Gov. Bill Lee has announced two judicial appointments. Valerie L. Smith was named to the Tennessee Court of Appeals (Western Division) while Steven W. Sword was named to the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals (Eastern Division). Smith serves as a circuit court judge for the 30th Judicial District in Shelby County. She was appointed to fill a vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Arnold B. Goldin. Sword serves as a criminal court judge for the 6th Judicial District in Knox County. He was appointed to fill a vacancy created by the passing of Judge James C. Witt Jr. Both must be approved by the legislature.

Funding for domestic violence and sexual assault centers has been dropping off in recent years and now is facing greater uncertainty, WPLN reports. Advocates tell the station they fear the current situation could have devastating consequences for crime victims if services like court advocacy, emergency shelter hotlines, rape crisis counseling and sexual assault exams are more limited or eliminated altogether. Advocates had hoped to see additional funding in the governor’s budget. Now more than 100 nonprofits have signed a letter asking the legislature to dedicate $25 million annually to victim services.

The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee last week advanced President Donald Trump’s picks to be second-in-command at the Justice Department and head of the antitrust division, setting them both up for expected confirmation by the full Senate, Bloomberg Law reports. The panel voted along party lines to advance the nomination of Todd Blanche to be deputy attorney general, and by a 20-2 vote to advance the nomination of Gail Slater to lead the antitrust division. Blanche is a former Manhattan federal prosecutor who was Trump’s criminal defense attorney. Slater formerly served as economic policy adviser to Vice President JD Vance when he was a senator. Her background also includes more than 10 years at the Federal Trade Commission, as well as stints as a policy adviser at Fox Corp. and Roku Inc.

The Knoxville Bar Association and the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, in partnership with Legal Aid of East Tennessee (LAET), will hold a Debt Relief Clinic on March 8 to provide pro bono legal services to income-eligible consumer debtors. The clinic will begin at 9 a.m. EST at the Knox County Public Defender's Community Law Office, 1101 Liberty St., Knoxville 37919. Judge Suzanne Bauknight will present a short overview of the bankruptcy system and then volunteer lawyers will conduct initial meetings with the clients to discuss their situations and options. Those interested in helping should register online. Clients seeking advice should call 865-637-0484.

The TBA Corporate Counsel Section will hold its annual forum virtually on March 28. The event, which will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. CDT, will include sessions on the complexities of attorney/client privilege for in-house counsel, an employment law update, a Supreme Court update and a look at how AI can impact contract negotiations. Participants include Nashville lawyer John Edwin Gerth with Epstein Becker Green, Atlanta lawyer Alex Koskey and Memphis lawyer Matthew White with Baker Donelson, and University of Tennessee professor Hemant Sharma. Section members receive discounts on registration costs. Not a member yet? Join here.

TBA’s Legislative Updates podcast features TBA lobbyists Berkley Schwarz of Pier Strategies LLC and Ashley Harbin of Adams and Reese. This week they discuss several legislative developments, including SB1052/HB1355, which amends Tenn. Code Ann. §36-1-102(45)(B) to specify that a biological father who only pays token support to the child’s mother does not qualify as a putative father; SB540/HB492, which addresses custody determinations and failure to pay child support; SB541/HB906, which pertains to legislation from the TBA probate study group; SB394/HB569, concerning the selection of a settlement agent in real property transactions; SB943/HB1255, which mandates continuing education for judges involved in child custody proceedings; and the Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts’ plan for indigent representation presented on behalf of the Tennessee Supreme Court. Listeners can tune in on the TBA website or directly through this link.

Nashville law firms are increasingly expanding their specialties, with several adding new practice areas in response to the city’s growth and demand for legal services. In a report from the Nashville Business Journal, firms like Thompson Burton and Adams and Reese have significantly broadened their practices, incorporating areas such as business immigration, artificial intelligence (AI) and entertainment law. As AI technology becomes more integral to the legal field, firms such as Baker Donelson and Sherrard Roe Voigt & Harbison have introduced dedicated AI teams to help clients navigate legal challenges related to AI, while others, like Lewis Thomason, have implemented policies to ensure AI is used only for non-substantive tasks due to data privacy concerns. There are many variations in the use of AI, based on the individual firm’s field of practice, but, the paper reports there "seems to be an agreement on the establishment of clear guide rails and that AI cannot replace the human touch or nuance of legal practice."

The TBA is seeking to fill vacancies, both on its Board of Governors and in its House of Delegates. Open positions on the board include 4th District governor and East Tennessee governor. Seats available in the House of Delegates include those in the 2nd, 7th, 8th, 9th, 15th, 18th, 22nd, 23rd, 24th and 31st districts. Finally, a vacancy exists in the position of young lawyer delegate to the ABA House of Delegates. Those interested in being considered for any of these positions should email TBA Executive Director Sheree Wright at barED@tnbar.org by March 3. For additional information on these vacancies, including terms of service and counties included in each district, visit the TBA’s election page.

In a 7-2 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that plaintiffs are not entitled to attorneys' fees after obtaining a preliminary injunction that is later mooted, Bloomberg Law reports. Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the court, said the plaintiffs do not count as “prevailing parties” entitled to attorneys’ fees because no court has conclusively resolved their claims. The case involved Virginia drivers who challenged a state law suspending licenses for unpaid fees, with the state changing the law after the plaintiffs secured a temporary injunction. The court's ruling set a rule that prevents civil rights lawyers from receiving attorneys' fees in such cases, despite the temporary success. Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson and Sonia Sotomayor dissented, arguing the plaintiffs’ victory, though temporary, was never overturned.

Shelby County Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr. has been federally charged with bribery and tax evasion, the Commercial Appeal reports. Ford turned himself in to federal authorities Friday morning. An indictment charges Ford with one count of bribery and kickbacks related to programs receiving federal funds and six counts of attempting to evade tax payments. If convicted on all counts, Ford could face up to 40 years in federal prison. Three nonprofits are named in the criminal complaint, along with businesses owned and operated by Ford. According to the news outlet, the charges may be connected to a previous investigation into Ford's involvement in securing a $450,000 grant for Junior Achievement of Memphis, which later purchased computers from Ford's business. The FBI executed a search warrant at Ford's home in May 2023 as part of the ongoing investigation.