New Orleans-based law firm McGlinchey Stafford has filed for bankruptcy after announcing in January that it would close its Nashville office. According to the Nashville Post, the firm's statement of financial affairs reported $83.4 million in gross revenue in 2025, up slightly from $82.3 million in 2024. Relatedly, the firm had $15.5 million in assets and $13 million in total liabilities, which includes multiple individual wage claims. The 52-year-old firm also is involved in several ongoing legal cases nationwide, including two in which it is a named defendant.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division (YLD) and its Mock Trial Committee will hold the 2026 Tennessee State High School Mock Trial Competition this weekend in Nashville. Today and Saturday, 16 teams will meet in a bid to be this year's state champion. Participating schools are: Agathos Classical School in Columbia, Central Magnet School in Murfreesboro, Clarksville High School, Cookeville High School, Chattanooga Southeast Home Education Association, Farragut High School in Knoxville, Girls Preparatory School in Chattanooga, Harpeth Hall School in Nashville, Jefferson County High School in Dandridge, Maryville High School, Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville, two teams from St. Mary’s Episcopal School in Memphis, Signal Mountain High School, Unicoi County High School in Erwin and University School of Nashville. Students will present their best arguments in State of Tennessee v. Alex Callahan, a criminal case brought following the murder of a known mafia associate. This year's competition also will feature the second Artist in the Courtroom Contest. Tennessee's team winner and first place artist then will have the opportunity to represent the state at the National High School Mock Trial Competition in Des Moines, Iowa, on May 7-9. The Mock Trial Committee is led by Chair John Jolley, Vice Chair Bridget Pyman and Long Range Planning Coordinator Ashley Tipton. The state competition caps off the district competition process.

Attorneys from across the state gathered in Nashville on Wednesday for TBA's fourth annual "Day on the Hill." The day kicked off with remarks from House Majority Leader Rep. William Lamberth, R-Portland; Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Sen. Todd Gardenhire, R-Chattanooga; and Senate Finance, Ways and Means Committee Vice Chair Sen. John Stevens, R-Huntingdon. The TBA presented the three legislators with President's Awards from Immediate Past President Ed Lanquist Jr. for their work in improving the state's indigent representation system. Participants then met with more than 45 legislators to discuss issues impacting the legal profession and the practice of law. Members of the TBA Leadership Law Class of 2026 also joined the legislative visits for the first time. The day concluded with the TBA's annual Big Shrimp legislative reception, giving TBA leaders and members a chance to meet with legislators in a casual setting to continue conversations on topics important to the profession. See photos from the day.

West Tennessee Legal Services (WTLS) has announced the formation of a Pro Bono Advisory Board, a new initiative bringing together volunteer attorneys to help expand access to legal services for low-income individuals and families in the region. "Access to justice is a cornerstone of a fair and equitable society," said Andy Cole, WTLS pro bono managing attorney. "The formation of this board represents a meaningful step forward in our mission to serve those who need it most." Board members are Chair Rajanae Jones, Burch Porter & Johnson; Vice Chair Ameshia Forrest, Baptist Memorial Health Care; Secretary Nolen Mooney, Attorney at Law; Misty O’Neal, Law Office of Darrell J. O’Neal; Londyn Norman, Arnold Willis & Conway; Christina McConnell, Tennessee Department of Transportation; Nakota Wood, Fisher & Phillips; Kenneth Groce, Butler Snow; and Devarius Minor, Office of the Shelby County Public Defender. The board will work alongside WTLS staff to identify gaps in legal services, recruit and support volunteer attorneys and develop strategies to increase pro bono participation throughout the region. Read more in a press release.

New data released from the American Bar Association (ABA) shows that Belmont College of Law ranks 10th in the nation for schools with the most successful bar exam passage rate. Belmont students saw a pass rate of 100% for first-time test takers in February 2025 and 96.91% for the July 2025 exam. Stanford, Yale, Duke and Harvard law schools took the top four spots. Reuters reports that the ABA recently released bar exam data detailing national results and figures for the 198 individual U.S. law schools it accredits. The new data shows that 84% of graduates from ABA-accredited law schools who took the bar for the first time passed, which is up one percentage point over the 83% first-time pass rate in 2024.

Retired Henry County General Sessions and Juvenile Court Judge Vicki S. Snyder is the 2026 recipient of the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth's (TCCY) Jim Pryor Award for Child Advocacy. “I’m humbled and honored by the award,” Snyder said. “A child should be safe, and every child deserves to be somebody’s someone and not be alone. It is in my heart. It’s my purpose.” During her tenure on the bench, Snyder helped develop the county's Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) program and was one of the first juvenile court judges in Tennessee to establish a Safe Baby Court. TCCY awarded the first advocacy award posthumously to Pryor in 1995. Pryor, who died in 1994, was an attorney, a former assistant district attorney, a member of the state Child Sexual Abuse Task Force, and a member of the Northeast Regional Council on Children and Youth. Read more in a press release from the Administrative Office of the Courts.

New filing rules are in effect for the Tennessee Court of Workers' Compensation Claims. Attorneys now must file documents through TNComp, the court's new electronic filing system. Clerk of the Court Penny Shrum has written a blog post on "From the Bench" with answers to frequently asked questions about the new system, including formatting requirements and what to do if a BPR number is not recognized in the system. On April 1, the clerk’s office will begin returning documents that have not been properly filed electronically.

Rhodes College in Memphis is hosting the 2026 American Mock Trial Association (AMTA) qualifying tournament this weekend and still needs volunteers to serve as judges for the 4 p.m. CDT round on Friday. Other rounds will take place on Saturday and Sunday. The AMTA Opening Round Championship Series is the last stop before the national championship. The top six teams from this weekend’s event will advance to nationals. Sign up to help or contact Rhodes Mock Trial Coach Veda Krumpe at krumpev@rhodes.edu with any questions.

Vanderbilt University Law School has received a $10 million commitment to fund, among other priorities, its First Amendment Clinic, the Nashville Post reports. The gift will also go toward the law school’s “Respectfully Dissent” debate series, merit- and need-based scholarship aid, child-care funding for student-parents, services for student-veterans and an ongoing building renovation. According to a release from the law school, Vanderbilt law graduates Clay Travis (2004) and Lara Travis (2023) provided the gift. Travis is the founder of Outkick, a college football news site, and is known nationally for his writing and media commentary related to sports and politics. He has undertaken work with both Fox Sports and CBS Sports. “Lara and Clay have given the law school a powerful opportunity to deliver on our educational promise in several important ways,” said Dean Chris Guthrie. “I am beyond grateful for their generosity, vision and commitment to the Law School.”

Three plaintiffs who live in Tennessee have filed a class action lawsuit in the Northern District of California against Elon Musk’s xAI. The three minors allege that a perpetrator — who has already been arrested — used Grok, the AI assistant on X, to create fake sexually explicit images and videos based on their photographs and then distributed the images online. The suit argues that Musk and xAI designed “Spicy Mode” to assume “good intent” in users who referenced “teenage” or “girl” in their prompts. According to the Center for Countering Digital Hate, during an 11-day period between December 2025 and January 2026, Grok created three million sex-related images, including approximately 23,000 of children. The Nashville Banner has more on the case in a recent newsletter.