The TBA Young Lawyers Division, Belmont Law, Legal Aid of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands, and Legal Aid of East Tennessee partnered to host a debt relief clinic on Saturday. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the Middle District of Tennessee Charles Walker kicked off the clinic with a presentation to the debtors about bankruptcy. Attorneys from across the state and Belmont Law students then met with clients via Zoom to give advice about bankruptcy and debt relief options. Many clients had their bankruptcy case taken pro bono. Nine debtors were served at the clinic and more than $10,000 in legal service were donated. 

Prosecutors in Baltimore today announced they have dropped charges against Adnan Syed in the 1999 murder of Hae Min Lee after additional DNA testing excluded him as a suspect, the Associated Press reports. Lee’s murder and Syed’s subsequent conviction were chronicled by the hit podcast “Serial” in 2014. “This case is over. There are no more appeals necessary,” Marilyn Mosby, the state’s attorney for the city of Baltimore said. She also said her office would continue to pursue justice for Lee. A Baltimore judge last month overturned Syed’s conviction and ordered him released to home detention. Syed spent 23 years in prison on the murder conviction.

Memphis leaders are urging the Tennessee General Assembly to prioritize clearing the state’s backlog of rape kits, Tennessee Lookout reports. Last week, the Shelby County Commission unanimously adopted a resolution calling for increased funding to staff the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. The Memphis City Council is expected to vote on the resolution tomorrow. TBI officials previously requested 40 more special agent/forensic scientist positions and 10 more technicians but only received enough funding from the state to staff half of the requested personnel. In response to nationwide criticism, Gov. Bill Lee announced that the TBI would receive fast-tracked funding to hire 25 additional forensic lab positions to decrease the state’s turnaround times in processing sexual assault kits.

Elaine Eberhart has joined the University of Tennessee College of Law to serve as the senior director of advancement, the school recently announced. Eberhart, a 1983 alumna of the law school, has more than 30 years of experience as a fundraiser and gift planner. Most recently, she was vice chair of the department of development for Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. She also has served as senior director of development and planned giving for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Foundation, director of planned giving for the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and director of development for the Southern Poverty Law Center. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College and a master’s in divinity from Emory University.

TBA member benefit partner Clio released its 2022 Legal Trends Report today as part of its annual Clio Cloud Conference, taking place in Nashville through tomorrow. A key theme of the report is the importance of creating an “antifragile” law firm to be resilient in the face of change and to attract and keep the best attorneys. The report found that lawyers are looking equally for competitive pay and a firm that supports work-life balance. They also prefer remote work and flexibility, though these “benefits” can lead to longer work days and a greater impact on mental health. For clients, the report found that 35% want to meet with their lawyer virtually and rely primarily on reviews from others when choosing to hire a lawyer. 

Kevin G. Ritz, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced Friday that his office is joining the Justice Department and its Office on Violence Against Women in observing October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The Memphis-based office is also promoting Oct. 20 as “Purple Thursday” and a national day of action. Advocates are encouraged to wear purple to start a conversation about domestic violence. Read more about the observance in a release from Ritz’s office.

The Biden administration has reunited 500 children separated from their parents under the previous administration’s border policy, The Hill reports. The benchmark follows nearly two years of steady work to reunite more than 1,000 children who were estimated to remain separated from their parents when President Joe Biden took office. Last year, the administration launched two sites — together.gov and its Spanish-language counterpart juntos.gov — to give families a way to actively seek reunification. The administration says it still has nearly 700 children to place. At the height of the program under former President Donald Trump, more than 5,000 children were separated from their parents.

A list of those who passed the July 2022 Tennessee bar exam is now available. Check the TBA’s website for the complete list of successful applicants. According to the Board of Law Examiners, 736 individuals — 622 first time test takers and 114 repeaters — took the July exam. They represent almost 200 different law schools and saw an overall pass rate of 62.09%. For first time test-takers at Tennessee law schools, The University of Tennessee College of Law saw the highest pass rate at 90.91%, followed by Vanderbilt University Law School at 89.29%, Belmont University College of Law at 86.73%, University of Memphis School of Law at 62.35%, Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law at 61.90%, and Nashville School of Law at 33.33%. See all statistical information from the exam on the Board of Law Examiners’ webpage.

Chattanooga City Attorney Emily O'Donnell resigned this morning, Chattanoogan.com reports. Mayor Tim Kelly, who had named O'Donnell as the first female city attorney 18 months ago, said of her departure, “Emily is a passionate, dedicated public servant who worked tirelessly to uphold justice and advocate for our most vulnerable residents during her historic tenure as the first female City Attorney. I am incredibly grateful for her service to our city and wish her all the best as she returns to private practice.” O'Donnell earned her law degree from Georgia State University College of Law. She began her career as a staff attorney for Legal Aid of East Tennessee and has also worked as a nonprofit executive, lobbyist and solo practitioner.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said this week that a federal district judge in Texas should take another look at the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program now that revisions were adopted in August. The ruling leaves the future of the program up in the air, National Public Radio reports. The appeals court upheld U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen's initial decision but sent the case back to him to consider new rules issued by the Biden administration that are to take effect Oct. 31. Hanen ruled last year that the program was illegal because it was not subject to public notice and comment periods required under the Administrative Procedures Act. However, he left it temporarily intact for those already benefiting from it pending the appeal.