January 27, 2025 - January 31, 2025.

Memphis Area Legal Services (MALS) in partnership with the Memphis Bar Association, OUTMemphis and the Tennessee Bar Association Young Lawyers Division will hold a wills clinic for the LGBTQ+ community on Feb. 22 from 9 a.m. to  4 p.m. CST. The clinic will take place at the OUTMemphis Community Center, 892 Cooper St., Memphis 38104. Volunteers are needed to assist Tennessee residents who are members of the LGBTQ+ community and in need of legal assistance with estate planning, including wills, advanced directives and durable powers of attorney. Complete this form to volunteer. View a flyer for the event.

Federal prosecutors in Nashville have withdrawn from a criminal investigation into U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles, NewsChannel 5 reports. Acting U.S. Attorney for the Middle District Rob McGuire filed notice last Thursday to withdraw Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert S. Levine and J. Christopher Suedekum from an ongoing legal dispute over the FBI's access to evidence seized last year. McGuire's motion stated the case would now be handled entirely by the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. Ogles has been accused of lying about how much money he loaned to his 2022 campaign. Last month, the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) recommended that the U.S. House Ethics Committee open a full-scale investigation into Ogles over discrepancies in his campaign finance disclosures. Ogles, a Republican from Maury County, has maintained that the case is politically motivated and that any discrepancies were based on an honest mistake.

A $2 million pledge recently was made by Chattanooga law firm Summers, Rufolo & Rodgers to support students at the University of Tennessee College of Law, the school has announced. The gift will support the Summers, Rufolo & Rodgers Scholarship Endowment, which benefits students pursuing careers in advocacy; the Douglas A. Blaze Leadership Scholarship, which supports students preparing for leadership roles in the legal profession; and the John K. Morgan Trial Advocacy Endowment, which honors a prominent Chattanooga attorney who influenced Summers and was an important figure in his book "The Turtle and the Lawyer." Responding to the gift, law school Dean Lonnie T. Brown Jr. said. "Summers, Rufolo & Rodgers’ sustained history of unparalleled generosity is indispensable to our ongoing success and so very deeply appreciated.”

Two Knoxville law firms — the Law Offices of G. Turner Howard III and Garza Law — have merged according to Knox TN Today. Turner Howard will continue to work from his West Knoxville office, said Krista DeSocio, communications and marketing director for Garza Law. “It’s a good partnership because both men are kind and thoughtful. We were able to work it out,” DeSocio said. Garza Law has 18 attorneys and several investigators. The firm handles personal injury and criminal cases, along with Social Security and disability claims.

Brentwood attorney Gary Rubenstein, known as "Rube," died Saturday evening. Rubenstein earned his law degree from Vanderbilt University Law School. He began his legal career clerking at Schulman, LeRoy & Bennett in Nashville while in law school, eventually becoming a partner with the firm. He worked there until his retirement in 2023. Rubenstein's practice focused primarily on insurance defense, surety bond issues and landlord-tenant matters, serving management companies in the Middle Tennessee area. He also lectured on landlord-tenant issues and real estate law and taught business law at John Gupton College of Mortuary Science for more than 30 years. Visitation will be tomorrow from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. CST at Williamson Memorial Gardens in Franklin. Services will follow at 1 p.m., with a graveside service immediately followng. Memorials may be made to The Jimmy Fund.

An inmate at the Shelby County Jail died Friday, bringing the total number of deaths at the facility since 2019 to at least 55. The Daily Memphian reports that the incident began last Thursday when jailers found an inmate unresponsive after a medical emergency. The inmate was taken to Methodist University Hospital and died Friday afternoon. Previous reporting from the news outlet showed at least 40 deaths at 201 Poplar between 2019 and mid-2023, with many deaths attributed to drugs, violence or inmate health conditions. In 2024, the facility saw at least seven inmate deaths.

Beneficiaries of Medicare have access to several new benefits in 2025. Most of the updates concern Part D prescription plans. Changes include a $35 cap on covered insulin, a $2,000 annual out-of-pocket spending cap, a monthly prescription drug payment plan and elimination of the Part D donut hole, among others. Patients with dementia and their caregivers also have access to the Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE), which provides a 24/7 hotline to locate medical services and other assistance. GUIDE offers caregiver training and up to $2,500 per year for at-home, overnight or adult day care. U.S. News & World Report has more.

The TBA will host "The Bill Show" webcast on Feb. 4 from noon to 1 p.m. CST. Join Nashville lawyer Bill Ramsey for this always-popular session that will showcase the latest gadgets and technology for both lawyers and nonlawyers. This year, Ramsey will focus on the fun, inane and interesting innovations he discovered at CES 2025, the Consumer Technology Association's annual tech showcase. While artificial intelligence-based tech will be featured, the webcast also will highlight a range of tech trends beyond AI. For more information and to register, visit TBA’s website.

The Memphis Bar Association (MBA) will host its Second Saturday Legal Advice Clinic this week on Feb. 8 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. CST at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library. Attorneys are always needed to give legal advice and basic guidance on a range of issues, from divorce to employment law. To sponsor a future clinic, contact Mary Ann Upchurch at maupchurch@memphisbar.org. Questions about the clinic should be directed to Memphis Area Legal Services Pro Bono Managing Attorney Heather Staggs at hstaggs@malsi.org.