Nashville attorney Dot Dobbins, a trailblazer in family law and legal advocacy, died last week at age 77. A Celebration of Life will be held June 18 at 2 p.m. CDT at Brenthaven Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 516 Franklin Rd., Brentwood 37027. Visitation will begin at noon. Donations may be made to The Alternatives To Violence Project Inc. (AVP-USA), 2136 Ford Parkway, Saint Paul, MN 55116. A 1971 graduate of Vanderbilt Law School, Dobbins was one of only 12 women in a class of 150. She began her career at the Legal Aid Society of Nashville, where she led the family law unit for more than a decade, handling cases involving adoption, divorce, custody and domestic disputes. A founding member of the Lawyers’ Association for Women in 1981, she also served as general counsel for the Tennessee Department of Human Services and played a key role in drafting the state’s first order of protection law. Dobbins retired in 2015.

Thank you to the 21 sponsors who helped underwrite the costs of this year's TBA Convention! Thank you to Diamond Presenting Sponsor Baker Donelson; Platinum Sponsor TriStar Court Reporting; Silver Sponsors Bookkeeping Done Virtually, JAMS and Miles Mediation & Arbitration; Bronze Sponsors Consultwebs, SoFi, TBA Member Insurance Solutions and The Bar Plan; Copper Sponsors Ai Pro, Conservatorship Association of Tennessee, Husch Blackwell, Iconographics, IT Solutions, LexisNexis, Richards Bespoke, Scipio Technologies, Time Miner and vLex Fastcase; and Event Partners Covert Results Investigations & Security and Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program (TLAP) . Check out our sponsor page for more information on these companies and law firms.

At the 2025 Lawyers Luncheon, outgoing TBA President Ed Lanquist Jr. presented a number of awards. Nashville lawyer Laura Kidwell received the Justice Joseph W. Henry Award for Outstanding Legal Writing for her article "It Is So Ordered: A Primer on Tennessee’s Final Judgment Rule." Federal Public Defender Dumaka Shabazz received the Claudia Jack Award for his work mentoring other lawyers. The Fourth Estate Award was presented to the Nashville Banner for a series of stories last year designed to bring transparency and accountability to the Davidson County Criminal Court. The William M. Leech Jr. Public Service Award from the TBA Young Lawyers Division Fellows went to 21st Judicial District Circuit Court Judge and Chancellor David Veile. Lanquist also presented his President’s Awards. Representatives from the executive and judicial branch, including Supreme Court Chief Justice Holly Kirby, were recognized for their work securing funding for a new indigent representation system. TBA's legislative team also received awards for their efforts. In her remarks, Kirby thanked the TBA for its strong support on the issue and presented it the "Chief Justice Partnership for Justice Award." Finally, Lanquist honored the members of the TBA Building Committee, which worked to secure a new permanent home for the association. See photos from the event.

Plans are underway for a new 32- to 40-bed regional juvenile detention facility to serve West Tennessee, as rising violent youth crime strains Madison County’s outdated and overcrowded center, Juvenile Court Services Director T.J. King said during a June 4 speech to the Jackson Rotary Club. According to the Jackson Sun, six of the county’s eight juvenile beds are currently occupied by youth charged with murder or attempted murder. Nearly 30 threats of mass violence were made by students during the 2024–25 school year. When the facility is full, deputies often transport juveniles to East Tennessee. King emphasized the importance of community support, responsible gun ownership and after-school initiatives such as the Evening Reporting Center, as well as a truancy court partnership that has achieved a 97% success rate in reducing school absences and behavior issues.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has joined a bipartisan coalition in urging Congress to pass the Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act of 2025, legislation aimed at protecting consumers from the invasive practice of mortgage credit robocalls known as “trigger leads.” Skrmetti, along with attorneys general from South Carolina, South Dakota, North Carolina and Nevada, is leading the effort on behalf of consumers overwhelmed by unsolicited calls and texts after applying for a mortgage, according to a release. Under current federal law, credit reporting agencies can legally sell trigger leads — real-time notifications that include personal consumer information — when someone applies for a mortgage. The proposed legislation would restrict the use of trigger leads to businesses that have an existing relationship with the consumer or have obtained their explicit consent.

Knoxville lawyer Heidi Barcus was recently sworn in as the 145th president of the Tennessee Bar Association. A shareholder in the Knoxville office of Lewis Thomason, Barcus has dedicated her legal career to advocating for professionals and institutions in the complex arena of health care liability. She has been active in the TBA and other legal and community organizations for many years, serving most recently as TBA president-elect, Second District representative on the TBA Board of Governors and as a member of the TBA’s Law Office Technology & Management Section and its Tort and Insurance Practice Section. She is a past chair of the American Bar Association (ABA) Law Practice Division and currently serves on the ABA’s TECHSHOW Board. The oath of office was administered by Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Dwight Tarwater during the TBA’s Annual Lawyers Lunch. During remarks following the swearing in, Barcus announced several initiatives, including a focus on helping first generation lawyers, those who fail the bar the first time they take it and lawyers in the twilight of their careers. She also announced a CLE Abroad trip to Morocco in February 2026 and a technology focus for the 2026 TBA Convention in Knoxville. Watch her remarks, as well as the full footage of the Lawyers Lunch, on the TBA's YouTube page. See photos from the lunch or read the TBA's full press release.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia of Maryland appeared at the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee today and pleaded not guilty to human smuggling charges stemming from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee, the Associated Press reports. In their request to keep Abrego Garcia in jail pending trial, prosecutors also accused him of trafficking drugs and firearms and abusing the women he transported, though he has not been charged with those crimes. His defense challenged the credibility of government witnesses, citing their criminal records and possible motivations, and denied all criminal allegations. They also argued the charges are a political maneuver to justify his recent removal to El Salvador, which they say violated a court order protecting him from deportation due to fears of gang violence.

A Juneteenth celebration will take place June 14 in Lebanon, with a daylong, family-friendly festival on Market Street beginning at 11 a.m. CDT. Hosted by the Wilson County Black History Committee, the event will open with a ceremony recognizing the significance of Juneteenth as a national holiday. Market Street will be closed to traffic to accommodate vendors and live music throughout the day. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit the Williamson Source. 

The CLE Performer Stuart Teicher is back with three new ethics webcasts on July 17! Shakira, Secrets and Scandals: Attorney Ethics and the World of Offshore Deals begins at 9 a.m. CDT, followed by Five Ways to Use Chat GPT Safely in the Practice of Law at 10:15, and wrapping up with The Office: What Michael Scott Teaches About Lawyer Professionalism at 11:30. Join your colleagues and earn one, two or three ethics credits.

The Trial Court Vacancy Commission has received applications for two vacancies in the 30th Judicial District. The applicants for the criminal court judge vacancy are Jahari M. Dowdy, Lora D. Fowler, Raymond J. Lepone and Kenya N. Smith. The applicants for the circuit court vacancy are William Christopher Frulla, C. Scott Jones and Mitzi H. Pollard. A public hearing for these candidates will be held July 16 and 17 at 9 a.m. CDT in the Historic Courtroom (Room 325) at The University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, 1 N. Front St., Memphis 38103. Contact John Jefferson, assistant general counsel at the Administrative Office of the Courts, at john.jefferson@tncourts.gov or 615-741-2687 with questions. The commission is expected to vote immediately following the interviews and forward nominations for each position to Gov. Bill Lee for his consideration. To view the applications, visit the AOC's website.