Multiple Tennessee school districts are opting out of a bill passed and signed into law last week that authorizes public school teachers and staff to carry concealed firearms, the Tennessee Journal reports. Under the law, teachers can be armed only if they meet certain criteria and are given permission from local public school and law enforcement officials. The measure does not require parents to be informed if a school decides to allow concealed guns in schools. WKRN has a summary of several school district responses.

Nearly half of junior associates at law firms said law school did not adequately prepare them for practice, according to a new survey. Among the 546 junior associates surveyed by legal recruiting firm Major, Lindsey & Africa and legal data intelligence provider Leopard Solutions, 45% said law school did not sufficiently prepare them for their current role. On the question of whether their law firm experience met their expectations coming out of law school, 31% said it did not. When asked what they would change about their law school experience, the most common answer was more practical skills and a greater focus on transactional practices. Reuters has more on the survey’s findings.

The 23rd Judicial District, which consists of Cheatham, Dickson, Houston, Humphreys and Stewart counties, will soon have a new circuit court judge. HB1830/SB2855, sponsored by Rep. Mary Littleton, R-Dickson, creates Division IV in the 23rd Judicial District and adds a judicial seat to serve that court. The judges serve in all capacities — circuit, criminal, civil and chancery — including all domestic relations, according to the Cheatham County Exchange. Gov. Bill Lee will appoint a judge to serve beginning Sept. 1. The seat will then be subject to an election in August 2026.

Shelby County Commissioner Mick Wright is calling on General Sessions Court Judge Bill Anderson to resign based on his leadership of the court’s judicial commissioners. The Daily Memphian reports that Wright's call for resignation is specifically in response to Anderson’s report to county commissioners in March about the decisions judicial commissioners make regarding who should be released on bond or on their own recognizance, and who should remain jailed while awaiting trial.

TBA’s Government Affairs team was successful in shepherding all four of TBA’s legislative proposals through the Tennessee General Assembly before legislators adjourned for the year. The latest episode of Legislative Updates takes a closer look at all of the TBA's bills plus the franchise/excise tax bill and conference report. Listen to attorney and TBA lobbyist Berkley Schwarz and TBA lobbyist and Adams and Reese attorney Brad Lampley on the TBA's Facebook page or wherever you get your podcasts. Read more in our legislative report on bills covering indigent representation funding, the cost of electronic medical records, conservatorships, adoption clean-up and birth certificates in adoptions.

Buddy Stockwell, executive director of the Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program (TLAP), was recently a guest on The Legal Mindset Corner podcast. He discussed the unique mental health challenges that come with being a lawyer, having the courage to ask peers if they are okay, eliminating the stigma around substance use disorders and more. Listen to or watch the discussion on YouTube, Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

Shelby County Sheriff’s deputies relocated some inmates after a power surge broke cell locks at the Shelby County Jail, commonly referred to as 201 Poplar. Some doors were able to be manually locked. Others were not, so inmates in those cells were relocated. The locking mechanism, which is electric with a manual back-stop, broke in mid-April after a power surge, the sheriff’s office said. "This did not impact regular operations. The parts have been ordered," Lt. Joseph Fox, a public information officer said in a statement to the Commercial Appeal. No injuries were reported by inmates or corrections officers.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, alongside Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin, is leading a coalition of 17 States in suing the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) over its new rule mandating workplace abortion accommodations through an “illegal interpretation of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act of 2022.” Read more in a release from Skrmetti's office.

Retired Memphis lawyer and former Tennessee Bar Association (TBA) President William H. “Bill” Haltom Jr. will be honored in June with the prestigious William M. Leech Jr. Public Service Award. Named for former Attorney General William M. Leech and presented by the Fellows of the TBA Young Lawyers Division, the award is given to a Tennessee lawyer who has been of outstanding service to the profession, the legal system and their community. In selecting Haltom for the award, Fellows President Rachel Mancl said, “Bill Haltom exemplifies the values embodied in the Leech Award. His contributions to the Tennessee Bar Association, as well as to the state and Memphis legal communities, demonstrate his lifelong commitment to improving the legal profession and serving the public. The Fellows are proud to award him the 2024 William M. Leech Jr. Public Service Award.” The award will be presented at the TBA’s Annual Convention in Memphis on June 14 during the Lawyers’ Luncheon. Read the TBA's full press release on the news.

A new TBA Legislative Updates podcast is now available. Join TBA attorneys and lobbyists Brad Lampley and Ashley Harbin with Adams and Reese as they provide an update on indigent representation funding; the TBA's adoption birth certificate bill, HB2645/SB2632, and adoption clean-up bill, HB2644/SB2633; and the upcoming adjournment. Legislative Updates airs each week the legislature is in session on the TBA’s Facebook page. It is also released as a podcast on the same day and can be found on the TBA’s website or wherever you listen to podcasts.