The Tennessee Supreme Court reinstated two lawyers to the active practice of law on Nov. 24. Davidson County lawyer Emily Claire Foster was reinstated after being on inactive status since Dec. 5, 2017. Michigan lawyer Brian Robert Leibrandt was reinstated after being on inactive status since May 10, 2012. The Board of Professional Responsibility determined that both of their reinstatement petitions were satisfactory and that reinstatement was appropriate.

The Tennessee Supreme Court issued an order on Nov. 24 adopting a new rule regarding email filing in local courts. Rule 46B provides that any circuit, chancery, criminal, probate, juvenile or general sessions court in the state may adopt local rules allowing for the acceptance of court filings via email. The rule also allows court clerks to adopt reasonable service charges applicable to such filings, clarifies that emailed filings are subject to the applicable service requirements, and signatures in emailed filings are to be treated as original signatures. The rule takes effect immediately.

The TBA is offering a five-day Black Friday sale on its CLE Made Easy Packages. Options include four packages offering eight, 10, 12 or 15 hours of credit. The sale begins today and will run through Sunday. Sale prices are listed under package pricing once added to your cart.

Former Republican Rep. Robin Smith of Hixson has been directed to report to Alderson, a minimum security federal prison in West Virginia, by 2 p.m. on Jan. 5, reports Chattanoogan.com. In October, Smith was sentenced to serve eight months in prison and pay a $7,500 fine for her role in the legislative fraud case that also involved former House Speaker Glen Casada and his top aide, Cade Cothren. Smith pleaded guilty to honest-services wire fraud connected to a taxpayer-funded mailer scheme. After her guilty plea, she cooperated with prosecutors in their cases against Casada and Cothren, who were convicted and given prison time, but pardoned recently by the president. Smith is seeking to have her sentence reduced. One of her attorneys also has sought a presidential pardon.

The TBA Pro Bono Portal provides a centralized source for lawyers and law students to find pro bono opportunities across Tennessee. Whether looking for virtual opportunities, in-person clinics or longer-term cases, volunteers can go online and search options by date or type of representation. Learn more about the portal in a press release from the TBA or visit the site today to begin volunteering! Thank you to Paladin and World Within for making the first year of the portal free to the Tennessee legal community.

Gary Humble has ended his state senate campaign just two months after launching a bid to unseat Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, R-Franklin, citing “personal and organizational commitments.” According to the Williamson Scene, Humble made the announcement last Friday, saying, “after much prayer, thought, and honest conversations with my family, I have reached the conclusion that this is not the right pursuit for me at this time.” The founder and executive director of Tennessee Stands will continue to run that organization. He has offered a full refund to anyone who donated to his campaign.

The Tennessee Bar Association will be closed Wednesday through Friday in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. An abbreviated edition of TBA Today will be published on Wednesday. Visit the TBA website at any time to access CLE offerings and contact information for individual staff members. The office will reopen Dec. 1 at 8 a.m. CST. Happy Thanksgiving!

The Tennessee Supreme Court on Nov. 21 suspended 18 attorneys for failure to pay the annual registration fee, 12 of whom also failed to file proof that client funds are held in an IOLTA-compliant account. View the fee suspension order and IOLTA suspension order. Lawyers reinstated in the last month include two suspended this year, one suspended in 2021, one suspended in 2020 and one suspended in 2019. Access all administrative suspensions dating back to 2005.

Law firms now account for 10.5% of U.S. office leasing activity — double their pre-pandemic share — as other industries have scaled back and firms increasingly require in-person work, Reuters reports. Strong profitability and a renewed emphasis on office presence have allowed many firms to expand or maintain space, contributing to 8.3 million square feet leased through the third quarter. While more than a third of firms expanded their footprint, nearly one-third reduced space.

The Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments met in Nashville to select nominees for the upcoming vacancy on the Tennessee Supreme Court, which will occur with the retirement of Justice Holly Kirby on June 30, 2026. After holding a public hearing and conducting public interviews, the commission selected three names to forward to the governor. They are: Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals Judge J. Ross Dyer of Memphis; Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Kyle A. Hixson of Knoxville; and Memphis attorney Shea Sisk Wellford. View the nominees’ applications here.