Based on input from more than 1,300 legal professionals, the 2026 Legal Industry Report from 8am™ covers three major themes shaping the legal field right now: the rapid rise of legal AI, persistent gaps in access to justice and growing concern about the rule of law. Key findings from the survey include: 69% of legal professionals now use general-purpose AI tools, yet fewer than half of firms have provided training on how to use them responsibly; 76% of respondents believe AI could help narrow the access-to-justice gap; and 62% of lawyers say the rule of law is under threat. The report also explores where firms are seeing the biggest returns on technology investment. 8am™ is a TBA member benefit partner. Read the report or learn more about their products and services.

The Tennessee Lawyers Association for Women (TLAW) will host its annual meeting and breakfast on June 12 from 7:30-8:45 a.m. EDT during the TBA's Annual Convention in Knoxville. Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Holly Kirby will deliver the keynote address on "Justice. Leadership. Grace." TBA Convention registration does not include the TLAW Annual Meeting and breakfast. Tickets are $38 and can be purchased at www.tlaw.org. Attendance without breakfast is free, but registration is required. View a flyer for the event.

Former Ohio Solicitor General Benjamin Flowers recently appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee for his confirmation hearing to serve on the Cincinnati-based U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. Nominated by President Donald Trump in April, Flowers faced scrutiny regarding past legal advocacy and questions about the 2020 election, according to Cleveland.com. Flowers is an attorney at Ashbrook Byrne Kresge Flowers in Cincinnati. He previously worked for Jones Day and Sidley Austin. If confirmed, he will fill the seat currently held by Chief Judge Jeffrey Sutton, who plans to take senior status on Oct. 1.

The Tennessee Department of Revenue will host a free webinar on Tennessee tax issues for auctioneers on May 26 at 9 a.m. CDT. During the session, department staff will discuss state tax issues for auctioneers, including information about the state’s sales tax, business tax and licensing, and access to the TNTAP system. The May webinar is part of a free series the department offers to the public. Register for the webinar on the department's website.

Tony Carruthers' execution was halted at the last minute after the contracted doctor failed to establish a viable IV line for the lethal injection. Unable to find a suitable vein, the doctor attempted to place a central line as required by protocol, but was not qualified to do so — and the attempt failed. An emergency filing was made to the Tennessee Supreme Court, after which Gov. Bill Lee issued a one-year reprieve. According to the Nashville Banner, Carruthers' ACLU attorney called it a "botched execution," saying her client had been "tortured" during the failed attempts to find a vein. Read more in a press release from the Middle Tennessee Federal Public Defender's Office about the failed execution. In a press release issued on Tuesday, the defender's office stated that the Tennessee Department of Corrections (TDOC) was refusing to confirm that they would not use expired lethal injection drugs to execute Carruthers. Tennessee’s 2025 Lethal Injection Protocol does not expressly forbid the state from using expired drugs in an execution. Rather, it imposes a system of regular and pre-execution inventories and requires appropriate disposal only if expired drugs are revealed during one such inventory. The Banner and The Associated Press report on the developments.

The Tennessee Supreme Court on Thursday issued an opinion ordering the release of documents sealed in connection with a criminal case. In April 2024, three documents — a motion to disqualify and two supporting documents — filed in a Davidson County criminal proceeding were sealed. After learning about the existence of the sealed documents, the Nashville Banner sought to have the documents unsealed. The criminal court denied the newspaper’s motion and a panel of the Court of Criminal Appeals agreed. The Banner then appealed to the Tennessee Supreme Court. That court upheld the paper's right to appellate review and, after reviewing the legal standards for sealing documents filed in connection with a judicial disqualification, determined there was no compelling interest to keep the records sealed. It thus ordered the documents be made available for public inspection. Chief Justice Jeff Bivins and Justice Holly Kirby each filed separate opinions concurring in part and dissenting in part. Read more in a press release from the Administrative Office of the Courts.

The American Bar Association (ABA) Council of Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar recently voted to eliminate a rule that requires law schools to demonstrate a commitment to diversity in recruitment, admissions and student programming. Reuters reports that the move comes after the ABA Standards Committee determined that the council’s role as an accreditor “would be imminently threatened if the diversity and inclusion rule is not repealed." Read the committee's memo. In April 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the U.S. Education Department to assess whether to suspend or terminate the ABA's role as the government's official law school accreditor. The rule has been suspended since February 2025. Any change will not become final until the ABA House of Delegates votes on the matter. Also last week, the council voted to gather public comments on eliminating a 2022 rule requiring law schools to educate students about bias, racism and cross-cultural competency, as well as a proposal to pare back a non-discrimination rule for students and faculty.

A Tennessee man will receive $835,000 from Perry County after he was jailed for 37 days for posting on social media about the assassination of political commentator Charlie Kirk, The Associated Press reports. Lexington resident Larry Bushart was arrested in September after refusing to take down Facebook memes that joked about Kirk's killing. The post that prompted his arrest referenced President Donald Trump's 2024 comments after a school shooting in Iowa. Perry County Sheriff Nick Weems claimed the meme amounted to a threat of mass violence for the local high school, which shares the name of the Iowa school. Bushart and his attorneys dispute that claim. As part of the settlement, the 61-year-old will drop the federal civil rights lawsuit he filed against the county for violating his constitutional rights. While Bushart, a former police officer, was in jail, he lost his post-retirement job, missed his wedding anniversary and was not present for the birth of his granddaughter.

Legal Aid of East Tennessee, Hamilton County Juvenile Court, the Chattanooga Bar Association and the TBA Young Lawyers Division are sponsoring a free Family Law Advice Clinic on June 3 from 3-5 p.m. EDT. Volunteers are needed for the event, which will be held at the Dr. Carol B. Berz Family Justice Center, 5705 Uptain Rd., Chattanooga 37411. Contact TBA YLD District Representative Mary Frances DeVoe for more information. View a flyer for more information and to register.

Hamilton County General Sessions Court Judge Gary Starnes has announced that he is dealing with a brain tumor. In a public Facebook post, he said he will undergo surgery and begin chemotherapy soon. Starnes says he and his family have been overwhelmed by the support they have received since news of his condition began circulating, reports News Channel 9. "I am going to fight this tumor to the best of my ability and return to work if healthy enough to do so," he wrote. "In any event, I want to thank the people of Hamilton County for allowing me to serve as a General Sessions Court Judge for nearly 14 years thus far — it has been the honor of a lifetime."