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 LegalZoom first filed for an IPO in 2012, which was postponed and then withdrawn after two years.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.

Teresa Nelson has been sworn in as the new Sullivan County General Sessions Court judge, WCYB reports. Criminal Court Judge James Goodwin administered the oath of office. Prior to her appointment to the court, Nelson was an assistant district attorney in the county for 22 years. She said her first priority is to work on the backlog of cases that have piled up because of the pandemic. She also said she plans to run for the seat in 2022. Nelson was appointed to the bench after Judge Klyne Lauderback announced his retirement.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland yesterday imposed a moratorium on federal executions and directed the deputy attorney general to review the Justice Department's single-drug protocol and the risk of pain and suffering associated with pentobarbital. Garland's predecessor, William Barr, resumed use of capital punishment last year after a 17-year hiatus. In the waning months of the Donald Trump administration, the Bureau of Prisons carried out 13 executions. There are currently 46 inmates on federal death row, Reuters reports.

The Tennessee Bar Association is closing today at 2 p.m. CDT and will be closed Monday for the Fourth of July holiday. Our virtual offices will reopen at 8 a.m. CDT on Tuesday. Access email addresses and direct lines here.

The TBA Litigation Law Forum will be offered virtually on Sept. 16 at 9 a.m. CDT/10 a.m. EDT. The forum, worth 3.5 general and 1.5 dual hours of CLE, will feature an appellate practice panel discussion with two Supreme Court justices and practitioners from around the state that will be moderated by Chancellor Will Perry. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet Tennessee's newest Supreme Court chief justice, Roger Page. Chief Justice Page will have a conversation with Todd Presnell about his views on the role of the state judiciary. Tannera Gibson will moderate a conversation on diversity in the litigation practice and judicial decision-making. Register now for the CLE that has it all. 

Nashville prosecutors have reached a plea deal with Andrew Delke, the white Nashville police officer charged with murder in the fatal shooting of a Black man, the Tennessean reports. Delke will plead guilty to manslaughter, according to an attorney representing the victim's family, and will serve a three-year sentence for shooting Daniel Hambrick three times in the back during a July 2018 foot chase. While the plea is historic — no other Nashville officer has ever faced charges, let alone jail time, after an on-duty shooting, some activists are concerned about such a lenient punishment for a brutal crime. 

The ABA Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service announced the focus for October's National Celebration of Pro Bono will be "Moving Forward in a Post-Pandemic World." The 2021 event will center on the legal needs of vulnerable communities resulting from the pandemic as well as recognizing the efforts of pro bono attorneys during the pandemic. Celebrate Pro Bono is an opportunity to connect pro bono providers and attorneys across the nation and to highlight some of the most common legal issues impacting communities, including evictions, housing injustice, racial disparities, and challenges to accessing legal service. The TBA will work with our state's legal service providers and others in the access to justice community to support and promote pro bono and celebratory events throughout the month of October.