Make plans now to join colleagues from across the state at the TBA’s 2026 Annual Convention, set for June 10-13, in downtown Knoxville. Annual favorites such as the Public Service Breakfast, Lawyers Luncheon, compelling CLE and swearing in of TBA’s new president will return, as will the Wednesday night welcome reception and a Thursday evening reception at Knoxville’s minor league ballpark, home of the Smokies. Again this year, the Tennessee Lawyers' Association for Women (TLAW) and Tennessee Alliance for Black Lawyers (TABL) will hold meetings and events in conjunction with the convention. This year’s convention also will include TBA’s first-ever Tech Showcase and several lunch and learn opportunities with tech vendors on Thursday. The four-day event will take place at the Crowne Plaza Knoxville. Don’t miss this annual gathering of Tennessee lawyers! Access registration, hotel reservation information and more on the event website. Day passes for the Tech Showcase on June 11 also are available for those who unable to attend the full convention. Learn more about that option.

The TBA’s annual Immigration Law Forum will take place May 15 at the new TBA office, located at 3010 Poston Ave., Nashville 37203. In today’s rapidly evolving immigration landscape, the forum will cover key policy updates and practical topics for Tennessee attorneys, including a legislative update from Rep. Yusuf Hakeem, D-Chattanooga, practice management tips, an ethics discussion with the Board of Professional Responsibility on fee changes, and a session with Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition leadership on using court petitions for immigration advocacy. The in-person program will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. CDT and offer up to six general credit hours. For more information and to register visit the TBA website. 

Legislation championed by Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, to adopt a “three-strikes” system for repeat offenders was defeated in the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday. Before voting the bill down, committee members adopted an amendment to substitute the original language of SB2137. The Tennessee Journal reports that committee chair Todd Gardenhire, R-Chattanooga, opposed the measure because it did not include funding to support its $120 million fiscal note, down from an original estimate of $500 million. Gardenhire joined two other Republicans and two Democrats in rejecting the bill.

The state Senate is considering SB2418, which would require state attorney general approval of any contingent fee contracts between local governments and private-sector attorneys. The bill passed the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 16. The Senate began considering the measure on April 2 and is scheduled to take it back up on April 13. In the House, HB2069, passed the State & Local Government Committee on April 1 but failed in the full body on April 9 because it failed to garner the constitutional majority vote needed. The bill has been referred to the Judiciary Committee for further consideration on April 14. The Tennessee Journal looks at the mechanism for reconsideration. Learn more about the arguments for and against the bill from Legal Newsline.

This appeal involves a mother and stepfather’s petition to terminate the parental rights of a father to his surviving child after the death of the parties’ other child. The petition alleged two grounds for termination of parental rights – abandonment by failure to support and severe child abuse. The chancery court found that neither ground had been proven by clear and convincing evidence. The court also reviewed the statutory best interest factors and concluded that it was not in the best interest of the child for the father’s parental rights to be terminated. The mother and stepfather appeal. For the following reasons, we reverse and remand for further proceedings.

The Petitioner, Cedric Taylor, entered a guilty plea to possession with intent to deliver twenty-six grams or more of cocaine and resisting arrest, for which he received an effective sentence of fourteen years in confinement. The Petitioner sought post-conviction relief claiming ineffective assistance of counsel based on trial counsel’s failure to pursue a motion to suppress to challenge the constitutionality of the stop and subsequent search of his vehicle, and trial counsel’s failure to appeal his sentence. The Petitioner also claimed that his guilty plea was unknowingly and involuntarily entered due to trial counsel’s misleading advice that he would likely be sentenced to probation. Following a hearing, the post-conviction court granted relief, in part, and ordered a delayed appeal based on trial counsel’s failure to appeal the Petitioner’s sentence. This court subsequently affirmed the trial court’s denial of the Petitioner’s request to serve his sentence on community corrections. See State v. Taylor, No. M2024-00192-CCA-R3-CD, 2024 WL 3879116, at *1 (Tenn. Crim. App. Aug. 20, 2024), appeal denied (Tenn. Nov. 14, 2024). The post- conviction court entered an order denying the issues that were held in abeyance, and the Petitioner now appeals. Upon review, we affirm the judgment of the post-conviction court.

A Hamblen County jury convicted the Defendant, Parnell Quinn Short, of theft of property valued between $1000 and $2500, a Class E felony and fixed a fine of $1750. The trial court imposed the fine fixed by the jury and sentenced the Defendant, as a career offender, to serve six years to run consecutively to the Defendant’s convictions in other cases. On appeal, the Defendant asserts that the trial court erred when it: (1) admitted three of his prior convictions for impeachment purposes; and (2) imposed the fine set by the jury without making the statutorily required findings. After review, we affirm the trial court’s judgment but vacate the imposition of the fine. We remand the case for a sentencing hearing with respect to the imposition of the fine.

The petitioner, Charles Lane, appeals the denial of his petition for writ of habeas corpus by the Sevier County Circuit Court, arguing the habeas court erred in dismissing the petition. The petitioner asserts that his pretrial jail credits were not applied properly and that his request for transcripts was erroneously denied. Following our review, we affirm the habeas court’s dismissal of the petition as the petitioner has failed to show he is entitled to relief.

The defendant, Timothy Sedman, pled guilty to attempted aggravated sexual battery, and the trial court imposed a sentence of six years’ incarceration in the Tennessee Department of Correction. On appeal, the defendant argues the trial court erred in denying his request for alternative sentencing. After reviewing the record and considering the applicable law, we affirm the judgment of the trial court. However, we remand the case for corrected judgment forms in counts one through five and counts seven through twenty.

In this post-divorce action, the trial court conducted a two-day hearing regarding the mother’s petition to modify the parties’ permanent parenting plan. At the conclusion of the hearing, the father moved for involuntary dismissal pursuant to Tennessee Rule of Civil Procedure 41. The trial court granted the motion, determining that modification of the parenting plan was not warranted because the mother had not met her burden to prove that there had been a material change of circumstance affecting the minor child’s well-being. The trial court accordingly dismissed the mother’s petition with prejudice and awarded the father his reasonable attorney’s fees pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated § 36-5-103(c). Discerning no reversible error, we affirm. We further determine that Father is entitled to his reasonable attorney’s fees on appeal