Nashville-based law firm Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis has added a group of attorneys from the Birmingham-based law firm of Balch & Bingham. Jesse Vogtle, Randolph Lanier, Eric Ray and Paul Greenwood join Waller as partners, the Nashville Post reports. They all handle finance and real estate matters and will work out of Waller’s Birmingham office.

Lawyers for Andrew Delke, a Nashville police officer charged with murder, asked the Tennessee Supreme Court late today to consider calling an outside jury for the murder trial, the Tennessean reports. A jury trial is scheduled to begin in March but lawyers said if a change of venue is granted the trial should be delayed. Delke, who is white, was charged with first-degree murder after he shot Daniel Hambrick, who was black, in the back during a 2018 foot chase. The Court of Criminal Appeals ruled this week that it would not overturn a lower court's decision denying a venue change.

Academics, district attorneys, training experts and policy advisers sponsored by a component of the U.S. Department of Justice are expected in Nashville next week to determine the best way to move forward with implementing body-worn cameras in the city’s police force. Mayor John Cooper announced the visit from the Bureau of Justice Assistance team, which helps provide expert consultation as part of its efforts to support cities exploring body camera programs. Body camera rollout in Nashville has been on the table for years but has been stymied by budget concerns. The team also will visit Memphis to analyze the implementation of body cameras there, the Tennessean reports.

The Tennessee Bar Association will be closed on Monday for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. The office will reopen at 8 a.m. on Tuesday.

Tennessee Division of TennCare director Gabe Roberts is stepping down from his position to return to the private sector, effective March 2, the Nashville Post reports. The resignation comes months after he led the drafting of Tennessee’s proposed Medicaid block grant amendment. He also led the design and implementation of the Tennessee Health Care Innovation Initiative, the Employment and Community First CHOICES program and the agency’s strategy to combat the opioid epidemic, according to the agency. Roberts joined TennCare in 2013 as general counsel. He was named deputy director in 2016 and director in 2018. No successor has been named.

The General Assembly is back in session and so are TBA’s Legislative Updates! Hosted by Berkley Schwarz, TBA’s director of public policy and government affairs, and Adams and Reese attorney and TBA lobbyist Brad Lampley, the Legislative Updates podcast provides a weekly breakdown of what’s going on at the state legislature. The show livestreams on the TBA’s Facebook page every Thursday and is run in podcast form each Friday. The Legislative Updates podcast is available on the TBA’s website and anywhere you listen to podcasts. Don't miss the first episode featuring special guest Sen. John Stevens, R-Huntingdon, who talks about life as a lawyer legislator and the future of the professional privilege tax. 

Legal Aid of East Tennessee will host a new client intake clinic tomorrow in Madisonville. Members of the public may qualify for free legal assistance if they are having legal problems in the following areas: housing, mortgage or foreclosure; consumer; health, benefits or food stamps; family; unemployment; senior. Applicants must meet federal poverty and LAET priority guidelines. The clinic will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Monroe County Courthouse, 105 College St. in Madisonville. For more information, please call 423-303-2266.

Disability Rights Tennessee (DRT) is currently recruiting volunteers to conduct poll site accessibility surveys for its Voting Access Program. This survey is important for helping DRT work with counties to assess and resolve voting accessibility issues. This year, surveys will be conducted during the primaries on March 3 and presidential election on Nov. 3. DRT is actively recruiting volunteers, including firms and legal aid societies, to help gather this data. Those interested in helping with this project can go online and fill out an interest form.

The Knoxville Bar Association Barristers Law School Mentor Committee is looking for volunteers for its upcoming series of mock interviews. The first round of interviews will take place at the Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law on Jan. 20-22 and the second round will be at the University of Tennessee College of Law on Jan. 23-29. Each interview time slot runs for approximately 25 minutes. Please contact Katie O'Neal or Patrick O'Neal if you are interested in volunteering.

In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, USA Today is honoring Tennessee women who have made a significant and lasting impact on the state with its Women of the Century project. Nominations are now being accepted for an array of categories, including civil rights, politics and law. Submit your nominations online by the final deadline on Jan. 31 at 4 p.m.