The Davidson County Mental Health Court Foundation will hold a reception tomorrow at 6 p.m. CDT. The event, which is a fundraiser for the group, will take place on the veranda of the Hermitage Hotel, 231 6th Ave. N., Nashville 37219. View the invitation. RSVP to spencer@bowersstrategies.com. The foundation supports the work of the mental health courts in Davidson County.

This year’s Tennessee Supreme Court Boot Camp, set for Oct. 4, will include two special elements not to be missed! As in past years, attendees will observe oral arguments in real cases and then engage in a discussion about the preparation and considerations for deciding to seek review in the court. But this year, attendees also are invited to see Justice Holly Kirby sworn in as the court’s newest chief justice prior to the CLE at the state capitol, and then hear former TBA president Bill Harbison present a special program on the history of the court at Holland & Knight after the Boot Camp. The TBA's Boot Camp program will kick off at 9:30 a.m. CDT at the Tennessee Supreme Court building in Nashville with oral arguments before the full court. An analysis and discussion will follow with Chattanooga lawyer Robert Parsley with Miller & Martin, and Nashville lawyers Donald Capparella with Dodson Parker Behm & Capparella, and Edmund Sauer with Bradley Arant Boult Cummings. The program will wrap up at 4:30 p.m. CDT.

Members of the TBA Young Lawyers Division (YLD) Board and YLD Fellows gathered at the Hard Rock Hotel in Cancun, Mexico, this past weekend for the Fall Board Meeting. YLD President Quinton Thompson gave special recognition to Nashville lawyer Alix Rogers, Murfreesboro lawyer Morgan Hanna and Cookeville lawyer Amber Vargas for their work holding pro bono wills clinics this summer for essential workers. Rogers also was recognized for her work training YLD district coordinators across the state and for leading a panel of lawyers at a recent law school visit. Finally, Memphis lawyer Jeffrey Moore was awarded the “disco gavel” for his enthusiasm and efforts to bring people together. During the meeting, members planned for upcoming events, including additional pro bono clinics, the Diversity Leadership Institute, the Tennessee State High School Mock Trial competition and Diversity Law Week. They also discussed long range planning and how best to engage young lawyers across the state. See photos from the meeting, which was held during Mexico's Independence Day celebration.

Kevin G. Ritz, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, has announced two federal grants will be awarded to area nonprofits. Lifeline to Success, which helps men and women with serious felony convictions transition back to society, will receive $500,000. The funding will be used to support the organization’s new rehabilitation center, Welch Home for Success, and a 12-month demonstration program offering peer support, therapeutic and mental health services, job training and life coaching to reduce recidivism and support long-term success. In addition, West Tennessee Legal Services in Jackson will receive $600,000 to provide legal services and improve coordination of justice systems impacting survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking.

Kansas City-based Spencer Fane LLP has assembled a team of lawyers — including two in Nashville — to launch a sports law practice. The new practice will be led by Denver-based Peter Goplerud and Nashville lawyers Loren Mulraine and James Crumlin. The practice will build on work already being done by the firm in areas such as name, image and likeness (NIL) deals, the Nashville Business Journal reports. The team will focus on corporate, entertainment, higher education, intellectual property and labor and employment law; contract negotiations; internal investigations; and National Collegiate Athletic Association compliance and eligibility issues. Spencer Fane entered the Nashville market in 2021 when it merged with Bone McAllester Norton PLLC.

The Tennessee Department of Children’s Services (DCS) is embarking on more than $400 million worth of construction projects to handle children entering state custody and to improve detention centers, Tennessee Lookout reports. The projects include a new assessment center, two intake facilities and six other facilities across the state at a total cost of $88.3 million. Another $333 million will be spent for a new Woodland Hills Youth Detention Center in Nashville and improvements at John S. Wilder Youth Detention Center in Fayette County, where reports of abuse by guards, riots and poor living conditions have been frequent. A new Wilder center also is to be built to house another 24 to 48 minors, potentially bringing its population up to nearly 170.

A number of lawyers have been reinstated to active or inactive status after being suspended for various administrative violations. They include 11 who had been suspended for CLE violations: one in 2023, two in 2022, two in 2021, three in 2020, two in 2018 and one in 2013; nine who had not paid the professional privilege tax: eight in 2023 and one in 2022; and 46 who had not paid the annual Board of Professional Responsibility fee: 30 in 2023, 10 in 2022, two in 2021 and four in 2019. See updated lists at the links above.

Legal Aid of Middle Tennessee & the Cumberlands (LAS) will hold two legal clinics this week. Tomorrow, LAS will hold a wills and power of attorney clinic from 3:30-6:30 p.m. CDT at the Nashville School of Law, 4013 Armory Oaks Dr., Nashville 37204. On Saturday, the group will hold a clinic from 9:30-11:30 a.m. CDT at Belmont University, 2005 12th Ave. S., Nashville 37204. See all September clinics. To volunteer, contact Kendra Cheek, 615-780-7131.

House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, is planning to revive a bill aimed at stiffening sentences for serious juvenile crimes in 2024. The bill, which died during a truncated special session on public safety, seeks to classify children aged 14 and older as "serious youthful offenders" for certain offenses, allowing them to be transferred to prison through age 24. Critics argue that tougher sentences may not address the root causes of juvenile crime and could exacerbate problems such as the school-to-prison pipeline. Other bills, including those related to gun storage requirements, mass violence threats and child autopsy reports, are also expected to be reintroduced in 2024. The Tennessee Lookout has a comprehensive overview.

U.S. District Judge Mark Norris is considering how to proceed with the civil lawsuit over Tyre Nichols' death and which parties should be involved. The civil suit involves five officers accused of killing Nichols, and they, along with other former MPD personnel, have sought a stay of the proceedings, citing fear of federal criminal charges. According to the Daily Memphian, attorneys for Nichols' mother, RowVaughn Wells, and the city of Memphis agree that the case should proceed in a manner that would allow the defendants to avoid self-incrimination. They also agree the civil case will largely focus on the city's practices and its role in Nichols' death.