University of Tennessee College of Law Dean and Elvin E. Overton Distinguished Professor of Law Lonnie T. Brown Jr. was honored at a reception Saturday evening at the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Midyear Meeting in Louisville, Kentucky. Meeting attendees from across the country gathered to celebrate Brown’s leadership at the law school. In addition, former University of Tennessee College of Law professor Penny White received the ABA Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section’s (TIPS) Robert B. McKay Law Professor Award. The award recognizes law professors who have shown commitment to the advancement of justice, scholarship and the legal profession, demonstrated by outstanding contributions to the fields of tort, trial practice or insurance law. Until her retirement in 2022, White was the Elvin E. Overton Distinguished Professor of Law and served as the director of the school’s Center for Advocacy and Dispute Resolution. See photos from the two events.

According to the Tennessean, federal prosecutors are investigating Cade Cothren, former House Speaker Glen Casada’s aide, for allegations of cyberstalking. The information was disclosed in court filings last week when prosecutors asked to delay the impending trial of both Cothren and Casada, The Tennessee Journal reports. Law enforcement subsequently obtained a search warrant and seized several phones from Cothren’s house. Cothren's attorneys have asked the judge to quash the warrant. Prosecutors now say "in an abundance of caution," they have not extracted any information from the phones and will not do so before a hearing set for this afternoon.

Gov. Bill Lee joined a group of other Republican governors this weekend in Texas to observe the border and support Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. During the visit, Lee called the situation a crisis and committed to sending two waves of active-duty troops from the Tennessee National Guard to help, the Tennessean reports. Lee previously had sent 125 National Guard members to the area in October. In related news, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti joined 26 other states in a letter to the Biden administration supporting Texas’ border defense. And in Washington, D.C., a proposed bipartisan border security package is getting mixed reviews. The Hill has more on that measure.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is out with a new jobs report for January. For the legal sector, the bureau found that jobs dropped from an all-time high of 1,192,200 in December to 1,187,800 last month: a loss of 4,400 jobs. The count includes a range of legal workers at law firms, companies and other organizations of all sizes, including paralegals and assistants, but the majority are lawyers. The largest law firms in the United States appear to have slowed hiring amid relatively flat client demand, Reuters reports.

The law firm of Baker Donelson has tapped two Tennessee lawyers to chair its practice areas. Nashville attorney Martha Boyd has been named new chair of the Labor & Employment Group, while Memphis attorney Mary Ann Jackson has ben named chair of the Tax Group. Boyd, a shareholder in the Nashville office, has been vice chair of the labor group since 2022. She is a certified fraud examiner and is trained in conducting workplace investigations of harassment or other misconduct, conducting numerous investigations in her 25 years of practicing law. Jackson is a shareholder in the Memphis office, a member of the firm’s board directors and previous chair of the Corporate Group. Her practice has focused on structuring businesses, nonprofit organizations and physician practices, as well as securities offerings, venture capital fund formation and real estate.

Members of the legal profession gathered last week at the Memphis office of Morgan & Morgan for the TBA Young Lawyers Division's (YLD) first Bar and Bench event. Under the leadership of YLD President Quinton Thompson, these networking events will occur across the state, giving young lawyers an opportunity to network with peers and sitting Tennessee judges. Watch for information about future locations and dates. See photos from the Memphis event.

TBA's Executive Director Sheree Wright took part in a panel discussion at the National Conference of Bar Presidents (NCBP), held during the ABA Midyear Meeting in Louisville, Kentucky. The panel discussed the importance of organizational stability and ensuring a smooth transition when a bar association hires a new chief staff executive. Wright was joined by David Blaner, executive director of the Allegheny County Bar Association/Bar Foundation in Pennsylvania, and moderators Rick Kaplan, past president of the Beverly Hills Bar Association, and Erica Laughlin, past president of the Allegheny County Bar Association. See photos from the event.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti published an opinion on Jan. 19 about a proposed bill that would prohibit the Tennessee National Guard from being released into federal active duty combat unless the U.S. Congress declares war. The Tennessean reports that HB1609, sponsored by Rep. Jay Reedy, R-Erin, would make exceptions to expressly execute the laws of the union, repel an invasion or suppress an insurrection. Skrmetti's opinion says the proposal is “constitutionally suspect” under the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution. “While the constitutionality of the War Powers Resolution has been questioned, it remains controlling federal law ... Under the War Powers Resolution, Congress may authorize the president to use military force without a declaration of war, and even when Congress may decide to make a declaration of war, the War Powers Resolution allows the president to use military force before any such declaration is made.” Read the opinion.

The Association for Women Attorneys (AWA) of Memphis honored Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals Presiding Judge Camille McMullen with the Marion Griffin-Frances Loring Award at its annual banquet on Jan. 25. The award is presented to someone who exhibits outstanding achievement in the legal profession. “Marion Griffin and Francis Loring were pioneers in the fight for civil rights and social justice,” said Judge McMullen. “Through their collective power, these women worked tirelessly to advance gender equality across Tennessee. I applaud the AWA for establishing this award, which serves as a testament to the shoulders upon which we stand as women in the law. I am thankful and deeply moved to be recognized with this incredible honor.” McMullen was appointed to the Court of Criminal Appeals in 2008. In 2023, she was elected the first woman and the first African American to lead the 12-member court.

Tennessee's 113th General Assembly is now in session and TBA's Legislative Updates podcast is back for Season 5! Lawmakers filed a combined total of 682 bills just this week; the filing deadline for the House was Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 for the Senate. Attorney and TBA lobbyist Berkley Schwarz and Adams and Reese attorneys and TBA lobbyists Brad Lampley and Ashley Harbin host the podcast to discuss what's ahead for the legislative year and the bills TBA is sponsoring, especially around indigent representation. Legislative Updates airs each week 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 other podcast services. In this episode, the hosts discuss TBA's conservatorship bill HB2710/SB2254 and TBA's adoption bills: HB2644 and HB2645.

Schwarz has served as director of legislative affairs for the TBA since 2018 but recently left the TBA to focus on her own lobbying firm, Pier Strategies. She continues to represent TBA on legislative matters alongside Lampley and Harbin. Schwarz can now be reached at bschwarz@pierstrategies.net.