Graduation ceremonies at law schools across the state are wrapping up this month with special keynote addresses and award recognitions. At the University of Tennessee College of Law’s ceremony, Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Sharon G. Lee encouraged graduates to lead with integrity and use their law degrees for good. At the Duncan School of Law, 91 graduates heard from federal Judge Curtis L. Collier, who urged them to consider the law as a form of public service. A number of students also received awards. At Vanderbilt University Law School, 23 graduates were recognized with academic and citizenship awards while 31 were recognized for pro bono work. And at the Nashville School of Law, students heard from Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Sarah Campbell, who praised the sacrifices many of them made to attend law school while continuing to work.

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP has opened a new office in Atlanta with more than 20 attorneys, the Nashville Business Journal reports. It's a move that has been a strategic priority for the Birmingham-based firm for years, according to Jonathan Skeeters, managing partner and chairman of the board, who is based in the firm’s Nashville office. The move follows expansions to Florida and Texas. The new office is located in the Promenade Tower at 1230 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta, GA 30309. See the list of lawyers joining the office.

In a legal filing, the parents of some Covenant School students are urging the court not to release the shooter’s entire writings to the public. WKRN News 2, which obtained a copy of the filing, reports that the parents argue that withholding certain documents will protect their children from “a lifetime of abuse and harassment by the shooter from beyond the grave.” They also argue there is “no compelling state interest in giving voice to a horrendous criminal.” The group is objecting to any documents that threaten the safety of the school or their children. They do not, however, object to a police summary of the shooter’s motives. They say that document would “provide the public with the information needed to understand this horrific crime” and hopefully prevent “another incident of this nature.” The next court date in the case is June 8.

State Rep. Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville, told the Chattanooga Times Free Press that she is seriously considering running against U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn in the 2024 election. "I am considering it, yes," Johnson told the paper. "There have been a whole lot of people, very serious people, asking me to do it. And so I told them I would seriously consider doing it.” Blackburn, a Republican, was elected to the Senate in 2018 after serving 16 years in the U.S. House of Representatives. Johnson recently gained national attention after she was nearly expelled from the Tennessee General Assembly for protesting for gun reform on the House floor as part of the "Tennessee Three."

The TBA Young Lawyers Division (YLD) has selected Sue Mathews as the 2023 CASA Volunteer of the Year. Mathews is a volunteer with CASA of Maury County and has served as a court-appointed special advocate for 15 years. In nominating Mathews for the award, CASA of Maury County Executive Director Jessica Ballard said that Mathews regularly “goes above and beyond” to support, mentor and advocate for the cases she is assigned, and “embodies what it means to be an effective CASA by making sure the children’s needs are being met and their voices are heard.” The award will be presented at the YLD Board’s annual dinner on June 16 in Knoxville as part of the TBA’s Annual Convention. CASA’s mission is to train and support court-appointed volunteers who then advocate for abused and neglected children who have come to the attention of the courts. Read the TBA’s full press release here.

Don't miss the TBA's International Law Forum set to take place Friday at 1212 Germantown from 1:30-3:45 p.m. CDT. The forum will feature attorney Larry Harrington discussing international business practices in South America and Jim Hollingshad, senior advisor for economic and business affairs with the Consulate-General of Japan. A networking reception will follow the program from 3:45-5 p.m. CDT. All International Law Section members are invited to attend. Please RSVP here.

Former House Speaker Glen Casada and aide Cade Cothren face an Oct. 3 trial date on charges related to alleged bribery and kickbacks, wire fraud and money laundering, the Chattanoogan reports. The trial will be presided over by U. S. District Judge Eli Richardson in Nashville and is expected to last two to three weeks. Former state Rep. Robin Smith, who resigned from the state House after being charged with federal wire fraud charges, is expected to testify. Sentencing on her guilty plea has been delayed until the conclusion of the Casada and Cothren trial.

A New York lawyer is facing sanctions over an error-riddled brief drafted with help from ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence chatbot, reported Reuters. Steven Schwartz of Levidow, Levidow & Oberman faces a sanctions hearing on June 8 after he admitted to using ChatGPT for a brief in his client's personal injury case against Avianca Airlines. The brief cited six non-existent court decisions. Schwartz said in a court filing last week that he "greatly regrets" his reliance on the technology and was "unaware of the possibility that its contents could be false." Memphis attorney and ethics expert Brian Faughnan’s offers commentary on the case and technological competency.

A U.S. labor board official says that requiring workers to sign agreements not to join competing companies is usually illegal, reported Reuters. National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo wrote in a memo to agency lawyers that "noncompete agreements" discourage workers from exercising their rights under U.S. labor law to advocate for better working conditions “unless the provision is narrowly tailored to special circumstances justifying the infringement on employee rights." In January, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission proposed a rule that would ban companies from requiring workers to sign noncompete provisions. That proposal is pending.

After reviewing more than 140 legal podcast recommendations, Attorney at Work announced the results of its first Podcast Survey. Among the top podcasts included The Hearing, Lawyerist Podcast, On Record PR, and the Digital Edge. Go here to see the full list and learn more about the survey.