The TBA YLD will be co-sponsoring a virtual debt clinic on March 9 at 8 a.m. CST / 9 a.m. EST for Tennessee residents across the state. Complete this form to volunteer or contact Mary Frances DeVoe for more information on this Zoom event.

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear Oklahoma death row inmate Richard Glossip's bid to challenge his conviction for a murder-for-hire based on his claim that prosecutors wrongly withheld evidence favorable to his defense, reports Reuters. The justices took up Glossip's appeal of a lower court's refusal to grant him a hearing after that court determined the newly obtained evidence would not have changed the outcome. Glossip was convicted of commissioning the murder of a motel owner in Oklahoma City in 1997. Recent investigations led Glossip's lawyers to evidence they say casts doubt on the reliability of the prosecution's key witness.

According to a new poll by test prep company Kaplan, a majority of law school admissions officers are concerned that the U.S. Supreme Court’s ban on race-conscious admissions at colleges and universities will reduce the number of diverse law students. Reuters reports that 54% of those polled were "very concerned" the ruling would affect campus diversity, while 33% said they are “somewhat concerned” and 13% were either neutral, unconcerned or did not know. Respondents were a bit more optimistic about their own ability to bring in diverse classes: 21% said they were “very concerned” about those efforts, while 38% said they were "somewhat concerned." Despite the concerns, Kaplan notes that the fall 2023 entering class was the most racially diverse on record with 40% students of color, and that the current applicant pool for fall 2024 admission is historically diverse with 43% students of color.

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP has announced that Nashville partner and TBA member A.J. Bahou has been appointed to serve on the newly formed Artificial Intelligence (AI) Committee for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Chief Judge Mary H. Murguia selected the committee, which will be chaired by Judge Eric D. Miller, to aid the court in evaluating appropriate rules and uses of AI. Bahou currently serves as Bradley’s AI practice leader and frequently speaks on the use and ethical implications of AI and ChatGPT in law practice and other industries. If you missed his presentation at TBA's Law Tech program last year, check it out here.

Gov. Bill Lee has announced that he will deliver his sixth State of the State address to the General Assembly on Feb. 5 at 6 p.m. CST. The joint session will take place in the House chamber of the Tennessee State Capitol. The address will be available on Lee’s Facebook and YouTube channels.

Join us in person for the TBA's Construction Law Forum this Friday at the Tennessee Bankers Association's Barrett Training Center, 211 Athens Way, Nashville 37228. This year's program will focus on contracts, dispute resolution, liens, the Prompt Pay Act and the "gotchas" of construction law. The day will wrap up with a legislative and case law update. Earn up to five general and one dual CLE hours. Find out more and register.

The Supreme Court of Tennessee has suspended Shelby County attorney Robert Harris Golder from the practice of law for four years, with one year to be served as an active suspension pursuant to Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 9, Section 12.2, and the remainder to be served on probation. Complaints against Golder include allegations that he failed to communicate reasonably with his clients, failed to perform work necessary to the representation, failed to provide competent representation, disclosed confidential information during withdrawal, charged an unreasonable fee, failed to comply with multiple court orders and failed to expedite litigation. Golder executed a conditional guilty plea acknowledging his conduct violated Tennessee Rules of Professional Conduct 1.1, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.16, 3.2, 3.4 and 8.4.

In this personal injury case, Appellants, Husband and Wife, alleged that Appellee’s dog collided with Husband’s bicycle causing him to crash and sustain injuries. The trial court granted summary judgment in favor of Appellee dog owner, finding that Appellants failed to meet their burden to show that Appellee’s dog was involved in the accident. Discerning no error, we affirm and remand.

BLOOMEKATZ, Circuit Judge. The legal questions in this appeal arise from a bitter fight pitting a son against his father and stepfamily over a family business. Scott Gammons claims that Adroit Medical Systems, Inc., Grazyna Gammons (his stepmother), Kelley Patten (his stepsister), and Gene Gammons (his father) (collectively, the defendants) diverted company funds for Grazyna and Kelley’s personal benefit without accounting for the tax consequences. According to Scott, the defendants fired him because he reported their alleged financial malfeasance to the Internal Revenue Service. He further claims that if the defendants are not removed from the business, they will continue misappropriating company funds. Scott brought an action seeking recovery under federal and state whistleblower statutes and state common law. The district court granted the defendants summary judgment on all five of his claims, reasoning that Scott had obtained a legally baseless emergency conservatorship over Gene and used it to mount a corporate takeover. After the defendants regained control of the family business, that coup—irrespective of any whistleblowing—motivated their decision to fire Scott, defeating Scott’s claims as a matter of law. We affirm.

On Jan. 9, Henry County attorney Rebecca Carole Griffey received a public censure from the Tennessee Supreme Court. Griffey filed an application for a chancellor position on May 29, 2019, with the Tennessee Trial Court Vacancy Commission. She knowingly failed to disclose information responsive to questions on the application. The court found that Griffey violated Rules of Professional Conduct 8.2(a)(3), 8.2(b) and 8.4(c) and (d).