This year's TBA Creditors Practice Annual Forum has a stellar lineup of speakers and topics. The Oct. 18 program will begin with a hot-topic presentation by Zack Glaser on artificial intelligence (AI) and its advantages, limitations and ethical considerations within the legal sphere. He will discuss specific use cases for LLMs, AI and machine learning in the creditors rights industry, including document management, litigation analysis, e-discovery and general productivity. Dan Puryear will present on charging orders and theories of successor liability, and Walt Winchester and David Anthony will follow with a session discussing the use of contractual and statutory liens to increase likelihood of payment. The day will end with a presentation by Griffin Dunham and Gray Waldron providing tips that debtors' lawyers don't want creditors to know. There will be a networking reception immediately following the program offering wine, beer, soft drinks, snacks and more. Reserve your spot by registering today.

The Memphis Lawyers’ Chapter of the Federalist Society will host its annual Constitution Day Program on Sept. 21 from noon to 1 p.m. CDT at the Majestic Grille, 145 S Main St. in Memphis. Lunch will be served from 11:30 a.m. to noon. Attendees will hear from University of Toledo College of Law Professor Lee J. Strang, who will speak on “The Free Exercise of Religion in 2023." Those interested in attending may register online or contact Greg Grisham, 901-333-2076.

Melanie Gober Grand, executive director of the Lawyers’ Association for Women (LAW) Marion Griffin Chapter in Nashville, has announced her intention to retire on March 31, 2024. Grand has been in the role since June 2000. She previously was executive director for the Tennessee chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel. Grand also owns MGG Association Management & Consulting LLC, through which she advises and supports small professional organizations in Tennessee. The chapter has formed a search committee to lead the effort to replace Grand. See the job description or contact Courtney Orr with any questions.

Memphis Area Legal Services (MALS) is partnering with The Hub — which provides services and resources to Memphians experiencing homelessness —to host a free legal clinic on Sept. 27 from 1-3 p.m. CDT. The clinic, which is held on the fourth Wednesday of the month, takes place at 590 Washington Ave., Memphis 38105. Sign up to volunteer here or contact Heather Staggs, 901-255-3421 with any questions.

President Joe Biden has nominated Memphis City Council member Patrice Robinson for a seat on the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) board, the Commercial Appeal reports. Robinson has served on the council since 2016, but is term limited from running again. Prior to joining the council, she served for 13 years on the Memphis-Shelby County School Board. The nomination requires confirmation by the U.S. Senate.

The National Conference of Bar Examiners recently announced that the NextGen Bar Exam will be a nine-hour test administered over one-and-a-half days, Reuters reports. The schedule would include two three-hour sessions on the first day and one three-hour session on the second day. This compares with the current Uniform Bar Exam, which is about 12 hours long and taken over two days. The conference says the new exam is set to debut in July 2026, which means that this fall's incoming law students would be the first to take the new exam when they graduate. But, there is no hard deadline for jurisdictions to make the switch, Law.com reports. The new exam is intended to be more skills-oriented but many in the legal industry remain skeptical of the proposed questions and shorter duration.

The Defendant, Desmond Anderson, was convicted of three offenses in 2013, and the trial court sentenced the Defendant to serve an effective sentence of twenty years consisting of concurrent sentences of varying lengths. The trial court awarded pretrial jail credit on Count 1 but did not do so in Counts 2 or 3. The Defendant later filed a motion pursuant to Tennessee Rule of Criminal Procedure 36 seeking to have appropriate pretrial jail credit awarded on all concurrent sentences. The trial court summarily denied the motion, concluding that the request was an administrative matter for the Tennessee Department of Correction. The Defendant appealed, and the State concedes error. We agree. We respectfully vacate the trial court’s order and remand the case for entry of corrected judgments in Counts 2 and 3 to award appropriate pretrial jail credit on all concurrent sentences.

The Shelby County District Attorney’s Office has released footage of a fatal encounter between 20-year-old Jaylin McKenzie and Memphis police in December 2022. Three videos, from a combination of dashboard and body-worn cameras, show the events immediately before McKenzie was shot, the Commercial Appeal reports. The footage shows a car chase giving way to a foot chase, during which McKenzie fired a weapon and was shot and killed. Less clear, the paper reports, is whether McKenzie was the first person to fire.

Two national law firms, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and Morrison & Foerster, have changed the description and criteria for their diversity scholarships after a group opposed to affirmative action filed suits, Bloomberg Law reports. The American Alliance for Equal Rights sued Morrison & Foerster and Perkins Coie over DEI programs in August. Morrison & Foerster changed its program to remove references to historical underrepresentation in eligibility criteria. Gibson Dunn changed criteria for its $50,000 DEI scholarship, making it available to students “who have demonstrated resilience and excellence on their path toward a career in law” instead of those “who identify with an underrepresented group.” Perkins Coie, which has not changed its program, said it would “vigorously” defend itself against the suit.

Gov. Bill Lee yesterday announced that long-time legislative director Brent Easley will step down next month to return to the private sector. Liz Alvey will succeed Easley in the role, effective Oct. 16. Alvey currently serves as legislative counsel. She previously worked with the Tennessee State Senate and was senior policy advisor to state Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris. Lee praised Easley, one of the longest-serving members of his senior team, for his work expanding access to education, boosting economic development, and modernizing transportation and infrastructure. Easley also served as a member of the COVID-19 Unified Command, coordinating the state’s response across executive branch agencies during the pandemic.