A Republican lawmaker said during a public hearing this week that the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) is probing the conduct of current and former employees of the Department of Children's Services — an investigation the TBI would neither confirm nor deny. "I've been made aware of a specific instance where the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has gotten involved in an internal investigation of DCS employees and former DCS employees," Rep. David Hawk, R-Greenville, said Monday during a Finance, Ways and Means Committee hearing on emergency funding for the agency. The Chattanooga Times Free Press has the story.

The Tennessee Democratic Party (TNDP) announced yesterday it will begin taking an active role in nonpartisan elections and will endorse candidates who run as independents in partisan races. “In the 2022 cycle, we had a lot of candidates running in nonpartisan races or running as independents we couldn’t support,” said TNDP Chair Hendrell Remus. The party has a longstanding practice of not being involved in nonpartisan races. Kent Syler, a political science professor at Middle Tennessee State University, says the move is likely a response to Republican legislation to increase the role of partisan elections. This year, bills have been introduced to make all state and local elections partisan, require Supreme Court judges to declare a party affiliation, and institute a closed primary system in which all voters must declare a party affiliation before voting. Tennessee Lookout has more on the story.

Nashville parks officials are seeking state approval to remove a monument of a confederate soldier in Centennial Park, Tennessee Lookout reports. The statue, a life-sized bronze sculpture of a young man holding a rifle, sits across a field from the Parthenon. Officials have not said where they will move the monument to if they get approval. Their request will be heard by the state Historical Commission on Feb. 17.

The American Bar Association (ABA) kicked off its Midyear Meeting in New Orleans this week. Today, the ABA the Board of Governors met. Tomorrow, Tennesseans at the meeting will gather for a reception to honor past TBA Executive Director Joycelyn Stevenson. On Sunday, the House of Delegates Nominating Committee will vote on the next president-elect nominee. Bill Bay, a partner with Thompson Coburn in St. Louis and past chair of the House of Delegates, is running unopposed. On Monday, the House is expected to consider nearly 30 proposed resolutions and amendments. Among those is a proposal to eliminate the law school admissions test (LSAT) requirement. A previous push to abandon the exam fell apart at the last minute, Reuters reports. The ABA Journal has more on the meeting.

A bill that would cut the number of elected representatives on the Nashville Metro Council in half passed a legislative subcommittee on a party-line vote Wednesday, Tennessee Lookout reports. House Bill 48, sponsored by House Majority Leader William Lamberth, R-Portland, and Sen. Bo Watson, R-Hixson, chairman of the Finance, Ways and Means Committee, would shrink the 40-member council to no more than 20, beginning in 2024. The sponsors say the measure is designed to make government functions more efficient as Nashville experiences exponential growth. City officials argue that if changes are needed, Nashville voters should be the ones to make the decision.

The next legal clinic for veterans in Knoxville will take place Wednesday from 12-2 p.m. EST at the Knox County Public Defender's Community Law Office in Knoxville. This is a general advice clinic sponsored by the Knoxville Bar Association, KBA Barristers, Legal Aid of East Tennessee, Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law, the University of Tennessee College of Law, the Knox County Public Defender’s Community Law Office and the local Veterans Affairs office. To volunteer, email Caitlin Torney at ctorney@laet.org. View a flyer for the clinic.

The TBA’s Estate Planning & Probate Section will host its annual forum later this month, offering the insight you need to stay on top of key developments in the practice area. The program will feature the annual clerk & master’s panel and presentations on legislative updates, ethics, real estate in probate court, estate administration and more. Lunch will be provided during this in-person event. Join the program on Feb. 24 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST at the Embassy Suites Cool Springs in Franklin. Get more information and register here.

The Tennessee Supreme Court on Tuesday suspended 16 attorneys for failure to pay the annual registration fee; six of them also failed to file proof that client funds are held in an IOLTA-compliant account. View the Jan. 31 fee suspension order and Jan. 31 IOLTA suspension order. See the list of all lawyers suspended and reinstated for fee and IOLTA violations in 2023 or access all administrative suspensions dating back to 2005.

Franklin-based legal services firm Latitude is expanding to Charlotte, North Carolina, marking its fifth new office in the last year, the Nashville Post reports. Latitude has opened offices in Minneapolis, Philadelphia, San Francisco and St. Louis since early last year. Led by CEO Ross Booher, the company provides attorneys on an as-needed basis to both law firms and businesses. “We continue to see increased demand from legal department and law firm leaders for the peer-level contract attorneys we specialize in providing,” Booher said in a release. The new office will be led by Clark Goodman, previously managing partner of Womble Bond Dickinson’s Charlotte office.

The Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands will host its 5th Annual Breakfast of Champions on April 5 from 8-9 a.m. CDT at the City Winery in Nashville. The breakfast, LAS’ signature fundraising event, brings together Middle Tennessee’s legal community and business leaders in support of the organization. Funds raised at this event will directly impact the low-income and vulnerable communities of Middle Tennessee by providing free community education and legal representation against illegal evictions, domestic violence, predatory lending and elder abuse. Registration will open on Feb. 15. Information on the event and sponsorship opportunities can be found on the LAS website.