Hamblen County lawyer Douglas Ralph Beier on Friday was reinstated to the practice of law with conditions: he must engage a practice monitor for six months and complete a minimum of 15 hours of continuing legal education, including at least three hours of legal ethics, every year he is actively licensed. Beier was suspended by the Tennessee Supreme Court for two years on Oct. 2, 2020. He filed a petition for reinstatement on Sept. 20, 2022.

The Tennessee Bar Association this year will again honor the good works of Tennessee journalists through the Fourth Estate Award: Honoring Courageous Reporting on Justice and the Law. This year's prize includes a $250 honorarium for the winner. The TBA strongly supports our freedom of expression under the First Amendment, as exercised by lawyers on behalf of their clients and by journalists on behalf of the public, and it particularly wants to recognize and encourage journalists who promote public understanding of the rule of law and our system of justice through vigorous exercise of their First Amendment rights. Prior winners include the WSMV News 4 I-Team, Steven Hale of the Nashville Scene, the Bristol Herald Courier, Marc Perrusquia’s work for the Daily Memphian and the Institute for Public Service Reporting, and the Kingsport Times News. The deadline for entry is April 10. Read more about this year's award process.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division hosted its signature — and award winning — debt clinic virtually on March 2. The clinic was open to clients in Middle and East Tennessee. Chief U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Shelley Rucker kicked off the clinic with a presentation to clients about bankruptcy, and then seven volunteer attorneys and 14 students from Belmont Law and Nashville School of Law met with clients in breakout rooms for counsel and advice. The clinic was held in collaboration with Belmont University College of Law, Federal Bar Association, Chattanooga Bar Association, Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services, Legal Aid of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands and Legal Aid of East Tennessee.

The Washington County Bar Association has elected new officers for the 2023 year. They are: President Hunter Shepard, President-elect Tom Smith, Vice President Brandon Casey, Secretary Christa Morton and Treasurer Jesse J. Campbell. Shepard works at Herrin, McPeak & Associates in Jonesborough. All others are from Johnson City. In addition, the following board members have been elected: Grace Studer, Elizabeth Jones, Nora Koffman, Solange McDaniel and Morgan Taylor.

U.S. law firm office leasing volume dropped off during the fourth quarter of 2022, potentially signaling the start of a leasing slowdown in the legal industry, according to a new report from commercial brokerage Savills. Following a pandemic-era decline, the leasing market had enjoyed several quarters of steady volume. But the latest data shows that growth has stalled with firms leasing just 1.1 million square feet in the fourth quarter compared to 1.7 million in the third quarter and 1.6 million in the second quarter. Read more about the trend from Reuters.

The law license of Knox County lawyer Daniel Clyde Fielden II was transferred to disability inactive status today. Fielden may not practice law while on inactive status but can petition for reinstatement to active status by showing by clear and convincing evidence that the disability has been removed and he is fit to resume the practice of law.

Nammu Technologies Inc., which owns SimplyAgree, has raised $6.85 million of a $7.85 million offering, the Nashville Business Journal reports. This latest round of funding brings the startup’s total capital raised to more than $8.2 million. SimplyAgree manages signature and closing tasks for transactional attorneys. The portal organizes all the documents attorneys need to finalize complex deals, from mergers and acquisitions to commercial real estate transactions. Unlike other electronic signature companies, SimplyAgree is designed to handle complicated transactions, according to CEO and former Baker Donelson lawyer Will Norton. Norton co-founded SimplyAgree with former Bass, Berry & Sims associate Sam Beutler.

U.S. District Judge Drew Tipton on Friday refused to transfer a challenge to a new Biden administration immigration policy to a different court, rejecting the administration's claim that 21 Republican-led states had engaged in "judge shopping" when challenging a program that would allow up to 360,000 people from Cuba, Haiti, Venezuela and Nicaragua to enter the U.S. each year. The administration argued the suit should be heard by a court in Washington, D.C., or Austin, Texas, Reuters reports. Tipton said the administration's claim was undermined by its own statements that he could be fair and impartial.

Tara M. Stringfellow has lived all over the world, but her debut novel “Memphis” — the TBA’s third quarter book club selection — is about as Memphis as a book can be, the Commercial Appeal writes. Stringfellow says the book “is an ode to my city and the Black women living in it … and my declaration that our lives — our beautiful, rich, full Black lives — matter so very much." Stringfellow, who was a lawyer in Chicago before moving to Memphis, now focuses on her writing full time. Her next book will be a collection of poems. Read more about her life story.

Almost four months after the first law school said it would pull out of U.S. News’ annual graduate school rankings, and now with more than 20% of the nation’s law schools joining that boycott, the publication is going on the offensive. In a Wall Street Journal opinion piece, Eric Gertler, executive chairman and CEO of U.S. News & World Report, accused the schools of gatekeeping information that prospective students need to make informed decisions. Absent its rankings, it will be difficult for students to find accurate, comprehensive information that empowers them to compare institutions and identify the factors that matter most to them, Gertler writes. Read excerpts from the piece in Above the Law.