The TBI is investigating Hamilton County District Attorney candidate Coty Wamp at the request of current DA Neal Pinkston, who is accusing his political rival of witness tampering. According to WRCB, Pinkston submitted the request on Jan. 6, alleging Wamp had participated in obstruction of justice after a shooting in Soddy Daisy two days prior. After a suspect was apprehended, the request says Wamp told police they had the wrong suspect in custody. It states the victims recanted their original story after interactions with Wamp. Wamp, who is legal counsel for the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department, told the Times Free Press she was “helping victims communicate” with the police department. She will face off against Pinkston in the Republican primary in May.

The Memphis office of Adams and Reese today announced it has appointed Ben Fox as partner in charge of the office, the Memphis Business Journal reports. Fox has been with the firm since 2008 and a partner since 2014. He specializes in commercial disputes, employment issues, personal injury and property damage claims. He has also done substantial work in legal ethics and sits on the Adams and Reese Ethics Committee. Fox will now head up the office comprised of eight Memphis-area attorneys.

Redistricting, public school funding and finalizing a new spending plan are all on the agenda of this year’s legislative session which kicked off today in Nashville, the Associated Press reports. Redrawing state legislative and congressional maps appears to be an early priority ahead of the 2022 election. According to the Nashville Post, the House special redistricting committee will meet Wednesday to discuss the issue, followed by a Senate committee meeting on Thursday. House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, said yesterday that Republicans plan on dividing Nashville into multiple congressional district. Gov. Bill Lee is also hoping to push legislation that would address how K-12 education is funded in the state during this year’s session, a plan his administration unveiled last October. The rest of Lee’s wish list will be revealed in the coming weeks.

Tennessee attorney Travis Nathaniel Meeks today received a public censure from the Board of Professional Responsibility of the Tennessee Supreme Court. After agreeing to represent two clients pursuing a detainer action, Meeks agreed to represent one of the two clients in a second matter in which the other client’s interests were materially adverse. He did not obtain an informed conflict waiver from either client and failed to maintain reasonable communication with one of the clients. A censure is a rebuke and warning to the attorney, but does not affect their ability to practice law.

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 Jan. 17, Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  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. Companies may sign up online through Jan. 14. Appointments are first-come, first-serve. Lawyers who would like to volunteer for the clinic should email vlpa@abcnashville.org.

Knoxville lawyer George P. Chandler died Jan. 4, just a few weeks shy of his 90th birthday. He earned his law degree from the George Washington University and went on to hold positions with the U.S. Patent Office, NASA, Monsanto Company and Eastman Chemical Company. He retired from Eastman in 1995. Chandler lived in Kingsport for 39 years, where he served on the board of directors for Holston Habitat for Humanity and the Kingsport Community Ministry Center. Following retirement, he relocated to Knoxville and focused on volunteer work. A graveside service will be held Saturday at 1 p.m. EST at Berry Highland Memorial Cemetery, 5315 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to First Presbyterian Church, 100 W. Church Circle, Kingsport, TN 37660 or Cokesbury United Methodist Church, 9919 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37922.

Lang Wiseman, former deputy governor and chief counsel to Governor Bill Lee, has joined the Memphis law firm of Baker Donelson as a shareholder in the firm’s advocacy department. He will work out of the firm’s Memphis and Nashville offices and focus on business, financial services and construction, the Memphis Business Journal reports. Prior to his appointment to Lee’s cabinet in 2019, Wiseman was a founding partner at the Memphis law firm of Wiseman Bray PLLC, worked at Baker Donelson, worked for U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson in Washington, D.C., and clerked for Harry Wellford on the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. Wiseman announced his intention to step down from the governor’s office last August.

The Tennessee Supreme Court reinstated Knox County lawyer Mark Steven Graham to the practice of law effective immediately today. Graham had been suspended for three years, retroactive to the date of a temporary suspension imposed on March 11, 2020. For that suspension he had to serve one active year and the rest on probation. Graham recently filed a petition seeking reinstatement and a hearing panel of the Board of Professional Responsibility found that Graham had complied with the conditions of his suspension. As conditions of his reinstatement, Graham must engage a practice monitor for the remainder of his probation and remain in substantial compliance with Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program (TLAP) contract.

Davidson County lawyer Michael Lloyd Freeman was censured by the Tennessee Supreme Court today. The court found that Freeman failed to reasonably respond to his client’s request for information about the status of his criminal case and failed to diligently represent his client over a period of approximately two years. Freeman signed a conditional guilty plea admitting his conduct violated Rules of Professional Conduct 1.3 and 1.4.

Knox County lawyer Daniel Clyde Fielden II was censured by the Tennessee Supreme Court today. The court found that while handling a divorce action, Fielden failed to (1) represent the client in a diligent manner, (2) expedite the hearing, (3) respond to the client’s termination of representation, and (4) communicate with the client. These actions were determined to violate Rules of Professional Conduct 1.3, 1.4, 1.16, 3.2 and 8.4(d).