The Texas Supreme Court has ended the state’s reliance on the American Bar Association (ABA) to accredit its law schools, finalizing a rule that places the state’s high court in charge of that certification, Bloomberg Law reports. The court issued preliminary approval in September but continued to solicit public comments throughout the fall. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission weighed in with support in December, calling the ABA a monopoly. In its Jan. 6 order, the court said it intends to ensure that law degrees from Texas schools are portable to other states and vice versa, and does not plan to impose additional burdens on accreditation. The court added it would consider returning to a multi-state accreditation entity that is not the ABA “should a suitable entity become available.” In February 2025, the Trump administration threatened to pull the ABA’s accrediting power nationwide unless it ended its diversity requirements for law schools. The ABA agreed to temporarily suspend enforcement of its diversity and inclusion mandate. 

Texas’ move comes as the Tennessee Supreme Court is similarly examining whether to "modify, reduce or eliminate its reliance on ABA accreditation" as part of a broader review of legal education, licensure and regulatory structures, and whether there are any practicable alternatives that should be considered. Feedback on the court's order may be sent to TBA's newly formed Legal Access & Regulatory Reform Task Force at townhall@tnbar.org as well as directly to the court. Visit TBA's Legal Access & Regulatory Reform resource page for more information.

New Orleans-based McGlinchey Stafford has announced that it will cease operations. Established 52 years ago, the firm has 18 offices across the Southeast and Northeast, including in Nashville. According to the ABA Journal, equity partners voted to wind down operations after “assessing several strategic alternatives.” Deirdre McGlinchey, daughter of firm co-founder Dermot McGlinchey, was among recent departures, leaving along with several other attorneys for Jones Walker. McGlinchey’s Nashville office served corporate and individual clients with corporate formation, real estate closings, banking and regulatory compliance, trademark registration, entertainment, insurance defense, products liability defense, bankruptcy, loan workouts, and financial services and general civil litigation in all Tennessee state and federal courts.

For the second consecutive year, Gov. Bill Lee has opted out of a federally funded summer food assistance program that would serve hundreds of thousands of children from low-income families across Tennessee, the Nashville Post reports. The deadline for the state to enroll in the federal Summer EBT program was Jan. 1, and despite requests from lawmakers, religious leaders and food security advocates, Lee rejected roughly $84 million in federal funding. A spokesperson for the governor’s office told the Nashville Scene that Lee’s fiscal year 2027 budget proposal will include additional investments in state-run programs. 

The number of Nashvillians killed, assaulted or robbed dropped sharply in 2025. Violent offenses were down nearly 14% from 2024, while reports of property crime fell by nearly 12%, the Nashville Banner reports. In some categories of serious crime, rates declined to their lowest levels in a decade or more. Nashville ended the year with 74 recorded homicides, nearly 28% fewer than in 2024, marking a reversal after five consecutive years with more than 100 homicides. The city also saw 35% fewer gunshot victims, and overall violent crime dropped to its lowest level since 2013. Police recorded 866 robberies, the fewest since 1969 and a nearly 26% decrease from 2024, while burglaries fell more than 13%, making 2025 a historic low year for that category as well.

The Tennessee Supreme Court disbarred Maury County lawyer Amanda Howell Castillo from the practice of law on Jan. 7 and ordered her to pay restitution to one former client. Based on two complaints, the court found that Castillo failed to represent a client in a diligent manner, reasonably communicate with a client, expedite a client’s litigation, comply with an order of summary suspension, respond to disciplinary complaints, and inform a client of her suspension from the practice of law and withdraw from representation. The court also found that in the second complaint, Castillo failed to set her client’s case for hearing, provide the professional services for which she was retained and return an unreasonable fee to the client. The court determined that these actions violated Rules of Professional Conduct 1.3, 1.4, 1.16, 3.2, 3.4(c), 8.1(b) and 8.4(g).

The annual State of the Environment Law Conference will be held at noon CST on Jan. 21 at Vanderbilt University Law School and is free and open to the public. The program will begin with lunch and a panel examining the state of the environment in Tennessee, followed by four additional panel discussions on a range of environmental issues. The conference will conclude with a cocktail hour, providing attendees an opportunity to network with panelists and other participants. The event will allow ample time for audience questions and discussion, continuing a tradition of engaging and informative programming. See a detailed agenda.

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 Supreme Court on Jan. 5 dismissed a petition from Davidson County lawyer Michael Lloyd Freeman, which sought to dissolve a temporary suspension imposed by the court on Sept. 3, 2025. The court suspended Freeman based on his failure to respond or provide adequate responses to multiple complaints of misconduct. Freeman filed the petition to dissolve on Sept. 17, 2025. The Board of Professional Responsibility held a hearing to consider Freeman’s petition. In a report filed after the hearing, it recommended that the petition be denied. On Dec. 23, 2025, it asked the court to approve the recommendation. The court agreed and assessed the costs incurred for the proceeding to Freeman.

Sumner County lawyer Lee Wilson McDougal received a censure from the Tennessee Supreme Court on Jan. 7. McDougal was appointed counsel to a parent in a dependency and neglect juvenile proceeding involving allegations of severe abuse. Following the adjudicatory hearing, McDougal complied with the client’s request to file a de novo appeal but failed to inform his client of the court’s adjudication and final disposition. The court also found that he failed for 10 months to consult with his client about the appeal, failed to keep his client reasonably informed about the appeal status, and failed to comply with the client’s requests for documents. After the client requested that he withdraw from representation, McDougal delayed withdrawal for at least four months according to the court. These actions were determined to pose substantial potential harm to the client and to violate Rules of Professional Conduct 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.15, 1.16 and 8.4(d).

Knox County lawyer Bret Philip Bryce received a censure from the Tennessee Supreme Court on Jan. 7. The court found that Bryce failed to act with reasonable diligence and promptness in representing a client, failed to communicate with his client about the representation, and failed to comply with a court order. These actions were determined to be prejudicial to the administration of justice, to cause a delay in the case for over nine months and to violate Rules of Professional Conduct 1.3, 1.4, 3.2 and 8.4.