Legal sector jobs increased by 700 in May, totaling just over 1.1 million, despite layoffs at some of the country’s highest-grossing law firms. Reuters reports that overall U.S. job growth accelerated in May, but a jump in the unemployment rate to a seven-month high of 3.7% suggested that labor market conditions are easing.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti announced yesterday that he is joining 17 other states suing the Biden administration over a new rule to regulate immigration following the expiration of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Title 42 public health order. Also this week, the AG's office said that it has joined 21 other state attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in support of two Florida parents appealing a federal court’s decision to dismiss their lawsuit against Leon County Schools. The lawsuit claimed that the school spoke to the child about gender identity without the parents’ consent.

Nashville law firm Sherrard Roe Voigt Harbison is representing the state in a lawsuit filed by Brian Manookian, who wants access to records in the sexual harassment case of former Rep. Scotty Campbell. The Tennessee Lookout reports that Manookian filed a challenge in Davidson County Chancery Court concerning the Office of Legislative Administration’s refusal to open records in the case, in which Campbell was found to have sexually harassed a 19-year-old intern who worked at the General Assembly. A hearing is set for June 30.

The Environmental Protection Agency has awarded Memphis $1 million to support community-wide cleanup programs targeting contaminated commercial sites — “brownfields” — for redevelopment inside the city’s limits. The Daily Memphian reports that the grant will be administered by the Economic Development Growth Engine (EDGE) for Memphis and Shelby County. The EPA defines a brownfield as a property where the expansion, redevelopment or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant. 

The Veterans Legal Advice Clinic is a general advice and referral clinic that serves between 20 and 30 veterans in the community each month with a wide variety of legal issues, including family law, landlord/tenant, bankruptcy, criminal defense, consumer protection, contract disputes, child support and personal injury. Preregistration is not required for the in-person clinic, which will be held June 14 from noon-2 p.m. EDT at the Knox County Public Defender's Law Office, 1101 Liberty Street, Knoxville 37919.

Memphis Area Legal Services will host the June Second Saturday Legal Advice Clinic on June 10 at the Benjamin Hooks Central Library, 3030 Poplar Avenue, Memphis 38111 from 10 a.m.-noon CDT. The clinic operates on a first come, first served basis.

The Department of the Interior yesterday announced that nearly $725 million from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is available to Tennessee and 21 other states to reclaim abandoned coal mine lands. The money will help communities clean up dangerous environmental conditions and pollution caused by past coal mining. WATE in Knoxville reports that Tennessee is eligible for just over $8.5 million, and that at least 5,050 acres of abandoned mine land has already been reclaimed as a part of the Tennessee Land Reclamation Section that was started in 1981.

According to documents obtained through an open records request, Gov. Bill Lee’s administration accused the National Rifle Association of wanting to use involuntary commitment laws “to round up mentally ill people and deprive them of other liberties.” The memos were drafted in April as part of the administration’s attempt to pass legislation following the Covenant School shooting in late March. The Associated Press reports that the documents promote Lee’s proposal as “more targeted and more limited” than what the NRA currently supports.

The budget committee of the Sumner County Commission voted last week to eliminate the county’s human resources department, a move which would save the county approximately $100,000 annually. The Tennessee Lookout reports that HR Director Cheryl Lewis-Smith told the committee that she was concerned about the welfare of Sumner County employees and the potential liability risks to the county if the HR department is dissolved. The vote must be approved by the full commission.

Join your colleagues at TBA’s Annual Convention in Knoxville to learn about employment law issues that arise in a multitude of legal practice areas. “Top 10 Employment Law Updates All Tennessee Lawyers Should Know About” will discuss emerging issues in federal and state employment law that all Tennessee lawyers should know about to effectively spot issues, help their clients navigate them and identify resources to do so effectively. Visit the Convention CLE page for more information on this and other CLE programming. Can't make it to the full convention? You can register for just this individual course.