The Nashville Arts and Business Council will host a Volunteer Lawyers & Professionals for the Arts pro bono legal clinic on Aug. 2 from 6 - 8 p.m. (CDT) at the East Park Community Center, 600 Woodland St., Nashville 37206. The clinic will provide pro bono legal services to income-qualified artists, emerging arts nonprofit organizations, and creative businesses in drafting and reviewing contracts, protecting work with copyright and trademark and resolving arts-related disputes. Go here to register or write vlpa@abcnashville.org.

The Tennessee Supreme Court issued opinions in two cases today asserting that the plaintiffs in those cases could proceed with their vicarious liability claims, which were timely filed, against the defendant hospitals, even though the statute of limitations would have barred any claims against the hospitals’ agents. The court concluded that, in the circumstances of these cases, the Health Care Liability Act abrogates a common-law rule known as the operation-of-law exception. The justices filed several separate opinions in the cases, which are available here: Ultsch opinion authored by Justice Sarah Campbell, Ultsch opinion authored by Justice Sharon Lee, Ultsch opinion authored by Justice Jeff Bivins, Gardner opinion authored by Justice Sarah Campbell, Gardner opinion authored by Justice Sharon Lee and Gardner opinion authored by Justice Jeff Bivins.

The admissions department at the University of Michigan Law School has explicitly banned the use of ChatGPT, the popular online chatbot, and other forms of artificial intelligence tools on applications, Reuters reports today. Applicants must now certify they haven’t used AI tools in the drafting process. Michigan is the first major law school to warn that any false statements about AI usage may lead to the revocation of admission or expulsion. Other law schools are expected to announce similar bans in the coming months.

The Tennessee Bar Association welcomes Sheree Wright as she begins her service as executive director tomorrow. Wright has been active in the TBA as well as the Nashville and national legal communities throughout her career. “We are extremely excited to have Sheree join the Tennessee Bar Association as our new executive director,” former TBA President Tasha Blakney said in announcing the appointment earlier this summer. Read more about Wright.

Retired federal judge H. Bruce Guyton will join the Knoxville Police Department’s executive leadership team as the interim deputy chief of professional standards, KnoxNews reports. Guyton’s appointment comes after the abrupt resignation of Brooklyn Sawyers Belk, who held the position for four months. The Knoxville City Council next week will review and vote on a proposed agreement for Guyton to serve on a month-to-month contract basis until the next full-time deputy chief can be selected. Guyton previously served as a U.S. magistrate judge in the Eastern District of Tennessee for nearly 20 years until retiring in 2022.

The Nashville airport board appointed by Mayor John Cooper met at the Metro Courthouse Tuesday and voted to seek outside counsel in its lawsuit against the state over who controls the Nashville International Airport and the smaller John Tune Airport, the Nashville Post reports. The board also approved a resolution authorizing Metro Legal Director Wally Dietz to choose the counsel. Metro has sued the state seeking to overturn the new airport board which took effect June 30. A three-judge state court panel will meet July 28 in Davidson County Chancery Court and is expected to rule on which version of the board is in charge until the full lawsuit is resolved. The Federal Aviation Authority has said it will recognize the old board until a court rules on Nashville’s lawsuit against the state.

A news item in yesterday’s issue of TBA Today had the incorrect RSVP deadline to attend the investiture ceremony for incoming Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Dwight E. Tarwater. Responses will be accepted through Aug. 25. The event will take place Sept. 5 at 3 p.m. EDT at the Tennessee Theatre, located at 604 S. Gay St., Knoxville 37902. View the invitation. RSVP to tscrsvp@painetarwater.com to attend.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti recently announced a partnership with the Federal Trade Commission and other law enforcement agencies nationwide to crackdown on illegal telemarketing operations responsible for billions of calls to U.S. consumers. The joint state and federal “Operation Stop Scam Calls” initiative targets telemarketers, the companies that hire them, lead generators and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service providers, who facilitate illegal robocalls, which often originate from overseas. The effort includes law enforcement actions as well as an educational campaign.

An investiture ceremony for incoming Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Dwight E. Tarwater will take place Sept. 5 at 3 p.m. EDT at the Tennessee Theatre in Knoxville. The oath will be administered by Gov. Bill Lee and a reception will follow. The theatre is located at 604 S. Gay St., Knoxville 37902. View the invitation. RSVP by Aug. 25 to tscrsvp@painetarwater.com to attend.

The National Conference of Bar Examiners released a selection of sample questions for the so-called NextGen bar exam, which is set to debut in July 2026, and the reaction has been “lukewarm,” Reuters reports. Comments range from concerns that the questions are too easy to complaints that the revamped test will not be significantly different from the current one. The bar exam group began developing the new test in early 2021, partially in response to criticism that the existing exam does not reflect the actual practice of law. This fall's incoming class of law students will be the first to take the new exam when they graduate.