The Arts & Business Council's Volunteer Lawyers and Professionals for the Arts is joining the law firm of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings in providing free legal services for Black-owned small businesses and nonprofits at a clinic on March 17. Issues to be covered include questions about business formation, corporate governance, contract review and navigating local ordinances and state regulations. Eligible businesses may receive up to one hour of assistance but must register by Monday. Clients may sign up online. To volunteer, email vlpa@abcnashville.org.

The $1.5 trillion spending bill approved by Congress this week includes $85.5 million for a new federal courthouse in Chattanooga. The money comes on top of an initial $94.5 million approved in 2021, Chattanoogan.com reports. But the funding falls short of the $94.6 million that government officials say is necessary to complete the project. The new courthouse is projected to be 186,000 square feet. The federal General Services Administration began looking for a new site between two to five acres in January. It also will have to determine the best use and reuse opportunities for the current courthouse. Known as the Joel Solomon Building, it was the final work of famed Chattanooga architect R.H. Hunt when it was built in the 1930s.

The Tennessee Education Lottery is seeking a legal compliance and government relations manager to handle all legislative activities for the agency and assist the legal division with coordinating legal services. Candidates should have a law degree and a Tennessee law license. A minimum of three years of legal experience is required. Read more about the position or apply online at www.tnlottery.com.

The Tennessee Supreme Court issued an order last week seeking comments on a petition filed by the Board of the Tennessee Lawyers’ Fund for Client Protection (TLFCP) on March 3. The petition asks the court to consider amendments to Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 9 and Rule 25 to (1) increase the annual attorney registration fee from $170 to $185, (2) increase the portion of the fee TLFCP receives from $10 to $25, (3) modify the limitations on payments that TLFCP may make, and (4) require TLFCP to publicize information about claims that are paid. Comments should be submitted by June 10.

As Russia began its attack on Ukraine in late February, the Ukrainian Bar Association (UBA) sprang into action, issuing statements condemning the violence, calling on international leaders to impose sanctions on the Russian government and mobilizing its members to assist refugees fleeing to nearby countries. The group also has launched a hotline providing legal advice to Ukrainians on issues such as property damage, injuries, migration and mobilization, and is working to gather evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity. UBA CEO Inna Liniova and President Anna Ogrenchuk spoke with the ABA Journal about these ongoing efforts.

Soddy-Daisy political newcomer Kenny Morgan was forced to abandon his effort to unseat U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Ooltewah, in the Republican primary because he has not voted in three of the past four Republican primaries, Chattanoogan.com reports. The rule is enforced by the Tennessee Republican Party. Morgan has not voted in a primary since 2012 for a variety of reasons.

The TBA Appellate Practice Section will host a live virtual event on domestic relations appeals on April 20 at 4 p.m. CDT. The one-hour Zoom event will feature a panel of experts discussing trends, best practices and judicial perspectives on these types of appeals. Questions are encouraged for this interactive program. Don’t miss the chance to learn from top experts and earn an optional hour of CLE credit. The event is free and open to all TBA members. For those who want CLE credit there is a $50 filing fee. Submit any panel questions in advance to jword@tnbar.org.

Nashville District Attorney Glenn Funk is arguing that death row inmate Byron Black is intellectually disabled under the definitions of a new state law, and therefore, his death sentence should be commuted to life in prison. Funk filed a petition with Senior Judge Walter Kurtz agreeing with Black’s defense team that he should be removed from death row, the Tennessean reports. Federal public defenders representing Black also filed a brief this week asking the judge to reset the conviction. Black, 65, was convicted of murdering his girlfriend Angela Clay, 29, and her daughters Latoya, 9, and Lakesha, 6, at their home in April 1988.

Two legislative staff members suspended since an FBI raid on the Cordell Hull Building in January 2021 now are being fired, Tennessee Lookout reports. Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton confirmed yesterday that Nadine Korby, who worked in Rep. Kent Calfee’s office, and Carol Simpson, who worked for former House Speaker Glen Casada, will no longer be employed. They had been suspended for the past 14 months. The move comes just days after former Rep. Robin Smith resigned from the House and pled guilty to federal wire fraud.

District Attorney General Ray Crouch Jr. of the 23rd Judicial District recently talked with students in Lipscomb University’s Law, Justice, and Society program about the district’s successful recovery court program. Crouch shared the cost savings generated by placing non-violent defendants in the recovery program compared to the cost of incarceration. He explained that much of his caseload involves repeat drug offenders and how recovery court is one method for getting at the root of the problem. Lipscomb University’s Recovery Court class is the first college course in Tennessee, second in the nation, devoted entirely to training students about the recovery court model. The course is taught by adjunct professor Kevin Batts, who also serves as a director of the 23rd District Recovery Court.