TBA's Day on the Hill and Big Shrimp Legislative Reception will be held next week in Nashville on March 20. The events give Tennessee lawyers an opportunity to meet with their legislators and talk to them about issues important to the profession, including funding for indigent representation. The TBA Day on the Hill will include a luncheon and meetings with legislators in the afternoon, followed by the annual Big Shrimp reception that night. Sign up today to take part!

A bill that would change the way the Tennessee Legislature handles sexual harassment claims against members failed Tuesday when the House Public Service Subcommittee could not muster the votes necessary to consider the proposal. The legislation, sponsored by Todd Warner, R-Chapel Hill, and Aftyn Behn, D-Nashville, would have moved claims from legislative leaders to the state attorney general. Former Rep. Scotty Campbell, who left the legislature last year after lawmakers determined he violated workplace discrimination and harassment policies, was on hand to testify for the measure but was not given the opportunity. The Tennessean has more on the story.

The Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services (TALS) is seeking session proposals for this year's Equal Justice University (EJU), set for Aug. 28-30 at the Embassy Suites in Murfreesboro. Topics of interest include employment law, family law, health and benefits, housing and consumer, special education and juvenile justice, as well as professionalism. See all topics and submit proposals online by April 17.

The Tennessee Lawyers’ Fund for Client Protection recently met to consider claims from clients alleging financial loss due to the illegal actions of their lawyers. The fund approved one claim against Montgomery County attorney Kevin William Teets in the amount of $4,500. It also directed Teets to reimburse the fund for the expense. The Fund for Client Protection was established by the Tennessee Supreme Court to reimburse individuals for losses caused by dishonest conduct by attorneys. The fund is operated by a board, which meets quarterly to consider claims. In September 2022, the Tennessee Supreme Court amended Rule 25 to require the fund to notify the Tennessee Bar Association of claims paid. News releases also are posted online.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has asked the federal judiciary to grant minors greater privacy in criminal cases by requiring prosecutors and defense lawyers to refer to them in public court filings by pseudonyms rather than by their initials, Reuters reports. The change, according to the department, is designed to better protect the identities of children who are victims and witnesses of crimes, particularly in sexual exploitation cases. A DOJ official said that in recent years, some people accused of exploiting children track court filings and take other measures to uncover the identity of child victims, who they then contact and harass further. The request has been referred to the Judicial Conference's rulemaking bodies.

Defendant, Christopher Joseph Riley, was convicted by a jury of felony murder by aggravated child abuse (count one), felony murder by aggravated child neglect (count two), two counts of aggravated child abuse (counts three and five), reckless endangerment (count four), aggravated child neglect (count six), and two counts of child abuse (counts seven and eight). Defendant was sentenced to a total effective sentence of life imprisonment plus forty-eight years. On appeal, Defendant claims the trial court erred in failing to require the State to make an election of offenses at the close of the proof, and that the trial court improperly imposed consecutive sentences. Following our review of the record, the briefs of the parties, and the applicable law, we affirm the judgments of the trial court.

Appellant filed this accelerated interlocutory appeal under Rule 10B of the Rules of the Supreme Court of Tennessee. Because the trial court has not entered an order on Appellant’s motion for recusal, there is no order for this Court to review. Appeal dismissed.

The American Bar Association’s (ABA) Task Force for American Democracy will hold the second in a series of listening tour events this Friday in Detroit. The session will feature ABA leaders, local officials and legal scholars. The event, titled “Taking the Next Step: Ensuring Trusted Elections and Civics for Michiganders,” will address vital election integrity issues and the need to support poll workers. The event will be livestreamed from 1 to 4:30 p.m. EDT from Wayne State University Law School. A recording also will be made available after the event. Register at abademocracytaskforce@gmail.com.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti recently joined with other state attorneys general to support the federal “Laken Riley Act,” which would require the detention of undocumented individuals arrested for larceny, burglary, theft or shoplifting; defend Montana’s law banning TikTok in the state unless the app separates from its parent Chinese company; and express concerns over proposed legislation in Maine that, according to Skrmetti, would “interfere with other states enforcing their state laws restricting childhood gender transition if those laws differed from Maine law.” Read more about these issues at the links above.

It's not too late to join colleagues online for the TBA's final installment of the Law Tech Lunch & Learn Series this Friday. The program, featuring Memphis lawyers, will focus on how AI impacts attorneys. The first session will include attorneys Greg Siskind and Zack Glaser, who will provide an introduction to AI and how it can be incorporated into the practice of law. The second session will feature Siskind and Lucian Pera discussing ethical considerations around AI. The live webcast will begin at noon CDT and offer registrants the opportunity to earn two dual CLE hours.