TikTok Inc. is planning to go on a lawyer hiring spree as efforts to ban the popular social media app or force its sale in the United States continue, Bloomberg Law reports. The company — owned by Beijing-based ByteDance Ltd. — says it plans to hire 60 lawyers globally this year. An online job board lists in-house legal positions in regulatory affairs, product monetization, privacy, litigation, employment, compliance, and anti-money laundering.

The Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands will hold a free low-income legal help clinic next Tuesday in Gallatin. The clinic will run from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. CDT at the Gallatin Civic Center, 210 Albert Gallatin Ave. To volunteer for a clinic, contact Kendra Cheek, 615-780-7131. Get more details and see all March clinics.

The 42nd Annual Tennessee State High School Mock Trial Competition will take place March 17-18 at the Historic Davidson County Courthouse in downtown Nashville. The roster of competitors is now set with 14 teams: Aaron Academy and Signal Mountain High School from Chattanooga; Clarksville High School; two teams from Agathos Classical School in Columbia; Jefferson County High School in Dandridge; Unicoi County High School in Erwin; Farragut High School in Knoxville; two teams from St. Mary's Episcopal School in Memphis; Central Magnet School in Murfreesboro; and Christ Presbyterian Academy, Harpeth Hall School and Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville. The state competition is produced by the TBA Young Lawyers Division and will involve several hundred students, attorneys, sitting judges and law student volunteers. Thank you to Belmont University College of Law, Lincoln Memorial University and Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law for sponsoring this year’s competition.

The Biden administration is reportedly considering reviving the practice of detaining migrant families who cross the border without documentation — the same policy the president shut down over the past two years, the New York Times reports. Under the current policy, migrant families are released into the United States with ankle bracelets, traceable cellphones or other methods to keep track of them until a court hearing date. Some suggest the move may be in response to an expected border surge after May 11, when a public health measure that has allowed authorities to expel migrants expires. Officials told the paper that the Department of Homeland Security is outlining what it would need to do to restart temporary family detention by early May.

Pleasant View Municipal Judge Greg Smith recently completed a position paper advising the Parliament of Ukraine on how to revamp its small claims courts, the Administrative Office of the Courts reports. The parliament had reached out to the National Judicial College (NJC) for assistance with reforming its courts and the NJC asked Smith to handle recommendations for the small claims court system. Smith has taught for the NJC for the past nine years and has authored the Municipal Judges’ Bench Book. Of the experience, Smith said, "I'm humbled to be entrusted with this important task by the National Judicial College and the Country of Ukraine … Of all the judges that you could find, why me was what I was thinking.” Smith believes the paper has been translated from English to Ukrainian and is now headed to the parliament for review.

Belmont University College of Law's Criminal Law Journal will look at how the place where one lives can affect interactions with the criminal justice system. Panelists at the March 24 program will compare how criminal charges, plea-bargaining, trial procedure and sentencing are handled differently in rural and urban communities. The keynote address will be given by Dan Canon, a civil rights lawyer and professor at the University of Louisville Louis D. Brandeis School of Law. The event will take place at the school’s Randall and Sadie Baskin Center, 1901 15th Ave. S., Nashville 37212. Cost of $10 covers coffee, snacks and lunch. Register here.

The Republican plan to cap local metropolitan governing bodies at 20 members cleared the full House on Monday and a key Senate committee yesterday, Axios Nashville reports. The bill, HB48/SB87, would have the effect of cutting the Nashville Metro Council in half. Nashville Mayor John Cooper wrote to Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, R- Oak Ridge, House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R- Crossville, and Gov. Bill Lee this week outlining his opposition to the plan. At a minimum, he is asking the leaders to give Davidson County voters the power to sign off on the proposal or defer the measure for one year. Under the current bill, new districts would need to be in place for the May 18 qualifying deadline and the election on Aug. 3. Cooper says there is not enough time to implement new districts by then.

Today is International Women's Day, which recognizes the social, economic, political and cultural achievements of women and commits to the acceleration towards true equality for all women and girls. In a statement released today, American Bar Association President Deborah Enix-Ross says the legal profession has much work to do to reach gender equity. Women make up only 38% of all lawyers and only 12% of managing partners, she observes. She calls on the legal community to work for faster progress. “Lawyers are committed to justice and fairness. We have a vital role to play in effecting positive change. On this day, all members of the legal community need to recommit themselves to achieving gender equity.”

The U.S. Department of Justice today said it will conduct a review of the Memphis Police Department. The review, to be conducted by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, will look at policies, practices, training, data and processes related to the department’s use of force, de-escalation and specialized units. At the conclusion of the review, a public report outlining findings and recommendations will be issued. The DOJ also announced it would undertake a broader review of specialized law enforcement units across the country. That effort is designed to help police chiefs and mayors assess the appropriateness of specialized units and ensure the necessary management and oversight of such units. The decision comes as the Memphis City Council yesterday adopted several new ordinances designed to change how police interact with citizens during traffic stops. The Commercial Appeal has more on those proposals.

The Shelby County District Attorney’s office announced yesterday that it is entering into a memorandum of understanding with the national reform group Justice Innovation Lab. The move is designed to enhance data transparency within the office, the district attorney said. According to News Action 5, the reform group — which is composed of former prosecutors and data analysis experts — will review the office’s data and interview staff for the next 12 to 18 months. It also will help clean up the office’s data and design a public-facing “data dashboard” on the DA’s website.