New lawyers are being sworn in at ceremonies across the state this month. The Tennessee Supreme Court started in Knoxville and continued in Nashville, and on Nov. 14 will be in Memphis at the Memphis City Hall and Jackson at the Jackson Supreme Court Building. TBA Young Lawyers Division members will be on hand to welcome the new lawyers and answers questions about the TBA. See photos from the Knoxville ceremony.

Shelby County Criminal Court Judge James Jones Jr. has announced the remaining four former Memphis police officers in the Tyre Nichols state case are slated to begin their state criminal trial in August 2024, reports the Commercial Appeal. "We had taken a lot of considerations in setting the trial date," Shelby County Deputy District Attorney Paul Hagerman said after the court appearance. "We think we picked realistic dates that we can hold everybody to." Both the state and federal cases against the officers carry a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted. There is no parole in the federal system, and the entirety of someone's sentence must be served prior to their release.

During the fall of 2023, U.S. law firms pulled back on first-year associate hiring in an effort to bolster profits and hold down three years of rising expenses, according to the Thomson Reuters Institute’s latest Law Firm Financial Index released today. Reuters reports the average number of new first-year associates at Am Law 100 firms was down nearly 17% in September, compared to the previous two years. First-year class sizes were down an average 25%, while midsize firms brought in 9% fewer first-year associates. Am Law 100 firms are on track to end the year with profit growth while midsize firms are likely to end with profits even to 2022.

A U.S. appeals court on Friday upheld an Illinois state ban on assault-style weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines, reports Reuters. The ban was enacted after a 2022 mass shooting in a Chicago suburb that left seven people dead and dozens wounded. In a 2-1 vote, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals threw out a lower-court injunction imposed against the firearms restrictions in one set of cases but affirmed other decisions keeping the law intact. The Democratic-backed state measure bans the sale and distribution of high-powered semiautomatic weapons such as AK-47 and AR-15 rifles and large-capacity magazines. 

The Nashville Department of Transportation announced the end of the city’s six-month pilot program use of License Plate Readers (LPRs), reports the Tennessean. The automated cameras can read license plates and flag vehicles connected to certain crimes. The Metro Council voted 24-14 on Aug. 16 to expand the program. During the pilot program, the cameras read over 70 million plates, resulting in 112 arrests. Of those arrests, 103 had a history of local criminal charges, according to the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD). A spokesperson for Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell said MNPD will now gather proposals on camera costs and software.

A Tennessee resident's lawsuit against actress Kathy Griffin has been revived after the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the state has jurisdiction over Griffin for her social media posts, the Tennessean reports. The Oct. 31 decision could have broader implications on the jurisdiction and legal liability of free speech in online platforms. In 2021, a video of Samuel Johnson's altercation with a teenage promgoer in Franklin went viral. Shortly after the video was posted to Twitter (now X), Griffin reposted the video with Johnson’s name and hometown and tagged Johnson’s employer. Johnson was soon fired from his position as CEO of a Franklin-based telehealth company. Johnson sued Griffin in federal court for interference with his employment, infliction of emotional distress, invasion of privacy and negligent injury. The district court dismissed the lawsuit in March 2023 for lack of personal jurisdiction over Griffin.

Join colleagues on Nov. 14 from noon to 1 p.m. CST to learn how to save time, reduce paper and increase completion rates of client questionnaires. Danielle DavisRoe with TBA’s member advantage partner Affinity Consulting will discuss free and inexpensive tools to electronically gather data from clients during this webcast. Learn more or register here.

Vanderbilt University Law School announced it has launched an AI Legal Lab (VAILL) to explore how artificial intelligence intersects with the delivery of legal services and access to justice. “AI has the potential to reshape the law and legal services in an unprecedented fashion,” said Dean Chris Guthrie. “Through this new lab, Vanderbilt Law has a unique opportunity to play a pivotal role in this transformative era.” VAILL plans to build coursework focused on both applications within the law and technological skill-building, with help from thought leaders across Vanderbilt. VAILL’s immediate plans also include co-development of service delivery solutions with legal aid organizations as well as law firms and legal departments, and the development of executive education programming focused on using AI in various practice settings. Read the full announcement.

A new report published by the American Bar Association Commission on Women in the Profession details the experiences of female Native American lawyers as they navigate the intersection of race and gender in the legal profession. The report was published in collaboration with the National Native American Bar Association (NNABA). "Excluded & Alone: Examining the Experiences of Native American Women in the Law and a Path Towards Equity" recounts personal stories of the challenges facing female Native Americans who practice law and is based on a qualitative research study conducted by Arin N. Reeves, Ph.D., president and managing director of Nextions LLC. For the study, 74 Native American female lawyers were randomly chosen to participate in group sessions, sharing personal stories about their journeys into and within the legal profession. Findings from the report were presented yesterday as part of a webinar. Read the ABA's full press release. 

Vanderbilt University Law School has launched an AI Legal Lab (VAILL) to explore how artificial intelligence intersects with the delivery of legal services and access to justice. “AI has the potential to reshape the law and legal services in an unprecedented fashion,” said Dean Chris Guthrie. “Through this new lab, Vanderbilt Law has a unique opportunity to play a pivotal role in this transformative era.” VAILL plans to build coursework focused on both applications within the law and technological skill-building, with help from thought leaders across Vanderbilt. VAILL’s immediate plans also include co-development of service delivery solutions with legal aid organizations as well as law firms and legal departments, and the development of executive education programming focused on using AI in various practice settings. Read the full announcement.