A former board member of Tennessee's Inmate Disciplinary Oversight Board and former Shelby County assistant district attorney has been indicted on statutory rape charges, the Commercial Appeal reports. Vanessa Murtaugh was indicted Feb. 27 on one count of statutory rape by an authority figure and one count of aggravated statutory rape. She resigned from the oversight board the next day. The indictment states that the victim was 17 years old at the time and that Murtaugh used her legal, professional or occupational status to facilitate the alleged crime. Murtaugh was booked into custody Monday, with bail set at $50,000.

In a Metro Council meeting on Tuesday, the body passed a bill on the second of three readings that would allow cooperation between the police department and private security cameras through surveillance technology such as Fusus. According to the Nashville Banner, unlike a version defeated last year, this legislation contains “guardrails” against certain use of video footage. Four amendments were made to the legislation such as requiring officers to document and justify camera access, independent audits of access records and a ban on AI-powered lip-reading. Amendments also limit police access to residential cameras and mandate the preservation of footage showing potential excessive force. The proposal won approval on the first reading in January and the third and final reading is expected at the next council meeting.

The American Bar Association (ABA) Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility today released a formal opinion that provides clarification on when a lawyer may divulge information when they are a victim of a crime by a client or prospective client. Formal Opinion 515 states that such disclosures are implicitly permitted under Model Rule 1.6 to allow for investigation, prosecution or other remedies. The exception also applies when the victim is someone associated with or related to the lawyer, provided the lawyer is a witness to the crime. The committee also noted that a client-lawyer relationship is unlikely to continue after such an incident and that lawyers typically must inform clients of the disclosure under Rule 1.4.

Friday’s TBA Estate Planning & Probate Forum was a huge success with more than 280 in-person attendees. This forum remains the premier event for Tennessee planners and professionals of related practice areas. The daylong event featured expert speakers covering topics such as community property trusts, AI developments, a probate panel, ethics, legislative updates and much more. The continued growth is a testament to the topnotch programming, presenters and hard work of the Estate Planning Section leadership. Event sponsors were onsite to provide information regarding their organizations to TBA members. Thanks to presenting sponsor Holland & Knight, breakfast sponsor Magnolia Trust Company, lunch sponsor Pendleton Square, break sponsors FirstBank and Argent Trust, wifi sponsor ABA Retirement Funds, and exhibitors American Cancer Society, Case Auctions, Conservatorship Assocition of Tennessee, Cumberland Trust, Discovering Connections, Diversified Trust, Peachtree Planning, and Southeastern Trust. See pictures from the event.

Butler Snow recently announced that its Nashville office has moved to new space at The Neuhoff Building, Ste. 1400, 1320 Adams St., Nashville, TN 37208. “Nashville has a thriving business community where we have been serving clients across various industries for years and with this move, we’re furthering our commitment to Nashville and our clients for years to come,” said Christopher R. Maddux, chair of Butler Snow. The firm announced in March of last year that it would be moving out of downtown, following several other firms making a similar exit.

The Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) appeared before the state Senate Judiciary Committee for its regular budget review. Director Michelle Long presented the AOC’s budget request, including funding for a new Office of Indigent Conflicts and Civil Counsel, which would assume responsibility for managing the state’s indigent representation system. At press time, the group was still answering lawmakers’ questions about the proposed plan. Watch for a full report from the committee proceeding in tomorrow’s issue of TBA Today. To learn more about the state’s current crisis in providing legal representation to indigent individuals, and how the AOC’s plan seeks to address the situation, review the TBA’s indigent representation primer posts and past coverage of the AOC’s plan.

Eight Tennessee attorneys were admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court during the 39th annual TBA Academy on Tuesday. TBA President Ed Lanquist Jr. moved for admission of the members during a regular court session in Washington, D.C. The group heard oral arguments in a case brought by the government of Mexico against gun manufacturers Smith & Wesson and Colt accusing them of aiding illegal firearms trafficking to drug cartels and fueling gun violence in that country. Reuters has more on that case. Attorneys admitted before the high court were Nashville attorneys Mary Cheadle, Lauren Colaric, Chicoya Smith Gallman and Trevor Howell; Humboldt attorney Tim Fowler; Jacksboro attorney Leif Jeffers; Mt. Juliet attorney Angela Williams; and Johnson City attorney Deborah Yeomans-Barton. The visit to Washington, D.C., included a welcome reception, tour of the U.S. Capitol, the swearing in ceremony and a celebratory lunch. See photos from the event.

Shelby County Chancellor Melanie Taylor Jefferson on Friday dismissed all but one claim — the question of who owns the land — in a lawsuit against the new Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. The museum was sued by Friends for Our Riverfront, alleging that the project violates an easement established in the early 19th century. A temporary restraining order to stop construction was issued in September 2023 with a $1 million bond. The group never posted the bond. Jefferson denied a temporary injunction against the museum in June 2024, citing the unpaid bond as the primary reason to allow construction to resume, the. Commercial Appeal reports.

Vanderbilt University Law School has received a $6.8 million gift from the Anbridge Charitable Fund to endow the creation of The Gail Anderson Cañizares Innocence Clinic, which will support the exoneration of wrongfully convicted individuals in Tennessee while providing students with hands-on case experience. The clinic, which will function as a course available to 2L and 3L students, will launch in the 2026 spring semester, and will coordinate with the Tennessee Innocence Project to source cases. Read more in a press release from the law school.

A Brentwood man who threatened to "firebomb" the Fred D. Thompson Federal Building and Courthouse in downtown Nashville in the next two weeks was arrested Monday. Alexander F. Thompson, an attorney whose license was suspended in 2022, was charged with making a threat of terrorism and a false report. He is being held on a $100,000 bond and is not eligible for release until his mental health is evaluated. WSMV has the story.