The Tennessee Supreme Court this week issued a revised order amending Rule 31(14)(g) to increase the number of training hours needed to obtain a “Specifically Trained in Domestic Violence Issues” designation. The court had issued its original order last week, approving a proposal from the Alternative Dispute Resolution Commission to increase the requirement from 12 to 16 hours. The revision, which appears at the end of the second paragraph, adds the phrase "effective June 1, 2023."

The TBA Business Law Section will present its annual forum on April 21 both online and in person. The focus of the program will be business transactions in the news and how they apply to those practicing in the state of Tennessee. Participants include Nathan Harris, James Oliver and John Rodgers, Bradley Arant; A.J. Bahou, Waller; Alexander Davie, Riggs Davie; Joan Heminway, University of Tennessee College of Law; Justin Joy, Lewis Thomason; and Matthew Lyon, Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law. Join the event virtually or in person at the Nashville office of Bass, Berry & Sims from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. CST. A networking reception will follow the program.

Lang Wiseman, the former deputy and chief counsel to Gov. Bill Lee, will be honored as Tennessee’s SEC Basketball Legend and will represent the University of Tennessee at the SEC Tournament next month in Nashville. Wiseman, who earned a bachelor’s degree in business from the university and a law degree from Harvard Law School, is a former Academic All-American, starring as a guard for the Volunteers from 1989-1993. He is also the most decorated scholar athlete in Tennessee basketball history. Wiseman was set to be honored in 2020, but that year’s tournament was canceled due to the COVID pandemic. Wiseman is now a shareholder in the Nashville office of Baker Donelson. Read more from Williamson Source.

A recent decision by Tennessee's attorney general could soon pave the way for 18-, 19- and 20-year-olds to carry a gun without undergoing background checks or training. State law allows permitless carry for adults aged 21 and over. Soon after the law passed, a lawsuit was filed alleging the exclusion of adults under 21 was unconstitutional. Last month, Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti sided with the plaintiffs and signed an agreement that would allow anyone 18 or older to carry without a license. While the judge in the case has not signed off on the proposed settlement, Republican leadership in the state House say they are moving forward with a bill on the issue soon, WPLN reports. Republican members of the General Assembly introduced a similar bill last year, but it failed to pass in the Senate.

The American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Tennessee and Lambda Legal recently announced that it will bring immediate legal action against proposed restrictions on transgender youth health care should those restrictions become law. The groups specifically cite SB1/HB1, which would ban treatments for transgender youth under the age of 18. They argue these bills discriminate on the basis of protected characteristics and note that similar restrictions in Alabama and Arkansas have been enjoined by federal courts.

Retired Tennessee Court of Appeals Judge Patricia J. Cottrell has joined the international alternative dispute resolution firm JAMS. She joins her former colleague and retired Davidson County Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle at the company. Cottrell will be based in Nashville and will serve as an arbitrator, mediator and neutral evaluator handling appellate, business and commercial, employment, health care, higher education, governmental and public agency, and real property disputes. In a statement announcing the move, Cottrell said she is looking forward to applying her knowledge and experience in the new role. 

The TBA Young Lawyers Division (YLD) will hold a debt relief clinic on March 2 at 3:30 p.m. CST. The clinic is fully virtual and open to clients in Middle and East Tennessee. Chief U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Shelley Rucker will kick off the clinic with a presentation to clients about bankruptcy and then volunteer attorneys will meet with clients in online breakout rooms. The clinic is being held in collaboration with the Belmont University College of Law, Federal Bar Association, Knoxville Bar Association, Chattanooga Bar Association, Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services (TALS), Legal Aid Society and Legal Aid of East Tennessee. Contact Alix Rogers to volunteer to help.

The Vanderbilt University Law School’s Black Law Student Association is hosting two lectures this week in honor of Black History Month. Tomorrow, Judge Rupert Byrdsong of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County will speak from 12:30-1:30 p.m. CST in the school’s Flynn Auditorium. Byrdsong is a 1994 graduate of the law school. On Thursday, Judge Waverly Crenshaw of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee will present a lecture on “Journey to Justice” from 12:30-1:30 p.m. CST in the same space. He is a 1981 graduate of the school. Next Tuesday, University of Georgia School of Law scholar Andrea Dennis will speak via Zoom on the topic “Prosecuting Rap: Racial and Constitutional Implications.” Her presentation explores the use of rap lyrics in criminal prosecutions. Read more about the events.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti announced Friday that he joined 21 state attorneys general in filing an amicus brief opposing the Biden administration’s efforts to expand access to the abortion-inducing drug mifepristone. Read his statement here. 

Kevin G. Ritz will be formally installed as the 51st U.S. attorney for the Western District of Tennessee this Friday at 2 p.m. CST. The ceremony will take place at the Memphis City Hall City Council Chambers, 125 N. Main St., Memphis 38103. S. Thomas Anderson, U.S. district judge for the Western District of Tennessee, will convene the event. Ritz was nominated for the post by President Joe Biden on July 29, 2022, and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Sept. 22, 2022. Read the release from Ritz's office. For more information about the ceremony contact Public Affairs Officer Cherri Green, (901) 544-4231.