Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III is urging all Tennessee residents who may have been affected by a data breach announced by T-Mobile in August 2021 to take appropriate steps to protect their information from identity theft. T-Mobile said at the time that the breach involved the sensitive personal information of 53 million current, former and prospective customers, including 757,354 in Tennessee. Slatery said today that a large subset of the compromised information has now emerged for sale on the dark web. A statement from his office outlines the action individuals can take to protect themselves.

Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III, along with a bipartisan group of attorneys general, is leading a nationwide investigation of the social media platform TikTok to determine whether the company violated state consumer protection laws that put the public, especially children and young adults, at risk. The investigation will look into physical and mental health harms associated with use of the platform and what TikTok knew about those harms, as well as the techniques it used to engaged young users.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee yesterday sought a federal disaster declaration for damage in the Memphis area following an ice storm on Feb. 3, the Daily Memphian reports. The Memphis City Council had earlier approved a resolution urging Lee to seek such a declaration and U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis, had called on the governor to make the request. Last month, Lee asked FEMA to assess damage from the storm, which resulted in downed trees and more than 100,000 homes and businesses going without electricity, some for more than a week.

A law firm's commitment to well-being and an attorney’s sense of control over their own work are the most important factors in whether they feel overwhelmed by job demands, according to a new survey from the Institute for Well-Being In Law. In fact, these elements can help ward off burnout. With a high turnover rate in associates (25% according to the 2022 State of the Legal Market Report), some firms are trying to pay their way out of the problem, says institute Vice President Anne Brafford. But that approach is not working, and in fact, the employers that did the best job of retaining people did not engage in the compensation war, she says. The takeaway for Brafford is that the actions of supervisors, and the structures a law firm builds to support those relationships, are the best mechanisms to avoid employee burnout. Law.com has more on the survey.

Robert J. Carter, district attorney general for Tennessee’s 17th Judicial District, has announced his plans to seek reelection to the position in the upcoming 2022 election, the Shelbyville Times-Gazette reports. The 17th District includes Bedford, Lincoln, Marshall and Moore counties. Carter has served in this current capacity since being appointed by Gov. Bill Haslam in 2012 and was reelected in 2014.

The new Tennessee Bar Journal is out today, featuring articles on landmark cases from Tennessee that impacted Americans' right to vote. On this 60th anniversary of Baker v. Carr and the 50th of Dunn v. Blumstein, learn about these important contributions from the Volunteer State. This March-April issue has an Access to Justice emphasis, looking at how technology innovations can help, a list of pro bono opportunities, an update from the Tennessee Supreme Court Access to Justice Commission, and the annual Public Service Award winners. And don't miss Justice Sharon Lee's article on e-filing in Tennessee courts!

Join a one-hour live, virtual CLE on Hot Topics in Tax Law on May 4. Current members of the executive committee will provide updates on the impact of current regulations, what to expect in the coming months and much more. Attendees will have an opportunity to join the panelists by submitting questions or topics. 

A University of Tennessee College of Law team has won the 2022 national Phi Alpha Delta Mock Trial Competition. The team, including first-year student Kyle Mangrum, and second-year students Alex Allen, Grady McGinnity and Tommy Zoccola, excelled in three preliminary rounds before advancing to the finals and winning out over 21 teams.  The annual competition, held in the Washington, D.C. area, draws law students from 28 schools throughout the country and is judged by volunteer lawyers and judges. 

In his final year as a state senator, Mike Bell is ready to get rid of Tennessee’s affirmative action program, saying he will bring legislation this week to eliminate it from state and local governments, Tennessee Lookout reports. Bell's Senate Bill 2440 and House Bill 2569, sponsored by Rep. John Ragan, R-Oak Ridge, prohibits the state from discriminating against or granting preferential treatment to an individual or group based on race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin for public employment, education or contracting.

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee – Chattanooga Division is inviting high school and middle school students in 17 area counties to participate in its annual civics essay contest. This year’s topic is Brown v. Board of Commissioners of the City of Chattanooga, a federal lawsuit that alleged the Chattanooga city government was in violation of the Voting Rights Act. The Hamilton County Herald has the details.