able to choose between giving the new version of the attorney licensing exam or administering the existing one during a temporary transition period. The National Conference of Bar Examiners says it is meeting with state officials to advocate for the new test.

The American Bar Association will hold its Midyear Meeting in New Orleans Feb. 2-6. The ABA House of Delegates — the  policy-making body — will meet in person on Feb. 6 and consider a range of proposals. Programming is also planned for attendees covering topics such alternatives to traditional juvenile justice measures, U.S. reproductive rights since the Dobbs decision, racial and gender inequity in the legal profession, use of extraordinary writs, prosecutorial bias and misconduct, and voting rights. Read more about these and other sessions. On Feb. 4, the TBA will host a Tennessee Reception honoring former TBA Executive Director Joycelyn Stevenson. If you are in town please join in!

The organizers of Vanderbilt University Law School’s 1L Mock Trial Tournament are in need of lawyers to score the competition’s preliminary rounds, which will take place Jan. 28 and 29 at the law school in Nashville. The tournament will include two trials and run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. CST each day. Lunch will be provided for volunteers. For more information or to volunteer please contact Isaak Elkind.

The Kinnard Law firm in Nashville recognized the winners of its 2023 R-E-S-P-E-C-T Contest for fifth grade students in Davidson County at an award ceremony this week. First place went to Lily Davidson at Meigs Magnet Middle School, second place to De’Shari Hayes at Head Magnet Middle School and third place to Kingston Santoyo at Rose Park Middle School. The firm reports that more than 1,000 students submitted entries for the contest, which asked them to define “respect” in two sentences or less and include a drawing to illustrate their idea. The firm's founding partner, Randy Kinnard, is a frequent speaker on professional respect for lawyers. He created the student contest to teach the meaning of respect to a younger audience. See photos of the winners.

The Tennessee Bar Association is soliciting applications for the position of executive director. Indications of interest, inquiries, applications and nominations should be directed by email to Barbara Mendel Mayden, Young Mayden LLC. See the full job description here.