TBA staff member Laura Labenberg has been promoted to the position of Director of the Young Lawyers Division and Law Student Development, a move applauded by both TBA and Young Lawyers Division (YLD) leadership. Labenberg joined the TBA in September 2022 in a coordinator role supporting the Young Lawyers Division (YLD) and law students across the state. She previously served as a professor of rhetoric at Hofstra University and executive director of an educational nonprofit in New York. Earlier in her career in higher education, Labenberg served as a grants coordinator and conference coordinator. She earned her doctorate in educational leadership and policy studies at Hofstra University. According to TBA Executive Director Sheree Wright, the promotion reflects Labenberg’s outstanding service to the TBA and YLD over the past three years.

Tennessee lawyers participated in the National College of Bar Presidents (NCBP) and American Bar Association (ABA) annual meetings over the past week. Among the many events was a reception hosted by the Tennessee Bar Association (TBA) to honor Sherie Edwards, who served as TBA president from 2021-2022 and treasurer from 2011-2018. Edwards retired as vice president of corporate and legal for State Volunteer Mutual Insurance Company last year. She is currently president-elect of the Nashville Bar Association and will take office as president later this year. She serves on the NCBP Executive Council and several not-for-profit boards, and will be starting a mediation practice later this fall. Thank you to our reception sponsors: Silver Sponsor Lewis, Thomason; Bronze Sponsors Belmont College of Law, Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law and Wiseman | Ashworth | Trauger | Moore | Silvus; and Patron Sponsors Tasha Blakney, Katie Edge, Marcy Eason, Randy Noel, Charles Swanson and Danny Van Horn. Also during the Annual Meeting, Nashville lawyer and ABA House of Delegates Chair Jonathan Cole presided over that body, which considered a range of proposals. See photos and read more about the NCBP and ABA meetings.

Save the date for this year’s Disability Law Forum, which will take place Oct. 23 as a live virtual event. The program will run from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. CDT. Stay tuned for more details coming soon to the TBA CLE website. Disability Law Section members enjoy discounted registration. Not a section member yet? Join here.

The deadline to file petitions to run to replace former U.S. Rep. Mark Green Ballot in the 7th Congressional District was Tuesday. The primary ballot is now set with 11 Republicans, four Democrats and four Independents. The group includes six sitting state representatives, according to The Tennessee Journal. WPLN looks at each of the candidates. Rep. Green resigned from Congress on July 20. The primary election is set for Oct. 7, with the general election scheduled for Dec. 2.

The Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility (BPR) has cleared Davidson County District Attorney (DA) Glenn Funk of an ethics complaint filed by Comptroller Jason Mumpower, the Nashville Banner reports. The complaint related to the use of video cameras in the DA’s office and campaigning by staff. Following a September 2024 report by Mumpower’s office, the BPR launched a nine-month inquiry and found that the “complaint was without merit.” This follows Funk being cleared of any criminal wrongdoing by Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti last year. “The summary dismissal of Comptroller Mumpower's complaint by the Board of Professional Responsibility and the clearance letter from the State Attorney General were the obvious conclusions to these investigations as General Funk's Office operates at the highest levels of professionalism and integrity,” said Greg Reed, who represented Funk.

The Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program (TLAP) will host a free suicide prevention training using the QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) method on Sept. 10 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. CDT. Participants will learn to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade and refer someone to help, similar to how CPR or the Heimlich Maneuver can save lives. The free session, limited to 20 participants, will include lunch and provide guidance on identifying common causes of suicidal behavior, helping someone in crisis and accessing support for oneself. For more information and to register, visit the TBA website.

University of Tennessee System President Randy Boyd said Tuesday the school has hired a national law firm to provide guidance on meeting federal diversity, equity and inclusion standards set by the Trump administration, Knox News reports. UT has faced accusations from federal officials that it failed to comply with DEI regulations. In July, the school initiated an independent, systemwide review of all access and engagement activities and mandated compliance training for employees. The national law firm Saul Ewing will assess the school's policies and activities to ensure they meet the administration’s requirements. Boyd also asked employees to familiarize themselves with the federal rules and respond promptly to compliance auditors and attorneys if contacted. The move comes after other Tennessee universities, including Belmont University and Vanderbilt University, have launched similar investigations.

Officials in Mason voted Tuesday to approve reopening the West Tennessee Detention Facility as a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) site operated by private prison company CoreCivic. The 600-bed Tipton County facility, which closed in 2021 after the Biden administration ended Justice Department contracts with private prisons, was previously used by the U.S. Marshals Service, News Channel 9 reports. Residents shared mixed views, with some opposing the reopening and others supporting potential job growth. CoreCivic said the project could create nearly 240 jobs and generate more than $500,000 annually for local government, though no timeline has been set for reopening.

The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) is using phone-hacking technology to unlock and extract data from smartphones, according to the Nashville Scene. Digital investigation software provider Magnet Forensics said last year that the department uses a suite of its products, including GrayKey, to access data from suspects’ devices. GrayKey can retrieve text messages, call logs, app data, location history and even deleted files. Murfreesboro, Smyrna and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation also have licenses with Magnet Forensics. An MNPD spokesperson said about 90% of all department investigations now involve digital evidence. Digital privacy advocates warn the technology allows law enforcement to access more data than necessary for an investigation and could be abused without proper oversight.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti recently announced the launch of Operation Robocall Roundup, a bipartisan, multistate effort by the Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force to crack down on robocalls nationwide. Skrmetti and 50 attorneys general are sending warning letters to 37 telecommunications companies demanding they stop routing illegal robocalls through their networks. “These companies failed to meet the most basic requirements to prevent illegal robocalls, essentially rolling out the red carpet for bad actors. Our bipartisan coalition is demanding that they clean up their networks and stop facilitating these scams,” Skrmetti said in a news release. The task force also is notifying 99 other telecommunications companies that accept call traffic from the 37 noncompliant companies, alerting them they are doing business with bad actors unwilling to follow federal anti-robocall rules.