As part of the TBA’s effort to help educate members about the Tennessee Supreme Court’s Sept. 16 order — which solicited comments on seven areas of possible regulatory changes to the legal profession — the TBA Legal Access and Regulatory Reform Task Force will hold a virtual town hall this Thursday beginning at noon CST. This town hall, the first of several to be planned, will be geared toward attorneys who practice in rural areas. The event will start with a 20-minute presentation by University of Tennessee Winston College of Law Professors Ben Barton and Alex Long. Then McMinnville lawyer Mike Galligan will moderate a discussion about the seven issues presented in the order, including concerns and possible solutions. Attendees are encouraged to review the TBA’s Legal Access & Regulatory Reform resource page before attending. Register for the town hall here.

Nashville attorney John Randolph "Randy" Bibb Jr. died Jan. 9 after a brief illness. Bibb earned his undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University and his law degree from Vanderbilt Law School. Bibb joined the Nashville office of Lewis Thomason in 2009 and played an integral role in the firm’s growth and success. He served as co-leader of the firm’s Products Liability Practice Group for more than 10 years. A funeral mass was held at the Cathedral of the Incarnation with burial following at Harpeth Hills Memory Gardens. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Dominican Campus, Attn: Development, 4210 Harding Pike, Nashville, TN 37205.

The TBA YLD, in collaboration with the TBA General, Solo and Small Firm Section, will present “The Rookie Series: Opening Your Own Firm” on Jan. 29 at noon CST as a live webcast. The one-hour program is designed for aspiring solo practitioners and entrepreneurial attorneys considering launching a solo or small firm and will cover key steps for opening a practice, common pitfalls to avoid and resources available through the TBA. The program will feature attorneys who have successfully made the transition to firm ownership, including Emma Elliott of Peregrine Law, Jesse Harbison of Jesse Harbison Law, Savannah Oliver of the Law Office of David McKenzie and Ryan Terrell of Ryan Terrell Law. For more information and to register, visit the TBA website.

The Tennessee Alliance for Black Lawyers (TABL) and the Tennessee Bar Association Young Lawyers Division's (YLD) Diversity Committee will hold a networking mixer on Feb. 20. The free event will run from 5:30-7:30 p.m. EST at Blue Orleans Seafood Restaurant, 1463 Market St., Chattanooga 37402. Special thanks to Geeter Law Office PLLC for sponsoring this event. All are welcome but an RSVP is required by Feb. 13. See a flyer for more information.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division (YLD) Board held its winter meeting in Cookeville. President Alex McVeagh presented Stars of the Quarter to Franklin attorney Sean Aiello for his role as immediate past president, Chattanooga attorney Weslen Lakins for his role as East Tennessee CLE coordinator, and Nashville attorney Alix Rogers for her role as Middle Tennessee governor. In addition, McVeagh expressed appreciation for all board members and their outstanding effort in their roles. The board also welcomed the Diversity Leadership Institute (DLI) Class of 2026 to the meeting. This was the first in-person meeting for the class, which is led by DLI Co-Chairs Morgan Hanna and John Murphy.

On Saturday, in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., YLD Board members and DLI students assisted with Mock Trial 101, a free program that brought together 45 high school students and coaches from Cookeville High School, Warren County High School, Seymour High School, RePublic High School, Antioch Middle School and Paideia Academy to increase awareness and interest in the YLD's high school mock trial program. Chancellor Jeffrey Atherton of Chattanooga was selected as the YLD Board's disco gavel recipient for his enthusiastic participation in the inaugural program. Special thanks to YLD District Representatives Amanda Howard and Amber Vargas and YLD Fellow and past president Rachel Moses for their support of the program as well. The service program fulfilled one of the TBA's goals of providing civics education and promoting the practice of law in rural areas of the state.  See photos from the weekend's events.

In 2025, there were 42,817 first-year law students enrolled in American Bar Association (ABA) accredited law schools. A new report from the ABA breaks down demographics of these students, including data on gender and racial diversity.

President Donald Trump has renominated Nashville businessman Lee Beaman for a seat on the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) board after his first nomination stalled in the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works in December. Following a hearing in which Senate Democrats “grilled” Beaman over his personal, political and professional ties, the committee postponed a vote on his nomination and the year ended without further action. Beaman, if confirmed, would bring the TVA Board to eight members, leaving just one vacancy. The Senate did approve four other nominations to the board last month, giving the body its first quorum since April 2025. Knox News has more on the story.

The Nashville-based law firm of Stranch, Jennings & Garvey has opened a new office in Oakland, California, to be run by Lesley Weaver, a new member of the firm and a nationally recognized litigator. Weaver also is bringing a team of eight additional attorneys with her. “Lesley is a force whose record of changing bad industry practices through litigation speaks for itself,” said J. Gerard Stranch IV, founding and managing member of the firm. “She has consistently gone toe-to-toe with the world’s largest multinational corporations and secured landmark results. Her arrival isn’t just an expansion; it’s a transformation of our firm’s national reach.” Stranch, Jennings & Garvey already has offices outside of Tennessee in St. Louis and Las Vegas. Read more about the news on the firm’s website or in this press release.

The Arts & Business Council of Greater Nashville is hosting a free legal clinic for artists and creatives on Feb. 4 from 6-8 p.m. CST at Belmont University College of Law. The clinic offers one-on-one 30-minute consultations with volunteer attorneys for income-qualified creatives across Tennessee. Volunteer attorneys can expect questions on contracts & licensing, copyright, business formation and nonprofit governance. Email vlpa@abcnashville.org for more information or to volunteer. Those interested in legal services should register online by Jan. 30.

A nearly 100-year-old federal ban on mailing concealable firearms through the U.S. Postal Service infringes on the Second Amendment and cannot be enforced, according to an opinion released Thursday by the Department of Justice (DOJ). The move comes after the gun rights organization Gun Owners of America filed suit against the 1927 law. The postal service ban currently applies to pistols, revolvers and other firearms capable of being concealed on a person — including short-barreled shotguns and rifles. Rifles and shotguns, however, may be mailed between licensed dealers, manufacturers and importers. Non-mailable firearms found in the mail stream currently are “immediately reported to the United States Postal Inspection Service” and then referred to the relevant U.S. attorney’s office for prosecution. The Hill has more on the story.