The Nashville law firm Neal & Harwell will close at the end of August as many of the lawyers remaining at the firm join the Nashville office of Womble Bond Dickinson. The move follows the decision of firm co-founder Aubrey Harwell and his son Trey Harwell to join Adams & Reese in May. According to a press release from Womble, 18 of the 20 lawyers joining the firm will serve in the Business Litigation Group while two will join the Finance, Bankruptcy and Restructuring Group. According to the Nashville Business Journal, Womble opened its Nashville office in 2022. The firm had seven attorneys in the office before the addition of the Neal & Harwell team.

The Tennessee Bar Association is accepting applications from candidates interested in the position of director of access to justice and strategic initiatives. This full-time position is responsible for leading the association’s efforts to expand access to legal services and improve the justice system, while advancing strategic initiatives that support organizational priorities, including policy advocacy, public service collaborations and leadership-driven projects. Access the full job description here. To apply, send a cover letter explaining interest in the position and a resume by email to Human Resources and Administrative Coordinator Tanja Trezise. The position is currently held by Liz Slagle Todaro, who is transitioning from the TBA this fall after 13 years. She will remain active in Tennessee’s access to justice and larger non-profit communities, including serving on the boards of the Nashville Urban Debate League and Family Reconciliation Center.

Lenoir City Judge Gregg Harrison has been reinstated to the bench and will serve through the end of his original term in 2030, the News Herald reports. Harrison was removed from the post in March after city councilmember Robin McNabb — his opponent in the 2022 judicial election — won a Tennessee Supreme Court decision that Harrison, along with more than a dozen other municipal judges statewide, were disqualified under newly clarified residency requirements. In response to that decision, the General Assembly passed legislation (SB255/HB490) permitting judges elected or appointed before March 7, 2025, to retain their seats through their current terms, even if they no longer meet the revised residency criteria. In light of the new law, 9th Judicial District Chancellor Tom McFarland restored Harrison to the bench with back pay. McNabb has continued to challenge Harrison’s return, filing a new lawsuit claiming the statute is unconstitutional. City attorney Walter Johnson, who was named to the court when Harrison was removed, has returned to his original duties.

The Tennessee Registry of Election Finance has rejected a $2,500 settlement offer from the Civic Engagement Forum to resolve a complaint involving unregistered ads it ran against Rep. Michele Reneau, R-Signal Mountain, during her 2024 primary race. Registry Chair Tom Lawless said the fine was too low, noting political operatives should be held accountable for violating campaign laws. According to Tennessee Lookout, the group admits it should have registered as a political committee and filed expenditure reports. It proposed the offer "to settle the matter and avoid further costs and uncertainty." The Tennessee Attorney General’s Office determined the Civic Engagement Forum and a second group, Citizen Engagement Forum, shared identical content opposing Reneau and likely were connected though the group denies any connection.

Penny Schwinn, who was nominated to serve as deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, has withdrawn her nomination, Education Secretary Linda McMahon announced last week. Schwinn, a former Tennessee education commissioner, will instead take on a different role within the department. According to Tennessee Lookout, Schwinn is known for her advocacy of improved reading outcomes and was among President Donald Trump’s early picks for department posts. In a statement, Schwinn said she gave the decision “thoughtful consideration” and remains “committed to protecting kids, raising achievement and expanding opportunity — my lifelong mission and north star.”

Memphis bail reform nonprofit Just City plans to use its own funds to bail out as many people as possible from the Shelby County Jail, the Commercial Appeal reports. Just City Executive Director Josh Spickler said the organization will use $50,000 from its bail fund to assist those being held at the jail. The move comes after news of deaths and overcrowding at the facility. Along with announcing the initiative, Spickler called on the Shelby County Sheriff's Office to take immediate steps to improve jail conditions, process inmates more quickly and reduce the number of inmates with mental health issues by next year.

A University of Memphis law student has filed a lawsuit in Shelby County Chancery Court, alleging the city of Memphis violated the state Public Records Act by restricting access to police disciplinary documents. Tyler Foster claims the city imposed inflated fees, inconsistent policies and a “sustained pattern of noncompliance” in responding to his public records requests, including failure to provide clear explanations of fees and denial of legally mandated documents, the Memphis Flyer reports. Foster, who has submitted requests through the city’s online Public Records Center since June 2024, says his requests for police disciplinary records were marked “fulfilled and closed” without delivery of any documents. The suit contends the city’s actions hinder transparency and accountability amid longstanding concerns about police misconduct. In May, the American Civil Liberties Union and Stand for Children Tennessee submitted a public records request to the Memphis Police Department for information about “misconduct and civil rights violations.”

On July 22, the Tennessee Supreme Court lifted a temporary suspension it had imposed on Cumberland County lawyer Melanie Beth Shada on April 25, 2024. The court noted that Shada’s acceptance of a public censure on Oct. 24, 2024, resolved the disciplinary matter. It did not reinstate her license, though, since she remains administratively suspended for failure to pay annual registration fees.

Judge George W. Emerson Jr. died July 29 at age 71. Emerson earned his degree from Memphis State University in 1977, followed by a law degree from the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law in 1980. He began his career as a law clerk for Judge William B. Leffler, then practiced law for more than two decades before being appointed as a U.S. Bankruptcy judge for the Western District of Tennessee in 2006, a role he held with honor until his retirement in 2020. A visitation will be held Aug. 9 at 10 a.m. CDT at the Church of the Incarnation, 360 Bray Station Road, Collierville 38017, followed by a funeral service at 11 a.m. A reception will take place afterward at Ridgeway Country Club, 9800 Poplar Ave., Germantown 38139. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Baptist Reynolds Hospice House, Church of the Incarnation, Hope Church or Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

Sen. Richard Briggs, R-Knoxville, and Ed Jackson, R-Jackson, are asking the Tennessee Department of Correction to release part of a $14 million fund balance to support the state’s Community Corrections program, which suffered a 15% funding cut this year, the Tennessee Lookout reports. Briggs sent a formal letter detailing the impact the budget cut had on the program and requested the department to release 10% of a $14 million “carry forward” fund balance for Community Corrections to enable 13 programs to operate. Commissioner Frank Strada has declined to release the requested funds, citing budgetary and strategic constraints. The budget reduction has forced layoffs and service cuts in agencies like the East Tennessee Human Resource Agency, which had served 750 people across 19 counties before the state imposed new program requirements in 2022. Jackson said additional funding requests will continue in 2026, but warned rural programs could face further reductions in the meantime.