If you missed the TBA's Law Tech Lunch & Learn Series, one of the more popular programs on artificial intelligence (AI), "Harnessing ChatGPT and Generative AI in Your Law Practice," will be rebroadcast at noon CDT on March 27. The two-hour session features Memphis lawyers Greg Siskind and Zack Glaser, who provide an introduction to AI and how it can be incorporated into the practice of law. The second session features Siskind and fellow Memphis lawyer Lucian Pera discussing ethical considerations around AI. For those not available to join in next week, a recording of the CLE also is available on demand at any time.

Thank you for your continued support of our Corporate Counsel Section. As a reminder, our annual forum will take place virtually on April 19. We will have sessions on compliance with the Corporate Transparency Act, guiding your company through a government investigation, the demise of non-competes and no-poaching agreements and ethical issues surrounding parent/subsidiary relationships. You won't want to miss this informative program, especially since your section membership includes a discount on all Corporate Counsel-sponsored CLE!

Don't forget that the Corporate Counsel Pro Bono Initiative Gala is April 20, the day after the forum. Sponsorships and tickets are still available.
 
In the meantime, you don’t have to wait to connect with colleagues: the section directory is a great resource for meeting other in-house attorneys or for referrals. We hope we see you at the forum and gala, and if you have thoughts or ideas for future section initiatives, please don’t hesitate to reach out to TBA staff coordinator Jamie Rhode.

Attorneys from across the state gathered in Nashville this week for TBA's second annual "Day on the Hill." The day kicked off with remarks from Brandon Gibson, the state's chief operating officer, and House Majority Leader William Lamberth, R-Portland. The group was invited to observe a session of the House Civil Justice Committee where TBA President Jim Barry and Bedford County attorney Garrett Haynes gave statements to lawmakers on the urgent need for increased funding for indigent representation. Participants then met with more than 25 legislators to discuss the funding issue. The day concluded with TBA's annual Big Shrimp legislative reception, giving TBA leaders and members a chance to meet with legislators in a casual setting to continue conversations on topics important to the profession. See photos from the events.

Dawn Coppock, longtime TBA Adoption Law Section Executive Council member and legal author, will host an open house and book launch for the eighth edition of her seminal "Coppock on Tennessee Adoption Law" book on April 10. The open house will occur on the first day of her three-day Adoption Law School in the Mountains seminar. For more information, see the flyers for the open house and the seminar.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network is now accepting beneficial ownership information reports in conjunction with the Corporate Transparency Act. The bipartisan bill, enacted in 2021 to curb illicit finance, requires many companies doing business in the United States to report information about the individuals who ultimately own or control them. Existing companies that are required to comply must file their initial reports by Jan. 1, 2025, while newly created or registered companies have 90 calendar days to file after receiving actual or public notice that their company’s creation or registration is effective. For more details regarding the reports, see the Treasury's press release.

The Vanderbilt Social Justice Reporter will hold a two-part event focused on the legacy of voting rights in the South, the current state of affairs, and strategies for ensuring a full right to a fair vote for Black and Brown residents. The first event is a Community Conversation on April 1 from 7-8:30 p.m. CDT at the National Museum of African American Music, 510 Broadway in downtown Nashville. The next day, on April 2, the group will hold a Roundtable Panel Series from 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. CDT at Vanderbilt Law School, 131 21st Ave. S in Nashville. Get more information about the programs or register.

The 2024 TBA Leadership Law class met last week in Knoxville for its “Issues in Community Leadership” program. Class members heard from Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Dwight E. Tarwater, who spoke on “Leadership in 6 Words”; University of Tennessee College of Law Associate Professor and Clinical Programs Director Joy Radice, who spoke about pro bono efforts to expunge criminal charges and restore citizenship rights; LMU Duncan School of Law Professor Mohamed Akram Faizer, who presented on “Being Appreciative of Yourself and Others;” and Knoxville lawyer Robbie Pryor, with Pryor, Priest & Harber, who shared his experiences of navigating life as a lawyer. The group also heard from a number of community leaders, including Dr. Charles F. Lomax, president and chief executive officer of the Knoxville Area Urban League; Rev. Reneè Kesler, president of the Beck Cultural Exchange Center; and attorney Chloe Akers, president and founder of The Best of Tennessee Inc.

President Joe Biden has nominated Kevin Ritz, current U.S. attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, for the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. If confirmed, he would replace Judge Julia Smith Gibbons, who announced her intention to take senior status on the court following confirmation of a successor. Ritz has served in his current role since 2022. From 2005 to 2022, he worked as an assistant U.S. attorney, serving at different times as criminal appellate chief and appellate chief. Before joining the U.S. attorney’s office, he was a law clerk for Gibbons. Ritz also is a past chair of the TBA’s Appellate Practice Section and past president of the Memphis/Mid-South Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. He received his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2004. The Commercial Appeal has more on the nomination.

The American Bar Association (ABA) will host a Law Day 2024 Launch Program tomorrow from 4-5 p.m. EDT. The program — which will be held virtually with free registration — will provide suggestions and guidance to inspire people to plan and lead their own Law Day celebrations. The event will include a panel discussion on this year’s Law Day theme, “Voices of Democracy,” which encourages Americans to participate in the 2024 elections by deepening their understanding of the electoral process; discussing issues in honest and civil ways; turning out to vote; and helping to move the country forward after free and fair elections. Law Day is celebrated each year on May 1. Read more about or register for the event.

The American Bar Association (ABA) Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility has released a formal opinion that provides guidance on when a lawyer’s conflict is imputed to all others in the lawyer’s firm ─ specifically when a lawyer discusses a legal matter with a prospective client and the client does not retain the lawyer or the firm. Formal Opinion 510 addresses the “reasonable measures” necessary to avoid imputing the lawyer’s conflict of interest to the firm under Rule 1.18 of the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct. Read more about the opinion.