The Arizona Supreme Court on Wednesday approved the applications of two law firms to be licensed under the state’s new Alternative Business Structure program, which allows lawyers and nonlawyers to co-own law firms together, Arizona’s ABC15 reports. The state became the first in the country to abolish the rule barring non-attorney ownership of law firms, effective on Jan. 1. Trajan Estate LLC in Gilbert and Payne Huebsch PLC in Mesa are the first firms to be licensed for the new hybrid business model. Trajan Estate is a legal service provider focused on estate planning, while Payne Huebsch provides transactional legal services paired with tax and accounting advice. The news comes after the country’s first entirely nonlawyer-owned law firm opened in Utah earlier this week.

The state Department of Revenue has extended the filing and payment deadline from April 15 to May 17 for all Hall income tax returns and certain franchise and excise tax returns. The extension follows an announcement from the IRS extending the deadline for federal individual income tax returns to May 17. For the franchise and excise tax returns, the extension applies to individuals who file Schedule J2 “Computation of Net Earnings for a Single Member LLC Filing as an Individual.” The extensions will automatically apply, and no further action is required by affected taxpayers. Estimated payments due on April 15 are not included in the extension. Read more in a press release from the department.

The Tennessee Department of Revenue will offer its next free webinar on March 30 at 9 a.m. CDT. The session will cover sales tax resale certificates, including the proper use of resale certificates and the correct procedure to accept them if you are a vendor. The webinar is part of a series designed to provide tax practitioners, attorneys, accountants and others with the opportunity to learn more about tax-related topics and ask questions of department officials. Register for this webinar or see other upcoming sessions on the department's website.

The Senate Government Operations Committee on Wednesday approved SB600, sponsored by Sen. Joey Hensley, R- Hohenwald, which would remove 29 Tennessee Historical Commission members appointed by the governor and replace them in July with 12 members: four appointed by the governor, four by the House speaker and four by the Senate speaker. The move comes after the commission voted to relocate the Nathan Bedford Forrest bust from the Capitol to the State Museum. Many lawmakers want more say over the process, Tennessee Lookout reports. Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, and House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, have said they believe the legislature has control over the second floor of the Capitol and have sought an opinion from Attorney General Herbert Slatery on the legal process for the bust’s removal. The measure goes next to the Senate State and Local Government Committee. Gov. Bill Lee opposes the measure to remove the sitting members and cut the size of the commission by more than half. 

The U.S. House passed two bills yesterday that would grant legal status to two groups of immigrants living and working in the United States without documentation, Tennessee Lookout reports. The first provides a pathway to citizenship for hundreds of thousands brought to the country as children who now are protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The second bill would give legal status to agricultural workers. The Biden administration supports both bills but also noted it wants Congress to take up broader immigration reform, like the U.S. Citizenship Act. That bill, based on Biden’s policy priorities, would pair these measures with efforts to give legal status to millions more immigrants, fund border security measures and provide aid to Latin American countries to address the root causes of migration.

Pressure is building on Gov. Bill Lee to release a report on government efficiency that was conducted by the consulting firm McKinsey & Company last year, according to the Tennessean. The report, which was publicly funded, has been kept mostly secret. The state Department of Human Resources has cited "deliberative process privilege" as an excuse not to release the report or answer questions about it. The paper reports that exemption is not found in state law. Lt. Gov. Randy McNally said he only received a copy this week while House Speaker Cameron Sexton said he has not seen it yet. The study is reported to recommend reducing the number of management positions within state government.

The Blount County Juvenile Court hopes to receive more than $50,000 in grant money to better serve victims of crimes, the Daily Times reports. The court has applied for an “access to services” grant through the Victims of Crime Acts (VOCA) Tennessee Safe Courts program. Money gained through the grant would be used to upgrade current spaces to make them safer and more accessible for crime victims. “There’s no safe space ... it’s just hallway” and a perpetrator could be sitting in the same area as the victim says Blount County Juvenile Judge Kenlyn Foster.

Tennessee has “soft-launched” a new phase of COVID vaccination, beginning to offer doses to anyone 55 and up and anyone in “critical infrastructure” jobs, WPLN reports. Critical jobs include social services, commercial agriculture and food production, public transportation, public infrastructure and utilities. Then in April, the state plans to offer vaccinations to all adults over the age of 16. A formal announcement is planned for Monday. Yesterday, Shelby County asked the state if it could open vaccinations to “anyone who wants a shot.” Today, the state Department of Health said counties that want to move forward more quickly can do so as long as they have enough doses, the Tennessean reports.

The Tennessee State High School Mock Trial Competition begins tonight with one round and continues tomorrow with two more preliminary rounds, an award ceremony and the state championship round in the evening. Ten teams have qualified for the competition after three Grand Division Competitions were held last month. This year, all competitions are being held virtually. Close to 600 students and more than 200 volunteers have been involved in the competition season thus far, including Tennessee sitting judges, attorneys, law students and paralegals. This year’s case involves two competing chicken restaurant owners and claims that one deliberately put a screw in a sandwich he served to the other. Stayed tuned for information on the winning teams on Monday.

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee & the Cumberlands will hold four phone clinics this week for members of the public with questions about housing and renters’ rights, bankruptcy, medical bills, debt collection, domestic violence, SNAP benefits and unemployment benefits. Clinics are Monday from 4 to 5:30 p.m., Tuesday from 3 to 4:30 p.m., Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Saturday from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. All times central. LAS is looking for attorneys to help answer questions. To volunteer, contact Andrae Crismon or Kendra Cheek or call 615-780-7131.