The TBA will offer a webcast on “Crystal-Clear Communication: Five Techniques to Avoid Ambiguity” on Dec. 18 from noon to 1 p.m. CST, providing practical guidance on improving clarity in modern legal writing. The program will feature before-and-after examples to help attorneys identify unclear drafting and apply techniques for simplifying legal concepts, choosing when to repeat terms, avoiding ambiguous uses of “and,” spotting misplaced modifiers and drafting emails and documents that are easy for lawyers and nonlawyers to understand. Visit the TBA website to register and for more information. 

The TBA is offering an on-demand virtual eight hour package designed to help attorneys quickly complete their remaining CLE requirements before Dec. 31. The package includes a mix of ethics updates, AI and law practice management programs, professional skills and attorney wellness sessions, as well as the 2025 Legislative Update and other popular courses. Check out the specific courses included in the package on the TBA website. Looking for something else? TBA also has six, 10, 12 and 15-hour packages, packages based on specific topics or practice areas, live webcasts and on-demand video all month long. Explore all the options to complete your CLE requirement by Dec. 31.

The TBA announced today that open enrollment for its group health insurance has been extended to Dec. 15. Due to strong enrollment, member interest and requests for additional time to review coverage options, TBA Member Insurance Solutions has negotiated a one-time extension. After Dec. 15, enrollment will be closed until Fall 2026. The plan, offered through BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, is available exclusively to TBA members and offers guaranteed issue coverage with no health questions or pre-existing condition exclusions. For rates, plan details and enrollment information, visit the TBA website.

In 2026, California will become the first U.S. state to require attorneys to take an annual civility oath to “conduct themselves with dignity, courtesy, and integrity,” Reuters reports. The new requirement was proposed by a 2021 task force, approved by the state Supreme Court in September and finalized by the State Bar of California last month. Brian Currey, a retired California appeals court judge and chair of the task force, says, “Incivility is ‘sand in the gears’ of the legal system. When lawyers waste their time and energy sniping at each other, it makes resolving disputes or issues more difficult.” In 2018, the Tennessee Supreme Court amended the oath that new Tennessee lawyers take, swearing that they will conduct themselves "with honesty, fairness, integrity, and civility."

Apperson Crump, self-proclaimed as the oldest continuously operating law firm in Memphis, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the Commercial Appeal reports. The reporting was based on filings with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Tennessee in Jackson. According to the paper, the firm voluntarily filed to reorganize on Dec. 1. A meeting with its creditors is set for Jan. 5, 2026. Apperson Crump opened its doors in 1865, founded by Charles W. Metcalf, grandfather of the late Charles Metcalf Crump, who served multiple terms in the Tennessee House of Representatives. The firm did not respond to a request for comment at the time of publication, according to the paper.

Memphis could receive additional law enforcement resources and funding for technology to combat cargo theft under a legislative proposal from Tennessee's Republican U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, the Daily Memphian reports. In a statement Blackburn said, “Cargo theft is a pressing issue impacting businesses in Tennessee, and we need to shut down these organized crime groups that steal essential goods from Tennesseans to traffic drugs and weapons.” The bill, co-sponsored by Minnesota Democrat Sen. Amy Klobuchar, would equip six American intermodal facilities with funding for more technology or law enforcement resources. Blackburn wants to locate one of those facilities in Memphis, according to the paper. The Greater Memphis Chamber is supporting the effort. Chamber President Ted Townsend said that Memphis, a gateway city that links eastern and western railroad tracks, ranks second for cargo theft in America.

The Knoxville Bar Association (KBA) will hold its Annual Meeting and Elections on Dec. 12 at 8:30 a.m. EST. At the annual event, KBA President Jonathan Cooper will pass the gavel to incoming President Rachel Hurt. Members also will vote to elect Ursula Bailey as president-elect, Cathy Shuck as treasurer, M. Samantha Parris as secretary and four members of the KBA Board of Governors. The event will take place in the Main Assembly Room of the City County Building, 400 Main St., Knoxville 37902.

The next legal clinic for veterans in Knoxville will take place Dec. 10 from 12-2 p.m. EST at the Knox County Public Defender's Community Law Office, 1101 Liberty St., Knoxville 37919. This is a general advice clinic sponsored by the Knoxville Bar Association, KBA Barristers, Legal Aid of East Tennessee, Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law, the University of Tennessee College of Law, the Knox County Public Defender’s Community Law Office and the local Veterans Affairs office. Attorneys and law students are needed for the in-person clinic. Attorneys also may help clients by phone. Sign up to volunteer here.

A split federal appeals court held last week that Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz PC was wrongly denied qualified immunity for its role acting as outside counsel for Nashville’s local government in a First Amendment suit. Bloomberg Law reports on the decision from the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. Read the opinion.

Vanderbilt University reportedly is still in talks with the Trump administration around a proposal that would provide preferred access to federal grants in exchange for the school implementing a series of government mandates, the Nashville Business Journal reports. The proposal had an original deadline of Nov. 21 for the school to respond. At that time, the university’s chancellor released a campus-wide message reiterating the school’s commitment to “academic freedom, free expression and independence” and belief that grants should be merit based. The paper reports that the university issued a statement saying: "We do not currently have a November 21st deadline, nor a directive to accept or reject the compact" and highlighting its track record of "principled, bipartisan dialogue with the federal government."