Continuing the trend of recent years, 2024 provided interesting trusts and estates (T&E) developments and taught T&E lawyers things not to do or to argue. Eddy Smith explains in "Where There's a Will," with a little help from the Talking Heads.

In this issue's "Family Matters," Marlene Moses and Ansley Tillett assert that equitable does not mean equal when it comes to the division of marital estates in Tennessee, and that considerable deference is given to a trial court’s factual and credibility findings on discretionary decisions, including alimony determinations.

After more than 60 years, the historic Highlander Research and Education Center in Grundy County, once known as the Highlander Folk School, has reacquired 8.5 acres of its original land. Highlander hosted pivotal civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., who spoke in the library that is on the reacquired land. The purchase follows years of tension and disputes with the Tennessee Preservation Trust (TPT), including a controversial sale to a third party. Highlander now plans an inclusive design process involving community and civil rights stakeholders to develop a vision for the site, ensuring it benefits the region and honors its legacy. The Tennessee Lookout has the story.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Alistair Newbern of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee recently sat down with the Nashville Business Journal for the paper's "Women of Influence" series. The court hears all criminal and civil cases falling within Article III federal jurisdiction and in the 32 counties that comprise the district. Newbern praises attorneys who take court-appointed cases, and shares her views on the importance of civic education and her next personal goal: learning to play the banjo.

Still need CLE hours to finish strong in 2024? You’ve got until midnight, so let’s do this! Looking for courses in your practice area? Check out these packages! Need ethics hours? We’ve got you covered. Did you miss a program that you were looking forward to taking? We have more than 200 webcast replays to choose from. Whatever you need, the TBA can help you reach the finish line. Thanks for a great 2024 and we’re excited to be your top CLE provider in 2025!

TBA's 20th Annual Bankruptcy Law Forum will take place in Chattanooga, May 16-18, 2025. Friday afternoon's programming will include a discussion on recent developments impacting mortgages in bankruptcies, a bankruptcy case law update and a "View from the Bench" session. On Saturday, attendees will participate in small group discussions with bankruptcy judges from across the state serving as group leaders. Programming on Sunday will cover ethical issues that arise in bankruptcy cases. Get more information about this informative, unique weekend retreat on the TBA website.

The American Bar Association (ABA) Comission on Immigration in June partnered with Microsoft to launch a new virtual clinic to help pro se asylum-seekers complete their asylum applications. During this clinic, which included four sessions, nearly 30 volunteers from Microsoft worked with asylum-seekers to gather necessary information and prepare their applications for submission, according to the ABA Journal. “In an ideal world, we would get everyone an in-person attorney to represent them for the full length of their case,” says Stephanie Baez, the commission's director of pro bono. “But in the reality we live in ... we are trying to be thoughtful and innovative on how we engage the most volunteers to help the most people who would otherwise not be able to access any legal assistance.” For more information or to volunteer, fill out the volunteer interest survey on the Commission on Immigration’s website.

Carey Jerome Thompson, assistant district attorney general in the 23rd Judicial District, died Dec. 11 after a two year battle with glioblastoma. He graduated from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law in 1985 and began his tenure in the district attorney general's office in 1998. Services were held Dec. 20 in Dickson. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, the Dickson Arts Council or First Presbyterian Church of Dickson.

Despite a 20% drop in homicides mid-year, and the fact that overall violent crime is down, Nashville will end the year with at least one more homicide than 2023. The Nashville Banner reports that more than 50% of the year’s homicide victims were between the ages of 18 and 34, according to Metro Nashville Police Department data, and 14 were between the ages of 13 and 17. The overwhelming majority of the cases — 92 as of Dec. 28 — involved a gun. Violent offenses are down 5%, aggravated assaults are down more than 6%, and robberies — including those involving businesses as well as individuals on the street — are down more than 10%. Rapes reported to police, however, have risen nearly 20% — 627 as of Dec. 23. Mayor Freddie O'Connell said in a statement to the paper that Nashville had more people die while homeless than died from homicide this year, “so we’re still working on housing as a critical safety issue.”

The TBA will be closed Wednesday in observance of New Year’s Day and will reopen at 8 a.m. CST on Thursday. Visit the TBA website to access CLE offerings for your year-end needs and contact information for individual staff members. Happy New Year!