Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has filed a lawsuit against Meta Platforms Inc., alleging that its social media platform Instagram causes mental health harms to young users. In a release issued about the suit, Skrmetti says that “Meta has known for years that Instagram causes psychological harm” and that “targeting kids with a harmful product and lying about its safety violates the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act.” The suit is the result of a nationwide investigation led by Skrmetti and Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser. Suits from dozens of other states also were filed this week. The group of state attorneys general also is investigating TikTok’s conduct and is currently engaged in litigation over the company’s alleged failure to provide adequate responses to the investigation.

Make plans now to join colleagues on Nov. 30 for the second annual "Raising the Bar" program. Produced by the TBA Women in the Profession Committee, this year’s program will focus on advocating for one’s own and others’ career growth. Sessions will cover how to effectively solicit raises and project assignments, receive credit for work done, and make partner. A second session will explore the barriers impacting diverse women in the legal industry and best practices for overcoming those challenges. And for those on the back end of their career, the program will wrap up with a session on the financial aspects of preparing for retirement and maintaining work-life balance while transitioning to retirement. A networking reception will follow the program from 4:15-6 p.m. CST.

Do you know a high school student interested in learning about the practice of law? If so, please encourage them to apply for the TBA Young Lawyers Division’s inaugural Diversity Law Week, which will take place March 11-16, 2024, across the state. During that week, high school students will have the opportunity to visit a local courthouse, shadow and engage with practicing attorneys, visit a college or law school campus, and participate in programming designed to expose them to the theory and practice of law. Diversity Law Week will offer participants a one-of-a-kind experience and an invaluable roadmap for becoming a lawyer. This opportunity is open to high school students of all grade levels throughout Tennessee. Interested students should apply here.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has suspended 25 attorneys for failure to pay the annual registration fee; 14 of them also failed to file proof that client funds are held in an IOLTA-compliant account. View the fee suspension order and IOLTA suspension order. See the list of all lawyers suspended and reinstated for fee and IOLTA violations in 2023 or access all administrative suspensions dating back to 2005.

TBA’s Young Lawyers Division Board members Morgan Hanna and Billy Leslie visited Vanderbilt University Law School last week. The meeting was the last of the board’s annual autumn visits to law school across the state. Each visit consists of a panel of YLD members discussing its award-winning Diversity Leadership Institute program and how law students can maximize their benefits of a free TBA membership. In addition, students are given the opportunity to ask questions about preparing for a career in the legal profession. Learn more about YLD or see photos from this event.

In the past few years there has been a marked increase in discovery disputes in employment cases. Join us on Dec. 12 at 10 a.m. CST for a live Zoom webcast that will explore best discovery practices with magistrate judges from the Western, Middle and Eastern Districts of Tennessee. We will get sage advice from the judges about their preferences and practices and how we can avoid often unnecessary disputes that drain judicial resources, but still balance our obligations to zealously represent our clients.

Register now!

A memorial service for Chattanooga lawyer and former TBA President Max Bahner, who died on Oct. 13, will take place Nov. 10 at 1 p.m. EST at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 305 W. 7th St., Chattanooga 37402. Memorial gifts may be made to Orange Grove Center, 615 Derby St., Chattanooga, TN 37404 or the University of Virginia Law School Foundation, 580 Massie Rd., Charlottesville, VA 22903. Please note the gift is for the “T. Maxfield Bahner '60 Unrestricted Endowment.” Read more about Bahner life’s from Chattanoogan.com.

This year's Hot Topics in Real Estate will take place virtually on Nov. 10, allowing you to learn from the comfort of your home or office. The program, produced in cooperation with the Tennessee Land Title Association, is a staple for Tennessee dirt lawyers, designed to keep you on the cutting edge of developments in your practice. Topics include commercial leases, authority issues with entities and estates, generative A.I., and the annual case law and legislative updates. Don't miss this annual favorite!

Schedule:

9-10am CT: For Whom the Bell Tolls: It tolls for thee, but who can sign the deed? - Andy Maloney
10-11am: Sticky Provisions In a Commercial Lease - Kirby Yost
11-11:15am: Break
11:15am-12pm: Politics and Government in Real Estate - Chuck Welch
12-12:45pm: Lunch
12:45-1:45pm: You Be The Judge! The Annual Real Property Law Update - Josh Denton & Tonya Austin
1:45-2pm: Break
2-3pm: Entities, estates, trusts, authority issues - Joe Kirkland
3-4pm: Ethics Issues and the Rise of Generative A.I. - Brian Faughnan (DUAL)

Western State College of Law at Westcliff University in Irvine, California, may soon be the sole American Bar Association-accredited for-profit law school, reports Reuters. It currently enrolls 300 students. A decade ago, six for-profit law schools across the U.S. enrolled more than 5,000 aspiring attorneys. That number has since dwindled to about 900. Half of the for-profit law schools operating in 2013 have shuttered due to waning demand and accreditation problems. For-profit law schools, which rely on tuition revenue, were hit hard by a prolonged decline in law school enrollment between 2010 and 2017, when the number of first-year law students fell 21% nationwide, the news source reports.

WHITE, Circuit Judge. Defendant-Appellant Joseph Zakhari was convicted of attempting to persuade a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2422(b) (Count 1); attempting to transmit an obscene image to a minor, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1470 (Count 2); and attempting to produce child pornography, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2251(a) and (e) (Count 3). The district court sentenced him to the applicable mandatory minimum term of fifteen years in prison. On appeal, Zakhari argues that the court erroneously denied his motion to suppress his statement to police as obtained in violation of his right to counsel and his motion to dismiss Count 3 as vindictive. Because the suppression motion should have been granted and the district court did not sufficiently consider the claim of prosecutorial vindictiveness, we REVERSE the denial of the motion to suppress, VACATE the conviction, and REMAND for a new trial and reconsideration of the motion to dismiss.