In this case that began as a breach of contract action, the defendant property owner attempts to appeal from two cases that were not consolidated in the trial court but resulted in the entry of a single order in favor of the plaintiff roofing company. Because the order appealed from did not adjudicate all of the claims of all of the parties, we dismiss this appeal for lack of subject matter jurisdiction.

Memphis lawyer Greg Siskind with Siskind Susser began working on a AI tools for immigration lawyers in 2016, and co-launched Visalaw.ai in 2023. Recently, the company won $1.6 million in seed financing from Atlanta-based Valor Ventures to accelerate its growth and innovation. The tool, according to Siskind, is designed to enhance the productivity, efficiency and profitability of immigration law firms by harnessing AI-powered legal research, assessment, document drafting, summarization and visa application construction. He says his own firm has seen up to a 90% reduction in time spent on drafting key filings. Read more about the investment in a news release from the company.

Samuel “Sam” Jackson has been named the new managing partner of Spencer Fane’s Nashville office. He replaces Charles Robert Bone, who has held the position since the firm acquired Bone McAllester Norton in 2021, according to the Nashville Business Journal. Bone now works directly for a company that had been one of his top clients: real estate developer Southwest Value Partners. His father, Charles W. Bone, remains of counsel at Spencer Fane. Jackson has focused his practice on labor and employment matters and education law, and will oversee an office of 36 attorneys. He earned his law degree from the Cumberland School of Law in 2000.

U.S. Rep. John Rose, a Republican from Cookeville in his fourth term, announced his plans to run for governor an event in Williamson County, WSMV reports. According to sources, Rose said at a Republican women’s function, “I am convinced my best days are ahead and that the best opportunity I have to serve Tennessee is in a different role. So, I’m going to come home at the end of this period and I’m going to offer myself … as a candidate for governor.” Before being elected to Congress, Rose served as Tennessee’s agriculture commissioner. He is also a farmer, attorney and owner of an IT training enterprise.

The Tennessee court system continues to face challenges providing legal representation to individuals who are guaranteed counsel. Currently, the responsibility to secure counsel for indigent clients in many cases falls to judges. A benefit of the indigent representation proposal from the Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) on behalf of the Tennessee Supreme Court is eliminating the use of court time to appoint attorneys in these cases. Under the proposal, judges would be able to rely on the proposed "Office of Indigent Conflicts and Civil Counsel," which would assume responsibility for providing lawyers for indigent representation in child welfare cases and criminal cases when the public defender has a conflict. Attorneys who wish to take these cases would work with the office to secure appointments. This shift eliminates any potential or perceived conflicts by removing judges from the task of appointing counsel. Also, the proposed "Indigent Representation Commission" would be charged with reviewing, developing and, where possible, implementing procedures to improve accountability and prevent misuse of the system. Learn more about the plan and indigent representation in Tennessee. Watch for more details about the plan in upcoming issues of TBA Today.

KPMG has become the first accounting, tax and consulting firm allowed to practice law in the United States, Bloomberg Law reports. KPMG won final approval from the Arizona Supreme Court today after obtaining initial approval from a court committee evaluating applications under that state’s new law firm ownership rules. The alternative business structure, known as KPMG Law US, will operate independently but as a wholly owned subsidiary of the company. It will provide legal services such as integrating contracts and tech systems after corporate mergers.

Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett has issued a warning about a new email spoofing scam affecting residents. The fraudulent emails, which have the subject line "Exciting News!", falsely claim that Hargett has filed a sponsorship on behalf of the recipient. Recipients are instructed to watch for a follow-up email from the secretary's office, furthering the deception. Hargett's office emphasizes the importance of vigilance against such scams, which can lead to personal information theft. The public is urged to verify any suspicious communications before taking action.

The TBA Intellectual Property Section will continue its webcast series on March 19 with a session on "The Impact of AI on Prior Art.” The webcast will run from 11 a.m. to noon CDT. Watch for more details coming soon.

JANE B. STRANCH, Circuit Judge. Duane Gary Underwood, II appeals his criminal conviction for possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine,possession with intent to distribute 5 grams or more of methamphetamine, possession of a stolen firearm, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Underwood raises ten issues on appeal: (1) whether 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A) is unconstitutional, (2) whether the officers who detained Underwood lacked reasonable suspicion to do so, (3) whether Underwood was unreasonably searched, (4) whether a search warrant for Underwood’s phone was invalid, (5) whether the trial court improperly admitted a set of photos and text messages under Federal Rule of Evidence 404(b), (6) whether the court erred in disallowing inquiry into potential Rule 404(b) evidence during voir dire, (7) whether the evidence was insufficient to support Underwood’s convictions, (8) whether the district court abused its discretion in allowing portions of grand jury testimony to be read into the record pursuant to Rule 803(5), (9) whether the jury instructions were improper, and (10) whether Underwood’s conviction should be overturned because the Government attorney was unlicensed. For the reasons that follow, we AFFIRM.

The Defendant, Bernard Strowder, pled guilty to reckless aggravated assault and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The parties agreed that he would be sentenced to an effective term of ten years but that the trial court would decide the manner in which the sentence would be served. After a hearing, the trial court ordered that the full sentence be served in confinement. On appeal, the Defendant challenges the denial of an alternative sentence, but the State argues that this appeal should be dismissed because his notice of appeal was untimely. Upon our review, we agree that the Defendant’s notice of appeal was untimely and that the interest of justice does not require us to waive the timely filing requirement. We respectfully dismiss the appeal.