The Bureau of Workers’ Compensation is accepting nominations for the Sue Ann Head Award for Excellence in Workers’ Compensation now through March 10. Each year, the bureau recognizes an individual who stands out as a leader in Tennessee’s workers’ compensation system. Professionals eligible for the award must have contributed significantly to the success, overall fairness and efficiency of the system in one or more of the following areas: as an employer or employer’s representative, employee representative, service provider, claims professional, medical provider or legal professional. Read more about the award and how to make a nomination on the bureau’s website.

Tennessee Right to Life continues to oppose legislation that would stop the “criminalization” of doctors who perform abortions to save the life of the mother despite a number of proposed changes to the bill, Tennessee Lookout reports. An amendment to the bill, negotiated with the group, changes all references to doctors making “good-faith” judgments in deciding when to terminate a pregnancy to “reasonable.” It also would remove the “medical emergency” standard as one of the conditions that would justify an abortion. Doctors, who packed the House Health Committee this week, oppose the changes saying they could increase their legal exposure. They want to return to the bill’s original language. Tennessee Right to Life says it will continue to oppose the bill even with the changes.

The TBA’s Dispute Resolution Section will hold its annual forum on May 19 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. CDT at the downtown Nashville office of Butler Snow. Make plans now to join colleagues and hear from accomplished professionals in the alternative dispute resolution (ADR) field. Sessions will be tailored to both lawyers and mediators. Watch for more details coming soon.

The Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims is expanding services to lawyers and clients in rural areas by planning regular opportunities for settlement approvals in several counties. Judges on the court will hold remote proceedings in Clarksville, Columbia, Dresden and Morristown. Read more about the expansion and the policies in place for each of these areas.

The University of Memphis School of Law and Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law will hold open houses for prospective students in the coming days. Memphis Law will hold its Diversity & Pre-Law Day on Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. CST. Then on March 1, Duncan Law will hold an open house from 5:30 to 8 p.m. EST.

Leaders with the Tennessee Intergovernmental Affairs Court Improvement Program recently attended a workshop with court improvement staff from other states, the Administrative Office of the Courts reports. Director Stacy Lynch and Project Coordinator/Staff Assistant Elizabeth Whitt traveled to the “Liberating Structures Immersion Workshop,” which was designed to teach attendees how to utilize liberating structures to facilitate meetings, trainings, projects and more in a more collaborative, effective and productive manner. The two-day program was organized by the Oregon Court Improvement Program.

The Tennessee Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two cases today in Nashville. The first case, James Williams v. Smyrna Residential, LLC et al., concerns enforceability of an arbitration agreement. The second, Pratik Pandharipande, M.D. v. FSD Corporation, centers on a dispute about the scope and applicability of certain restrictive covenants between a property owner and a homeowners’ association. Read more about the cases from the Administrative Office of the Courts.

The council of the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar voted Friday to resubmit to the ABA House of Delegates its proposal to eliminate a requirement that accredited law schools use a standard admissions test like the LSAT or GRE. The House rejected the proposal at its midyear meeting several weeks ago. The council has asked the House to reconsider the proposal at its annual meeting in August, the ABA Journal reports. In other action last week, the council approved a suggestion from its Strategic Review Committee to allow up to 50% of a law school’s credits to be offered online without special permission. Currently, schools may offer up to up to one-third of their credit hours online. That recommendation will now be subject to a comment period.

Nashville Mayor John Cooper sent the Republican National Committee (RNC) and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) similar letters of intent to move forward in the bidding and hosting process for the 2028 conventions, the Nashville Business Journal reports. The letters are not binding and require the Metro Council to approve any agreement. The council declined to pursue a bid to host a political convention in 2024 citing concerns over logistics and safety. In response, a number of Republican members of the state legislature introduced bills targeting the city’s autonomy. Proposals included defunding the convention center, giving the state control over the airport and sports authorities, and cutting the number of council members, the Tennessean reports. House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, recently suggested that lawmakers might pull back on these efforts if Cooper showed the city was open to an RNC bid.

The Rutherford County juvenile detention facility is expanding its reach, housing youth from across the state, despite being under increased oversight. The county system came under fire in 2021 and was forced to pay more than $5 million for arresting and detaining children. Now, Nashville Public Radio reports that the system has contracts in place to house juveniles from 41counties across the state. One more is in the works. The station also reveals that the former juvenile court judge attempted to expand contracting across state lines. That effort, however, has been abandoned under the new administration.