The Memphis River Parks Partnership (MRPP) has filed a lawsuit against the Memphis in May International Festival for the $675,000 it owes in damages to Tom Lee Park. The lawsuit was filed after the festival missed a Sept. 4 payment deadline, despite MRPP extending the deadline once before. The Daily Memphian reports that the festival is exploring other locations for its 2024 events and has submitted an insurance claim to cover the bill, which it describes as "punitive."

The American Bar Association (ABA) invites all members of the legal profession to celebrate Constitution Day this Sunday. ABA President Mary Smith says, “The ABA has taken a leading role in encouraging people to be involved in our democracy, and our newly formed ABA Task Force on American Democracy will enhance those efforts and help bolster the protections of our institutions and the rule of law.” Visit the National Constitution Center’s website to access Constitution Day resources.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division (YLD) kicked off its annual fall meeting this weekend in Cancun. Members of the YLD Board, YLD Fellows and their guests gathered for a welcoming reception at the Hard Rock Hotel. Planning sessions and an awards dinner will follow throughout the weekend. See photos from the reception.

As National Suicide Prevention Week comes to a close, the Tennessee Lawyers’ Assistance Program (TLAP) encourages us to learn more about suicide awareness and how we can all help prevent suicide. Visit the TLAP website to access resources on suicide in the legal profession, and remember that all calls to TLAP are strictly confidential. TLAP supports, and all of its employees are certified in, "QPR," which stands for Question, Persuade and Refer. Much like CPR is for heart attacks, QPR training is available to address and help prevent suicide. Learn more about QPR here.

The runoff elections for Nashville mayor, Metro Council seats and state representative concluded yesterday. The Tennessean reports that Freddie O’Connell, a former two-term downtown Metro Council member, is Metro Nashville’s 10th mayor. O’Connell clinched 63.8% of the 114,226 votes cast to defeat Alice Rolli, a former political strategist and campaign manager for Sen. Lamar Alexander. Axios Nashville published an in-depth look at O’Connell’s path to mayor. Delishia Porterfield, Quin Evans-Segall, Burkley Allen and Olivia Hill join Zulfat Suara on Metro Council, marking the first all-female slate of at-large council members; Hill is the first transgender person to serve on the council, according to the Nashville Scene. WPLN reports that Democrat Aftyn Behn won the special election to complete Bill Beck’s term representing Tennessee House District 51 with 75% of the vote over Republican David Hooven and Independent Annabelle Lee. The Davidson County Election Commission has the full breakdown of the races.

TBA’s Adoption Law Section presents this year’s annual forum on Sept. 25 with two hours on legislative updates, plus an hour for case law updates. Additional topics include the basics of adoption law for newer practitioners, as well as a dual hour on secondary trauma. The forum will be held at the Tennessee Bankers Association's Barrett Training Center in Nashville from 10 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. CDT. You won’t want to miss this informative program!

The Arts & Business Council's Volunteer Lawyers and Professionals for the Arts is joining the law firm of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings to provide free legal services for nonprofits and Black-owned small businesses in Nashville on Sept. 21. Advice will cover business formation, corporate governance, contracts and navigating local ordinances and state regulations. Eligible entities may receive up to one hour of assistance. Clients should sign up online. Attorneys should email vlpa@abcnashville.org to volunteer.

It's time for #TeamTBA! Meet the people behind the scenes and learn more about the moving parts, projects and staffers of the Tennessee Bar Association. Laura Labenberg is the Young Lawyers Division (YLD) and law student development coordinator. Laura works with the YLD to plan programs, meetings and special projects like pro bono clinics, the annual Tennessee High School Mock Trial Competition and the award-winning Diversity Leadership Institute. Prior to joining the TBA she served as a professor of rhetoric at Hofstra University and the executive director of an educational nonprofit in New York. Laura says her upcoming travel plans include exploring her new home state of Tennessee with YLD board members! The #TeamTBA series offers members a behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of the TBA and how each staff member makes the association run. Check back next week for a new staff profile in TBA Today and on the TBA's Facebook and Instagram accounts.

The 21st annual TBA Leadership Law (TBALL) program is now accepting nominations for the 2024 class. Nominations are due Oct. 2. Nominees should have from 5 to 15 years of experience in practice. Last year, 33 lawyers from across the state were accepted into the program. TBALL programming will kick off in January 2024 with an opening retreat at Henry Horton State Park and end in June with class commencement during the TBA Annual Convention in Memphis. Read more about the program or contact Paul Burch for more information.

Attorneys for the state and for three women who challenged a Tennessee House of Representatives ban on signs at the legislature have agreed to bring the case to a close, Tennessee Lookout reports. “The special session has now adjourned,” the state’s legal filings said. “And the procedural rules adopted by the House for the special session — including the Sign Regulation that the (women) asked this court to declare unconstitutional and enjoin — are no longer in effect.” ACLU attorneys who represented the three women are not opposing dismissal of the case, but expect to file a motion seeking attorney fees and costs.