Tennessee Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III is advising residents to take steps to avoid scams when making year-end contributions to charitable causes. Slatery’s office has identified several red flags that may indicate an appeal is a scam. The office also has information on how to report suspected scams. Learn more in this press release or visit the office’s online resources for avoiding scams.

Signal Mountain lawyer L. Hale Hamilton died yesterday after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. He was 77. Hamilton earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1968 and began practicing with Spears, Moore, Rebman & Williams in Chattanooga. He served at the firm for 40 years until his retirement. Hamilton also worked on the Signal Mountain Planning Commission for 20 years and served as an auxiliary policeman. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Parkinson’s Research Foundation or Hospice of Chattanooga. Visitation will be held on Saturday from 2:30 to 5 p.m. at Lane Funeral Home, 601 Ashland Terrace, Chattanooga 37415. The family will hold a private committal.

The Tennessee Supreme Court on Friday issued orders soliciting comments on three proposed amendments to its rules. In each case, the court had previously requested comments but made additional changes to the proposed amendments. The amendment to Rule 9 Section 10 addresses annual registration and payment requirements. The amendment to Rule 9 Section 26 addresses payment of the professional privilege tax. And the amendment to Rule 43 deals with interest on lawyers’ trust accounts. All comments are due by Jan. 30, 2020.

Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Super Tuesday … oh wait. They have all come and gone. But here at TBA, we want to make sure your online CLE experience is as easy as 1-Click, all year round. Experience a variety of convenient online video packages in all areas of law. And be sure to check out our new General CLE packages that have something for everyone!

The Oak Ridge office of the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee & the Cumberlands will hold a clinic tomorrow at its office at 575 Oak Ridge Turnpike, Oak Ridge 37830. The clinic will run from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Prospective clients can call 865-483 8454 or 800-483-8457 for an appointment.

The legal industry gained 2,900 jobs in November, according to new seasonally adjusted figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the ABA Journal reports. Total jobs in the legal services sector stood at 1,151,900, an increase of 11,000 jobs since the same time a year ago. According to Law360, that puts the number of legal jobs at a 10-year high. Areas of practice that continue to see growth include finance, capital markets and mergers and acquisitions.

The Tennessee Trial Court Vacancy Commission will consider six applicants for a vacancy on the 15th Judicial District circuit court on Jan. 8, the Administrative Office of the Courts announced today. The hearing will take place at 9 a.m. at the Wilson County Courthouse, 228 E. Main St., Lebanon 37087. The commission is expected to vote immediately after the interviews and forward three names to Gov. Bill Lee for consideration. The court vacancy was created by the retirement of Judge John D. Wootten Jr. The court serves Jackson, Macon, Smith, Trousdale and Wilson counties.

The Tennessee Court of Appeals has struck down state laws that bar nonpartisan political action committees (PACs) from donating to candidates within 10 days of an election, the Tennessean reports. The state legislature had created a 10-day blackout period when nonpartisan PACs could not give to a candidate, though PACs controlled by a political party still could. The group Tennesseans for Sensible Election Laws argued that the law created a double-standard that unfairly penalized nonpartisan groups. The ruling upholds a decision from the chancery court. The attorney general's office has not said if it plans to appeal.

The City of Memphis has received $4.1 million as part of more than $376 million awarded by federal law enforcement to police departments across the country. Of the total received, $1.8 million is for cutting the backlog of untested rape kits, the Daily Memphian reports. The city identified 12,000 rape kits that had not been tested in 2013. As of April of this year, 98% of those had been tested. The rest of the funding will go to law enforcement training and equipment, efforts to address violent crime, gunshot recognition technology and program evaluation. In addition, Shelby County received a $602,482 grant to reduce recidivism through innovative re-entry initiatives, and the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center of Memphis received $500,000 for youth gang diversion programs and $100,000 to strengthen its medical examiner program.

The deadline to file for clerk of the Shelby County General Sessions Court passed yesterday with 18 applicants filing petitions, the Commercial Appeal reports. Those filing in the Republican primary are former probate court clerk Paul Boyd, Michael Finney, George Summers and Lisa Wimberly. Those filing in the Democratic primary are current Shelby County Commissioners Reginald Milton and Eddie Jones; Memphis City Councilman Joe Brown; current employees of the clerk’s office Gortria Banks, Rheunte Benson, Adrienne Dailey-Evans and Tavia Tate; former city court clerk Tanya Cooper; Wanda Faulkner; Assistant to the Register of Deeds Deidre Fisher; Roderic Ford; Del Gill; and Thomas Long. Former State Sen. John Ford also filed a petition but according to the Tennessee Coordinator of Elections he is not eligible to run, reducing the total eligible applicants to 17.