An American Bar Association committee voted today to allow law students to take up to half their classes online, an increase from the previous rule allowing students to take up to one-third of their classes remotely. The proposed change also eliminates the rule that students take no more than 10 credit hours of distance education classes during their first year of law school. The Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar said the changes will allow law schools to bolster their online course offerings. Reuters has more on the story.

Two recent reports from Major, Lindsey & Africa delve into the priorities and perspectives of Millennial lawyers and Gen-Z lawyers and law students. In “Searching for Balance: Millennial Lawyers’ Perspectives on the Legal Industry,” the firm finds that these lawyers rate compensation and work/life balance as the most important factors in evaluating an employer. An overwhelming majority believe that law firm culture is biased against diverse and female attorneys, but 45% say they would like to make partner, up from 24% in 2021. In “Gen-Z: Now Influencing Today's Law Firm Culture,” the firm found that this group is moving away from large firms and traditional career paths. Among law school students who said they want to work at a firm, only 39% said they wanted to go to a large firm — a roughly 20% drop since 2020. Their experience with the COVID-19 pandemic has shaped their expectations around remote work, mental health initiatives and workplace flexibility, and they are motivated by meaningful work that aligns with their personal ethics.

Make plans now to join the TBA on June 23 from 9-10 a.m. CDT for a webcast with the “CLE Performer” Stuart Teicher. For this program on legal writing, Teicher will tackle the hardest part of the process: the organization phase. Using musical arrangements as a guide, Teicher will explain how to create a mind map and the benefits of outlining. “From Bach to Beyonce: What Musical Arrangements Teach About Legal Writing” will offer one hour of ethics credit.

Chase a sunset, not overdue invoices. LawPay, a modern payment solution developed for legal professionals, makes it simple to get paid faster and more reliably. Easily accept credit, debit and eCheck payments anytime, anywhere. Plus, with fee financing powered by Affirm, you can accept the full amount upfront while your clients have the flexibility to pay in increments over time. Dive into summer savings that’ll last all year — sign up by May 31 and you’ll pay no monthly fee for 6 months! Learn More >>

The Tennessee Supreme Court today upheld the conviction of Kemontea Dovon McKinney on first-degree murder and aggravated robbery charges, finding that his statements to detectives and waiver of Miranda rights were voluntary. The court also concluded that the evidence was sufficient to support the convictions. During his trial, McKinney unsuccessfully challenged the admission of statements made to detectives, arguing that he did not knowingly and voluntarily waive his Miranda rights. McKinney appealed to the Court of Criminal Appeals, which found that the trial court erred when it denied the motion to suppress. The appellate court found that an involuntary-confession claim is “inextricably linked” to a Miranda-waiver claim. It also found the evidence was insufficient to support the murder conviction. The Supreme Court reversed that decision finding that the voluntariness test is distinct from the Miranda test and that after separately applying both tests, the statements and the waiver were found to be voluntary.

Remote access to U.S. civil and bankruptcy court hearings will end in September, the federal judiciary announced yesterday. The courts said the move was being taken because the COVID-19 pandemic no longer affects how they function, according to Reuters. A committee has been collecting data during the pandemic to study whether broadcasts of civil and bankruptcy proceedings should be continued. The courts said the panel might share its findings at the next Judicial Conference set for Sept. 12.

Steven Bebb, a former Bradley County Criminal Court judge, who later served as 10th Judicial district attorney, died April 29 at 82. A graduate of Tennessee Military Institute and Middle Tennessee State University, Bebb joined the Peace Corps and lived in West Cameroon, Africa, before returning to Knoxville to teach and enter law school. He received his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1974. After starting his law career with Hodges, Doughty & Carson, Bebb later joined the 10th Judicial District Attorney's office. In 1982, he was elected criminal court judge and served in that capacity until 2005. After retiring from the bench, he was elected district attorney for the 10th district and served there until fully retiring in 2014. Per Bebb’s wishes, no funeral service will be held.

The long-awaited U.S. News & World Report “Best Law School” rankings are out today, featuring a revised methodology that increases the weight of employment outcomes and bar passage rates and reduces the weight of LSAT scores and undergraduate grade-point averages, Reuters reports. The news source describes the result as ”an unprecedented number of dramatic shifts.” Some schools saw shifts of 20 or more places. See the full list of rankings from Above the Law.

CLAY, Circuit Judge. Plaintiff DayCab Company, Inc. appeals the district court’s entry of summary judgment for Defendants Prairie Technology, LLC, Big Truck Parts, LLC, and William and Wanda Osman in Plaintiff’s case alleging trade dress infringement under Section 43(a) of the Lanham Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1125(a), and under the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act, Tenn. Code Ann. § 47-18-104. For the reasons set forth below, we AFFIRM IN PART and REVERSE IN PART the district court’s grant of summary judgment and REMAND for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.

A Sevier County jury convicted Defendant, Gabriel Enrique Turcios, of first-degree premeditated murder. At sentencing, the jury found that the murder was especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel in that it involved torture or serious physical abuse beyond that necessary to produce death, and sentenced him to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. On appeal, he claims the evidence is insufficient to support the application of the aggravating circumstance for the sentence. After a thorough review of the record and the parties’ briefs, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.