TBA members received two versions of TBA Today on Thursday. The first version sent at 5:41 p.m. CST had the incorrect deadline for voting in TBA's 2026-2027 election. The second version sent at 5:59 p.m. contained the correct time. Ballots are due tonight by 11:59 p.m. CST. TBA members were sent an email on Jan. 30 with a ballot for the two candidates running for TBA vice president. The email was sent from Intelliscan Inc. Members also were sent an email with profiles of the two candidates running for vice president. That email was sent from elections@tnbar.org. The candidate profiles also are available on the TBA website.

The Tennessee Supreme Court on Sept. 16, 2025, issued an order inviting public comment on legal access and potential regulatory reform. In the order, the court noted it is reassessing how the profession is regulated “to ensure that all Tennesseans have access to affordable quality legal services.” These issues could have a significant impact on the practice of law in our state. The Tennessee Bar Association wants to hear directly from you. We invite you to share your perspective on the seven issues outlined in the court’s order by completing this brief survey. It should take less than 10 minutes to complete and all responses are anonymous. To help you prepare, the TBA has compiled background materials on a dedicated resource page. We encourage you to review those materials before submitting your responses. The survey will remain open until 11:45 p.m. CST on Feb. 20. The TBA also is holding a series of virtual town halls to gather feedback from the legal community. Each event will focus on one or two specific areas of potential regulation. See the list of events.

A Metro Council resolution filed this week calls for the removal of Nashville Electric Service (NES) CEO Teresa Broyles-Aplin after Winter Storm Fern left nearly 250,000 customers without power, the Nashville Post reports. The nonbinding measure, sponsored by Councilmembers Emily Benedict and Courtney Johnston, urges the NES Power Board to terminate Broyles-Aplin. Mayor Freddie O’Connell said during a news conference last week that he does not have unilateral authority to remove members of the NES board or the CEO, noting that responsibility rests with the Metro Council. O’Connell said the council will hold hearings and seek assistance from the Metro auditor, with initial findings expected within six months. The council is scheduled to consider the resolution Feb. 17.

The Center for Biological Diversity has filed a lawsuit against the federal government over the status of a small amphibian found in Tennessee, WPLN reports. The conservation group alleges the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service failed to determine whether the yellow-spotted woodland salamander should be listed as an endangered species. The salamander lives in shale and sandstone rock faces, areas often targeted for mountaintop removal mining, which has destroyed more than 500 mountains and 1.4 million acres of Appalachian forest over the past 40 years. Regional Director Will Harlan said the species, identified in 2018, could be wiped out by mining and road construction in the coming years if action is not taken.

Gov. Bill Lee, joined by business leaders and legislative partners, has announced the formation of a committee to build support for a constitutional amendment that would ban a state property tax. According to the Daily Memphian, Amendment 2 would prohibit the General Assembly from enacting a future statewide property tax and will appear on the November ballot. Tennessee has not levied a statewide property tax since 1949, and currently only local governments impose such taxes. If approved, the measure would make Tennessee the first state in the nation to repeal the authority to enact a state property tax. Amending the Tennessee Constitution requires passage in two consecutive General Assemblies and approval by voters in a gubernatorial election year.

Lawyers for Metro Nashville and for the state presented arguments Thursday in two cases before the Tennessee Supreme Court concerning a potential reduction in the size of the Metro Council and a possible state restructuring of the Metro Nashville Airport Authority. According to the Nashville Banner, the cases reflect ongoing tensions between the state legislature and the metropolitan government. One law would cut the 40-member Metro Council in half, while the other would shift appointment power over the airport authority board from the Nashville mayor to a group including the governor and legislative leaders. Attorneys for Metro argued the measures violate the Tennessee Constitution’s Home Rule Amendment by targeting Nashville specifically, while the state contended the laws address matters of statewide concern and apply broadly under legislative authority. Rulings are expected in several months.

The TBA will host a webcast replay of “Raising the Bar: The Unconventional JD — Exploring Alternative Legal Career Paths” on Feb. 16 from noon to 1 p.m. CST, featuring a panel of attorneys who have built careers beyond the traditional law firm model. Panelists include Meera Ballal, founder of Women’s Healthcare Initiative in Nashville; Julie Bennett, executive vice president, chief legal and governance officer and corporate secretary for Ballad Health in Johnson City; and Sara Beth Myers, deputy general counsel for the Southern Poverty Law Center in Nashville. The program will explore career paths in nonprofit leadership, advocacy and policy, in-house counsel roles, government representation, board service, and entrepreneurship, while offering guidance on navigating a legal market that increasingly values flexible and diverse skill sets. To register visit the TBA website. 

Memphis attorney and TBA YLD President-elect Jennifer Sneed-Perry has announced the elected and appointed members of the 2026-2027 YLD Board. These individuals will take office at the TBA Convention in June.

Elected members serving on the YLD Board Executive Committee are:

• President: Jennifer Sneed-Perry
• President-elect: Darius Walker Jr.
• Vice President: Zack Walden
• Secretary: Patrick Morrison
• Treasurer: Ashley Tipton
• East Tennessee Governor: Samantha Ellis
• Middle Tennessee Governor: Alix Rogers
• West Tennessee Governor: Faith Watson
• Immediate Past President: Alex McVeagh
• Past President: Sean Aiello
• Past President: Billy Leslie

Other elected positions will be filled by the following:

• District Representatives: Sydney Gilbert (District 1), Mari Jasa (District 3), Alexandra Jones (District 4), Claire Tuley (District 5), Amber Vargas (District 6), Alyssa Fox (District 7), Grace Burnett (District 8), Ginny Blake (District 9), Colton McGrew (District 11), Shelby Combs (District 13) and Constance Brown (District 14).
• TBA House of Delegates: Mary Frances DeVoe, Lorne Hiller and Brian Mounce
• ABA YLD Representative: Alix Rogers
• ABA YLD Tennessee/Kentucky Representative: Sean Aiello

There are vacancies for a district representative in Districts 2, 10 and 12. TBA YLD members who would like more information and/or are interested in serving in this role should send a letter of interest and resume to llabenberg@tnbar.org.

The following TBA members have been appointed to lead various committees to undertake the significant public and membership initiatives of the YLD:

• Public Service Committee: Levi Mauldin
• Diversity Committee: Chicoya Smith
• Diversity Leadership Institute: Kamila Fernandez and John Murphy
• Membership Committee: Alexxas Johnson and Billy Leslie
• Publications Committee: Brian Mounce
• Mock Trial Committee: Bridget Pyman, Wyatt Boston, Ashley Tipton
• Long Range Planning Committee: Zack Walden
• Rural Judicial Fellowship Program: Alix Rogers and Zack Walden

Beyond services to its members, the YLD provides multiple programs a year across the state including pro bono expungement, name change, essential documents and debt relief clinics. The YLD also sponsors the Tennessee High School Mock Trial Competition — the largest public service project of the TBA. Over the next year, the YLD will continue to sponsor several special initiatives including the Rural Judicial Fellowship and the Diversity Leadership Institute programs for law students and the Leadership and Law Academy for high school students. Incoming president Jennifer Sneed-Perry also will focus on educating attorneys on estate planning through CLEs and pro bono estate planning clinics across the state. Sneed-Perry also has intensified the commitment to serving law students by appointing six law students to the YLD Board as law student liaisons.

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