U.S. litigation firm Susman Godfrey will award seniority-based year-end bonuses to its associates worth between $140,000 and $360,000, more than triple what other U.S. law firms have committed to this year, reports Reuters. Last year, the Houston firm gave out bonuses between $85,000 and $160,000 based on seniority.

Johnson City lawyer Frederic Brandt died Sunday. He was 88. Brandt was a lifelong resident of Johnson City. He received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Tennessee in 1957 and served in the U.S. Army and Army Reserves before graduating from the University of Tennessee College of Law. Brandt served on several non-profit boards, including the Johnson City Boys Club and the Tennessee Mental Health Association. A celebration of life will be held next spring. To receive notification of services, contact the Morris-Baker funeral home at 423-282-1521 or by email at info@morrisbaker.com.

Democrats are calling for local governments to have a say in where the state builds optional toll lanes, the Commercial Appeal reports. State officials recently named a Transportation Modernization Board which was created through Gov. Lee’s Transportation Modernization Act. The act allocates $3.3 billion in one-time funding for statewide road projects without input from local officials. The five-member board has authority to develop and operate toll lane projects without local input.

Registration is now open for the next free advice clinic for Black-owned small businesses and nonprofits. The clinic, sponsored by the Arts & Business Council's Volunteer Lawyers & Professionals for the Arts and Bradley, provides assistance with business formation and corporate governance, review of contracts and guidance in navigating local ordinances and state regulations. The next clinic will take place Jan. 18, 2024. Attorneys should email vlpa@abcnashville.org to volunteer.

State Sen. Adam Lowe, R-Calhoun, is proposing Tennessee adopt a uniform process for conducting recalls of non-constitutional public officials, WATE reports. Calhoun says the bill would not affect constitutional officers such as governor, secretary of state, attorney general or any county leadership. Instead, it would deal with city leadership and school boards. He says a situation in his own district motivated him to propose the legislation.

Tennessee Department of Health Commissioner Ralph Avarado and Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti have announced that Joe Landsman will succeed Larry Fitzgerald as the Ballad Certificate of Public Advantage (COPA) monitor in April 2024. Landsman, president and chief executive officer of the University of Tennessee Health System, has been with the university since 1999. He previously held senior level positions with other health care organizations. In his new role, Landsman will be responsible for evaluating the continued public advantage of the COPA by monitoring Ballad’s compliance and performance.

After exhausting “all available investigative avenues,” the Metro Nashville Police Department says it is unable to identify who leaked images of The Covenant School shooter’s writings to a radio host. The police, however, say that the images did not come from a current department employee or employees of the any partner agency, and that employees placed on administrative assignment during the investigation have since returned to their regular duties. A former detective had access to the images but is no longer with the department and police officials say they do not have the ability to compel statements or cooperation from former employees. The case file documenting the investigation will be presented to Davidson County District Attorney Glenn Funk’s Office for review, according to the Associated Press.

Severe weather impacted 11 Tennessee counties, with reports of 13 tornadoes on Saturday night. Six people died in Clarksville and Madison and 83 injured patients were rushed to area hospitals in the aftermath of what is likely the deadliest December for Middle Tennessee tornadoes on record, according to the Tennessean. Gov. Bill Lee and affected counties have issued state of emergency declarations and the Tennessee legal services community is prepared to provide assistance to those affected. The Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services' website Help4TN is always available with legal information and resources, and individuals with disaster related legal questions may call 844-HELP4TN and ask to speak with the expert disaster resilience attorney Nick Gau. Regional legal aid programs are planning clinics and other services in the coming days. More information, including a link for attorneys to volunteer to help is available on the TBA website. 

Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti is joining 26 other state attorneys general and the Arizona state legislature in a letter asking the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) to drop a proposed rule they argue violates the Second Amendment. The group writes that the rule risks making any individual who sells a firearm for profit — even to friends or family —liable to civil, administrative and even criminal penalties for failing to register with a federal agency. The proposed rule, “Definition of Engaged in the Business as a Dealer in Firearms,” was put out for public comment on Sept. 8. Read the letter.

Alabama lawyer Larry Wayne Brantley was censured on Friday by the Tennessee Supreme Court in response to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office publicly reprimanding him and placing him on probation for 36 months with conditions. On Oct. 25, the court directed Brantley to respond to a notice of reciprocal discipline and provide any reason why the same discipline should not be imposed in Tennessee. The court reports that Brantley did not provide a response.