The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) last week sued the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of three environmental groups, claims that the TVA spent millions on the gas plant through agreements with pipeline operator Enbridge and GE before it studied negative environmental effects or renewable energy alternatives, or received community feedback, Knox News reports. The suit also alleges that the agreements, and a 2022 contract for combustion turbines from GE, violate the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Kingston was the site of the catastrophic coal ash spill in 2008 which resulted in more than a decade of litigtation over safety violations between workers and their families and Jacobs Solutions. A settlement was reached in 2023.

The TBA's Law Office Technology & Management Section is presenting the latest installment of it's law tech webcast series on Nov. 19 from 1:30 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. CST.  In "Our Era of AI: Responsible AI & Microsoft Copilot," attorneys will learn about how Microsoft embraces Responsible AI in its development of AI solutions and how the Microsoft legal department uses the Microsoft Copilot AI solution to achieve more. For more information or to register visit the TBA’s website.

The Shelby County District Attorney's office last week announced that a new bail-setting form will include a “law-enforcement notes” section, replacing the previous bond-recommendation section. The form will include information on a defendant’s evidence of flight, evasion, violence, other crimes and other relevant information. The Daily Memphian reports that the new bail-setting form is the latest change to Shelby County’s bail-setting process, which has received criticism from local residents and state legislators who claim it often does not do enough to protect the community.

Lawyers and legal professionals witnessed a sea change in technology recently, and the pace is not slowing. Use this checklist as a starting point for analyzing the training needs of your firm and building an effective, lasting infrastructure that empowers employees to learn. Find this and more in the Management Section of TBA’s Law Firm in a Box.

TBA's annual Hot Topics in Real Estate seminar, presented in partnership with the Tennessee Land Title Association, will be held virtually on Nov. 8 from 9 a.m to 4:15 p.m. CST. Topics will include powers of attorney, the new FINCEN rules, AI and the annual case law and legislative updates. Participants include Al Frazier with Fidelity National Financial Title Group, Ryan Martinez with Alliant National Title Insurance, Dr. Susan Tanner with the University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law, and Charles Welch Jr. with Phelps Dunbar. Real Estate Section members enjoy discounted registration fees. Not a member of the section? Join here.

West Tennessee Legal Services (WTLS) has opened an office in Memphis at 1407 Union to begin serving clients there, the Daily Memphian reports. In the three months since the group inherited the caseload of the federally funded legal aid office in Memphis, WTLS Executive Director Ashley Holliday has hired 10 lawyers, found temporary office space, blazed trails to connect with the legal community and moved twice. Memphis Area Legal Services, now headed by CEO Nicole Grida, will continue to provide legal services through private funding and grants. “The scope of our work remains unchanged,” Grida told the paper. “We still serve clients in our priority areas, housing, family and children, elder, consumer … services that we have offered for a number of years.”

TBA’s member benefit partner SoFi is offering a webinar on Thursday to help those with student loans make a plan to manage their debt. The company reports that the student loan repayment on–ramp period ended on Sept. 30, meaning borrowers will have to start repaying their loans. The webinar will air at 3 p.m. CDT and feature Brian Walsh, SoFi's head of advice and planning. He will talk about the latest student debt news and how to start paying loans with confidence. Register here. Two previous sessions on the basics of student loans also are available to watch on demand.

After being closed for more than five months for asbestos, mold and lead remediation, Shelby County Juvenile Court was scheduled to resume in-person hearings on Monday. However, due to staffing and budget issues, all 150 cases scheduled for Monday — including for dependency and neglect, custody and visitation and child support — were held virtually, a change communicated on Sunday. The Shelby County Sheriff's Office transported juveniles to court last year, but communicated to the court that they would not continue to do so this year, due to staffing and budget issues. The Daily Memphian has more.

The current law school admission cycle kicked off with an 18% surge in people registering to take the LSAT entrance exam. According to Reuters, this increase likely suggests increased interest from young people in careers focused on U.S. legal affairs. The LSAT administration in the latest cycles — which includes August, September, October and November posted increases in either test takers or those registered to take the test compared to last year. The article reports, this year's increase in LSAT takers comes as the U.S. legal sector has begun to add jobs after a four-month slump. Law school applications have also increased with applicants up 6% nationwide over the previous year.

A former prosecutor has sued Nashville District Attorney General Glenn Funk, accusing him of violating her First Amendment rights by allegedly forcing her out of her job after she served on a jury in a case prosecuted by the office. Katie Hagan voted to find the defendant not guilty after which she says Funk “berated” her for her actions, “accused her of being unethical” and reassigned her to desk work. She ultimately resigned. Hagan argues that she did not believe she could decline the jury summons given the office’s policy, which states: "Jury service is a responsibility of good citizenship, and all employees are expected to honor subpoenas for jury duty in any court. It is the office policy that employees serve rather than seek to be excused or exempted. Jury service is both a privilege and an obligation." NewsChannel 5 reports on the suit.