Metro Nashville is moving forward with plans to build a new jail complex on Harding Place to replace two existing facilities, one of which has been unusable for six years, contributing to persistent overcrowding, according to the Nashville Banner. The city issued a request for proposals from potential contractors Monday, setting the project budget at $410 million. The plan calls for demolishing the Metro Detention Facility and the Correctional Development Center for men and constructing a new facility on the same site to provide the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office about 1,000 additional jail beds. Sheriff Daron Hall told the Banner the capacity issues are not due to an unusually high number of inmates, but because of the number of "beds that are functional right now.” He added that city officials aim to complete the project within 36 months.

Memphis attorney and corporate counsel Ralph David Davison, died March 17 at age 93. Davison began his legal career in private practice in Mississippi after earning his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1959. He later moved to Memphis in 1967, where he served as a staff attorney and later vice president of administration for Holiday Inns Inc. He went on to become vice president and general counsel at Parts Inc. Davison was a member of the American, Mississippi and Tennessee bar associations. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. EDT on April 6 at Westminster Canterbury in Richmond. Memorials may be made to the Westminster Canterbury Fellowship Fund, 1600 Westbrook Ave., Richmond, VA 23227; First Presbyterian Church, 4602 Cary Street Rd., Richmond, VA 23226; or Idlewild Presbyterian Church, 1750 Union Ave., Memphis, TN 38104.

Looking for CME hours in addition to your CLE requirements? TBA has you covered. Earn credits before the deadline of March 31 with courses that cover dispute resolution updates, family law consultation, divorce and taxes and more! Find an individual course or get three dual CME/CLE credits and four general credits with TBA's 1-Click CME package. Please note that CME credit must self-submitted through the Administrative Office of the Courts’ ADR portal. If needed, please use the proof of completion email as the supportive documentation in the portal.

The Belmont Law Journal will host its criminal law symposium, “Law, Security and Justice in the Digital Age: Redefining Enforcement and Accountability,” on March 27 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. CDT. The event will feature keynote speakers Sarah Lageson and David Thaw, along with two panels of practitioners discussing issues at the intersection of law and technology. Lageson will speak on "Big Data, Bad Warrants: Rethinking Accountability" while Thaw will address the limits of AI criminality. Attorneys interested in attending can register online and view the full agenda.

The 2026 TBA Leadership Law (TBALL) class met last week in Nashville for its “Issues in Policy & Politics” program. For the first time, the group joined other TBA members on Wednesday for the fourth annual Day on the Hill event — hearing from TBA’s lobbying team and meeting with elected officials. That night, class members attended the Big Shrimp legislative reception. On Thursday, the class heard from San Diego attorney Janice Brown, a favorite TBA speaker. She spoke on “Activators & Leadership.” A second session with TBA lobbyist Brad Lampley of Adams & Reese and Ross Smith of Bass Berry & Sims focused on “Lawyers as Lobbyists.” The day ended with lunch and class caucus, at which class member share reflections on the program. See a photo from Brown’s presentation.

The TBA Litigation Practice Section is continuing its “Perspectives From the Bench” series on May 21 at the new TBA office in Nashville. The program will feature a conversation with Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Jeffrey Bivins and former Supreme Court Justice and current Nashville School of Law Dean Bill Koch. Attorneys Hunter Branstetter with Sherrard Roe Voigt & Harbison and Todd Presnell with Bradley Arant Boult Cummings will moderate the discussion, which will focus on each justice's path to the bench, the role of mentors, the importance of the Rule of Law and more. Make plans now to join colleagues for this informative program from 3-4:30 p.m. CDT and a networking reception that will follow at 4:30 p.m. Learn more and register on the TBA website.

Gov. Bill Lee’s administration has unveiled his annual budget amendment, which is usually a sign that the legislature is within less than month of wrapping up its business for the year. According to the Tennessee Journal, the proposal details $40 million in recurring funding and $190 million in one-time expenditures. Finance Commissioner Jim Bryson noted that the totals were less that officials have become accustomed to because of flat revenues. Funding in the amendment includes money for health programs, including TennCare, Rural Health Clinics and Strong Families Pregnancy Center Grants; housing programs; safety and security programs such as the K-12 School Safety Grants and House of Worship Safety Grants; and a number of tourism projects, including design of an expansion of the National Civil Right Museum. See the full list of proposed spending.

Shelby County lawyer Kenneth Michael Margolis was censured on March 24 after the Tennessee Supreme Court found that he violated Rules of Professional Conduct 1.5(c), 7.1 and 8.4(a). The court found that Margolis mistakenly took the word of his co-counsel that an existing shared client wanted both of them to handle a new matter. He did not verify that arrangement with the client, who in fact, had intended to hire only the lawyer with whom he was speaking. In addition, during this new representation, there was no written fee agreement executed, an existing medical authorization was used without the client’s authorization, and Margolis, along with co-counsel, improperly attempted to collect a contingency fee from the client.

The federal judiciary has approved a new office focused on improving the quality of representation of indigent criminal defendants at the U.S. Supreme Court, with the goal of creating a counterweight to the U.S. Solicitor General's Office, Reuters reports. The U.S. Judicial Conference recently approved the Supreme Court Advocacy Project and the creation of four full-time positions to support it. Its first director will be Ashley Robertson, a lawyer in the Solicitor General's Office. She is a former law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan. The project initially will be housed in the office of the federal public defender for the Eastern District of Virginia. The long-term plan is for the office to become an independent, standalone entity. The judiciary plans to consider funding for that in its 2028 budget, according to reports.

The next legal clinic for veterans in Knoxville will take place April 8 from noon to 1 p.m. EDT at the Knox County Public Defender's Community Law Office, 1101 Liberty St., Knoxville 37919. This is a general advice clinic sponsored by the Knoxville Bar Association, KBA Barristers, Legal Aid of East Tennessee, Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law, the University of Tennessee Winston College of Law, the Knox County Public Defender’s Community Law Office and the local Veterans Affairs office. Attorneys and law students are needed for the in-person clinic. Attorneys also may help clients by phone. Sign up to volunteer.