Lumen Flats, a new apartment complex in Knoxville, is the first in the U.S. designed specifically for youth aging out of foster care. According to Knox News, the apartments provide 18 studio units and access to mental health therapy and case management through a partnership with Tennessee’s Department of Children’s Services. The development, created by Nashville-based firm Elmington in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and Knoxville’s Community Development Corporation, allows residents to use Foster Youth to Independence vouchers, which are often difficult to apply in traditional rental settings. In Tennessee, 70-80% of young adults leave foster care without a support system. Residents ages 18 to 24 can live at Lumen Flats for up to three years. Plans are in place to expand the model to Nashville, Memphis and Chattanooga.

Nashville lawyer Ben Bodzy, a former senior vice president of legal at Geodis and former shareholder at Baker Donelson, has launched Bodzy Law with offices in Tennessee and New Jersey. He currently is the sole attorney at the boutique practice. According to the Nashville Post, the firm will focus on plaintiff-side employment litigation and wage and hour class actions, as well as claims involving harassment, retaliation, discrimination and whistleblowing. “Our mission is simple: to maximize the value of every claim we handle,” Bodzy said in a release. Offices are located at 10 Burton Hills Blvd., Suite 400, Nashville, TN 37215 and 200 Connell Dr., Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922 and can be reached at 866-455-6280.

The Bradley County Juvenile Court reported Friday that local rehabilitation efforts are producing strong outcomes, with data showing exceptionally low rates of youth transitioning into the adult criminal justice system. According to Chattanoogan.com, court officials said a review of 2024 and 2025 cases found only 11 individuals — about 1% of the court’s typical annual caseload of 500 to 600 youth — appeared before the juvenile court and later were convicted as adults. Four additional cases are pending. The court also cited Department of Children’s Services (DCS) data showing minimal state-level involvement, with just one youth committed to the state judicial diversion program and six on state probation. The juvenile court emphasized that improvements have come as it has focused on local solutions and collaboration with DCS to support families and prevent children from entering state custody.

The criminal records of former Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada and his former chief of staff Cade Cothren have been wiped clean after a federal judge vacated their convictions. The Tennessean reports that U.S. District Judge Eli Richardson issued the two-page ruling on Feb. 5. In November, President Donald Trump pardoned both men of corruption convictions related to a scheme to defrauded taxpayers through a state-funded legislative mailer program. Former Rep. Robin Smith, R-Hixson, who plead guilty in the case, was not pardoned, but her sentence was reduced in January from eight months in prison to one year of probation.

Volunteer Lawyers & Professionals for the Arts will host its "Legal Clinic for the Arts" from 6-8 p.m. CST Feb. 24 after the event was postponed due to the recent winter storm. The clinic will take place at Belmont University College of Law’s Randall and Sadie Baskin Center, 1901 15th Ave. S., in Nashville. It will provide one-on-one legal consultations for income-qualified Tennessee artists, emerging arts nonprofits and creative businesses, focusing on arts-related issues. Participants can register for a 30-minute, in-person private session and will be contacted to confirm appointment details. The Arts + Business Council of Greater Nashville has more information and registration details. Lawyers interested in getting involved should email vlpa@abcnashville.org.

Gov. Bill Lee announced Friday that President Donald Trump approved his request for a major disaster declaration in Middle and West Tennessee counties following Winter Storm Fern. The declaration makes Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) public assistance available to eligible government entities and certain nonprofit organizations in 15 counties (Cheatham, Chester, Clay, Davidson, Hardin, Henderson, Hickman, Lewis, Macon, McNairy, Perry, Sumner, Trousdale, Wayne, and Williamson) to support response and recovery efforts. This is in addition to eight counties (Decatur, Dickson, Hardeman, Lawrence, Maury, Robertson, Rutherford, and Wilson) earlier approved for the same assistance. “As Tennesseans begin the recovery process following Winter Storm Fern, I’m grateful to President Trump for granting our major disaster declaration request,” Lee said in a press release.

The TBA’s Legislative Updates podcast is back with TBA attorneys and lobbyists Berkley Schwarz with Pier Strategies LLC and Brad Lampley and Ashley Harbin with Adams & Reese. This week they discussed Gov. Lee's State of the State address, adoption legislation (SB2165/HB2350), probate legislation (SB2184/HB2451) and a family law bill (SB2324/HB2429). Tune in to the podcast on the TBA website or through this link.

The 2026 Estate Planning & Probate Forum will take place at the Marriott Cool Springs in Franklin on March 6. This event provides seven hours of CLE, including one hour of dual credit, and offers sessions on litigation and estate planning, public receivership, a probate panel and a legislative update. Speakers include Section Chair Robert Malin, Rebecca Blair, Chancellor William Cole, Arthur Cook, Jennifer Exum, Donald Farinato, General Sessions Court Judge Toby Gilley, Zachary Glaser, Lisa Helton, Robin Miller, David Parsons, Al Secor, Andrea Sinclair, Jared Smith and Ashley Stearns. Section members receive discounted registration. Get more information and register on the TBA's website.

A court-appointed receivership over Uncle Nearest was imposed in August 2025 after lender Farm Credit Mid-America sued the company for defaulting on roughly $110 million in loans. The suit prompted a federal judge to install Phillip Young, a partner in the Nashville-based Thompson Burton law firm, as receiver to protect secured assets. According to the Tennessean, Young’s latest filing alleges severe financial misconduct and mismanagement — including erased records, overstated revenues, unfiled federal tax returns and extensive commingling of assets — conditions that could expose the company to numerous creditor and shareholder lawsuits if the receivership ends. Fawn and Keith Weaver, who own Uncle Nearest, dispute the findings, argue the company is still solvent, and are asking the court to end the receivership while opposing any expansion into related businesses. At a Feb. 9 federal hearing, the court will weigh both the legitimacy of the existing receivership and whether the receiver should gain access to financial records from seven additional Weaver-owned entities.

Bradley on Tuesday announced that Paul Ney has joined its Government Enforcement & Investigations and Defense & National Security teams as a partner in the firm’s Nashville and Washington, D.C., offices. “Paul is a highly regarded practitioner with deep ties to the Nashville community, as well as an impressive tenure in the federal government,” said Bradley Board Chair and Managing Partner Jonathan M. Skeeters. Ney previously served as general counsel for the Department of the Navy and deputy general counsel of the Department of Defense (DOD) during George W. Bush’s second term. He returned to Nashville to lead the Mayor’s Office of Economic and Community Development under then-Mayor Karl Dean and later became general counsel for the Department of Defense under the Trump administration. In 2016, he was named chief deputy to Tennessee Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III. Read more in a press release from the firm.