As corporate transactions return to, or surpass, pre-pandemic levels, some local legal insiders are reporting a “high demand” for junior attorneys in the field, the Nashville Post reports. Candice Reed, executive vice president at Latitude, a company that provides contract attorneys to law firms and businesses, says she’s seeing “an extremely high demand for junior attorneys in transactional fields.” Reed also notes that national firms are moving into Nashville, which is adding to the labor crunch. Am Law 50 firm, K&L Gates, recently launched a Nashville office, and other national firms are recruiting Nashville attorneys to work for their existing clients remotely, without establishing a physical office in Nashville. While salaries at some firms have increased, Reed says in-house positions generally have not, which “could impact the flow of attorneys moving from law firms to in house.” Brian Holmes, managing partner at Cornelius & Collins, didn’t see many drastic changes, but his firm did see an uptick in employment work. “People keep suing even when times are bad,” Holmes said.

The Administrative Office of the Courts has compiled a list of new state laws that will have an impact on Tennessee’s court system. The list includes laws dealing with data collection in state and juvenile courts, victims rights, sentencing and reentry and more. Several laws were passed to create new courts and dockets, including the creation of the state’s 32nd Judicial District that will cover Lewis, Perry and Hickman counties. Another law extends the Board of Judicial Conduct through June 30, 2025. Browse the full list on the AOC’s website.

ABA Free Legal Answers (FLA), the online virtual legal clinic that helps qualifying users get civil legal advice from volunteer attorneys, continues to grow, with 40 jurisdictions and over 9,500 pro bono attorneys participating. Last month, ABA President Patricia Lee Refo announced a 2021 ABA FLA Summer Associate Challenge to recognize law firms that answer FLA questions with the assistance of summer associates. The firms reporting the top participation by July 30 will be highlighted prior to the ABA Annual Meeting. More information is available in the most recent FLA report. Sponsored by the American Bar Association's Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service, FLA was established a decade ago as a joint project of the TBA, Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services and Baker Donelson. Since launch, FLA volunteers have answered over 168,000 submitted legal questions.

Daniel Hambrick's mother Vicki said she would "get [Andrew] Delke," after the former Nashville police officer pleaded guilty this morning as part of a plea deal for shooting her son, WSMV reports. "I don't care if I have to go to jail, I'm gonna get him," Vicki Hambrick said. "His family is going get it. Tonight. They better run, they better run town. But they can't hide for long." Those words followed a moment of chaos in the courtroom, during which Hambrick lunged toward Delke. Several people had to help restrain her as she yelled at Delke and shouts exploded from the courtroom after Judge Monte Watkins accepted the deal, according to the Tennessean. Delke was rushed out of the courtroom. Speaking outside the courthouse, Hambrick also threatened District Attorney Glenn Funk, who accepted the plea deal. "Glenn, he can't hide for long either," she said. Hambrick's attorney said Hambrick was frustrated and shocked by the plea deal.

Florida lawyer Paul Joseph Schwiep was reinstated to the practice of law in Tennessee on May 3. The Tennessee Supreme Court reports that Schwiep paid all required reinstatement fees and all delinquent annual registration fees. The court filed its order on May 12.

Abbie Hudgens, administrator of the Tennessee Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, has reappointed four judges to the Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims. They are: Robert Durham in Cookeville, Audrey Headrick in Chattanooga, Amber Luttrell in Jackson and Dale Tipps in Murfreesboro. Hudgens said she based her decision on evaluations of judicial writing by two outside experts, surveys of persons who have interacted with the court, comments from the legal community and interviews with each judge. Their new terms will expire on June 30, 2027. The court also announced this week that in-person approvals will begin after Labor Day with each office developing its own hours and protocols. Telephone approvals also will be allowed. The court hopes to transition back to all in-person proceedings by January.

Shares of LegalZoom.com Inc. (LZ) opened 31% above their offer price on Wednesday, valuing the online legal services company at $7 billion in its Nasdaq debut, Reuters reports. The stock opened at $36.75 per share, up from the initial public offering price (IPO) of $28 per share. It sold 19.1 million shares during the debut, raising about $535.4 million. It was the company’s second attempt at a stock market listing. LegalZoom first filed for an IPO in 2012, which was postponed and then withdrawn after two years.

Williamson County lawyer Rebecca Bruck Howald was reinstated to the practice of law on June 25. Howald was placed on inactive status on Jan. 2, 2015. The Board of Professional Responsibility reports that it reviewed her petition for reinstatement and found it satisfactory. The Tennessee Supreme Court issued its order on June 30.

TBA Immediate Past President Michelle Greenway Sellers will participate in a free webinar next week on how bar associations can play a vital role in advocating for and defending the rule of law through their work with legislatures, courts and the public. The program, offered by the National Conference of Bar Presidents, will take place Thursday from noon to 1 p.m. CDT. It is free of charge but registration is required. Other speakers include Will Gunn, general counsel for the Legal Services Corporation, Kentucky Court of Appeals Justice Michelle M. Keller and Bruce Spencer, past president of the State Bar of Montana. Kermit Lowery with LexisNexis Global Legal Department will moderate the panel discussion.

A six-year-old lawsuit over the adequacy of Tennessee’s funding of public education could head to a new three-judge panel established in the last legislative session, Tennessee Lookout reports. The dispute over the state’s basic education formula dates back to 2015. The lead plaintiffs in the suit, Shelby County Schools and Metro Nashville Public Schools, were joined last fall by a collective of 84 rural school districts. The case was assigned to Senior Judge Don Ash and the trial is slated to begin Nov. 15. Pursuant to the new law, state lawyers filed a motion yesterday that the case fits the description of those that must be referred to the state Supreme Court for reassignment to a three-judge panel.