The Defendant, Isaiah French, was convicted by a Shelby County jury of one count of premeditated first degree murder, two counts of attempted premeditated first degree murder resulting in serious bodily injury, two counts of employment of a firearm during a dangerous felony, and three counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and the trial court imposed an effective sentence of life in prison without parole as a repeat violent offender plus 120 years. On appeal, the Defendant argues that the evidence was insufficient to support his convictions of premeditated first degree murder and attempted first degree murder and that the trial court erred by denying his motion to bifurcate the charges of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon from the remaining counts of the indictment. Discerning no error, we affirm.

New lawyers in the class of 2024 faced a lot of competition in the job market — the class was 12% larger than its immediate predecessor — but they have fared well according to a report from the National Association for Law Placement (NALP). A year after graduation, a record 93.4% had jobs, the highest employment rate ever. In total, 20,810 graduates obtained jobs in private practice — also the largest number on record — passing the previous peak of 20,611 law firm jobs for the class of 2007. Other data also indicates that these graduates are satisfied with their work. A record low of 6.8% of those with jobs were seeking other opportunities. Looking ahead to predictions for the classes of 2025 and 2026, NALP says many firms pulled back on their 2024 and 2025 summer associate hiring, which could suggest there could be a contraction coming. The ABA Journal has more on the summer associate hiring situation.

Registration will close Friday for the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services (TALS) Equal Justice University (EJU) conference. The annual event, co-sponsored by the TBA, is set for Aug. 27-29 at the Embassy Suites in Murfreesboro. This year’s conference will include more than 50 CLE sessions, inspiring keynote speakers. Check out the full schedule.

Byron Black, the 69-year-old man convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend and her two daughters in 1988, was put to death Tuesday morning after Gov. Bill Lee and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene. According to The Tennessean, witnesses said he showed both visible and audible signs of distress as the state administered lethal injection drugs. Black's attorneys had argued a medical device implanted in his chest could shock him as he died and had sued to have the device deactivated. Speaking after the execution, Black’s attorney said she believes the lethal injection drug did not work as intended and that Black was tortured before his death. He is just the second individual to be executed in the state using a new protocol that relies solely on pentobarbital. Several Tennessee death row inmates have filed suit arguing that the new protocol brings a high risk of torturous death.

The American Bar Association (ABA) will consider a proposal during its annual meeting next week in Toronto that would end the practice of reserving five seats on its governing board for women, racially and ethnically diverse, LGBTQ+ and disabled lawyers. If adopted, the board instead would set aside three board seats for lawyers committed to “advancing the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion,” regardless of the individuals’ demographic backgrounds. Reuters reports the change is part of a larger proposal to reduce the size of the board, which oversees management of the association, from 43 members to 32 members. The ABA says the changes are needed to help the organization become more nimble and efficient amid declining membership.

The TBA Construction Law Section will host the inaugural Joint Georgia/Tennessee Construction Conference Oct. 9-10 in Chattanooga. The two-day event will kick off with a welcome networking reception followed by a day of high quality CLE sessions for both Georgia and Tennessee lawyers. Topics include regional differences in construction law, a view from the bench session featuring judges and arbitrators, a case study session and more. Speakers confirmed so far include Atlanta lawyer Mark Carter with Buchalter, Cobb County Superior Court Judge Julie Jacobs, Memphis lawyer Regan Steepleton with Evans Petree, and Chattanooga lawyers William G. Colvin and Elisa Fox and Timothy Gibbons with Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel. The program will offer 6.75 total CLE hours, including one dual hour. CLE credit will be submitted to both Georgia and Tennessee. Get more information and register on the TBA website.

About 40 law students from Belmont University College of Law met with leaders of the TBA Young Lawyers Division (YLD) today. YLD Board Members Patrick Morrison, John Murphy and Jennifer Safstrom participated in a lively panel to discuss the many benefits of getting involved with the TBA. The panel was moderated by Alix Rogers, TBA YLD Middle Tennessee governor and director of career and professional development at the law school. The lawyers encouraged students to volunteer at clinics to help others, attend CLEs to increase their professional knowledge and apply for the YLD's Rural Judicial Fellowship and DLI programs. Belmont Law students Harry Crane and Clark Hill from the Rural Judicial Fellowship program and Samantha McCrory and Mary Martha Willson from DLI also participated and shared their experiences. See photos from the event.

The Nashville law firm Neal & Harwell will close at the end of August as many of the lawyers remaining at the firm join the Nashville office of Womble Bond Dickinson. The move follows the decision of firm co-founder Aubrey Harwell and his son Trey Harwell to join Adams & Reese in May. According to a press release from Womble, 18 of the 20 lawyers joining the firm will serve in the Business Litigation Group while two will join the Finance, Bankruptcy and Restructuring Group. According to the Nashville Business Journal, Womble opened its Nashville office in 2022. The firm had seven attorneys in the office before the addition of the Neal & Harwell team.

July 28, 2025 - August 1, 2025.

Defendant, Joshua Wilson, appeals the Shelby County Criminal Court’s decision to deny judicial diversion in his guilty-pleaded conviction of tampering with evidence, a Class C felony. See Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-16-503. Following our review, we affirm.