The Marshall County Sheriff’s Office and two of its top employees have been ordered to pay $485,000 to a family after a jury found that the office unlawfully seized nearly 50 beef cattle from their Chapel Hill farm. The sheriff's office took the action after the couple was accused of animal cruelty, reports the Tennessean. The jury also found the office unlawfully forced a family member to escort the officers to the farm. According to documents filed in the lawsuit, the sheriff’s office routinely did not obtain warrants for accusations of animal cruelty for at least five years before the lawsuit. In some cases, the office sold the cattle for a profit according to a deposition by the county sheriff. The couple recently located to another county.

Robert Conrad Jr. will take over as director of the U.S. Administrative Office of the Courts as of March 1, Bloomberg Law reports. Conrad will replace Roslynn R. Mauskopf, who is stepping down at the end of this month. Lee Ann Bennett, the office’s deputy director, will lead the agency in an acting capacity for the month of February. Conrad has spent nearly two decades on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, including seven years as chief judge. He took senior status this past May. The office oversees administrative business affecting the federal court system, including drafting the judiciary’s budget requests to Congress. Read more in a press release from the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Tennessee Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges is opposing sunsetting of the Board of Court Reporting and elimination of the licensure requirements for court reporters in the state. In a statement, the council writes that, “properly trained and licensed court reporters” are necessary for certain juvenile court proceedings, including termination of parental rights. Because of the high stakes involved in these cases, the council says it is vital that transcripts accurately reflect what happens. Without licensed court reporters, the group says it is concerned that the “legitimacy and authenticity of the transcript may be challenged” — potentially leading an appellate court to vacate or reverse a juvenile court decision with “catastrophic consequences for the child and prospective adoptive family.” Public comments on possible sunsetting of the court reporting board were accepted through Jan. 19.

Today is recognized as the International Day of the Endangered Lawyer, an observance that recognizes the courage of legal professionals who work tirelessly to uphold the rule of law and champion human rights at risk to their own safety. According to a statement from ABA President Mary Smith, this year’s recognition focuses on the situation in Iran, where since 2022, some 66 lawyers have been arrested and detained for defending those held by Iranian security forces for participating in human rights protests. But Smith notes that lawyers, judges and their staff around the world face harassment, including in the United States, where she says there is a “troubling increase” in “intimidation and threats of violence.”

Warning that crime in Shelby County is at a “crisis point,” state Sen. Brent Taylor, R-Memphis, has asked Tennessee Attorney General Jonathon Skrmetti for a legal opinion on possible ways to speed cases through the justice system. The Tennessee Journal reports that, according to Taylor, there are 300 pending murder trials in the county, with more being added each day. In his letter to Skrmetti, Taylor writes that Shelby County Criminal Court judges have tried only 40 criminal jury trials in 2023 compared to some 200 per year prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Taylor also notes that former Memphis mayor Jim Strickland and District Attorney Steve Mulroy have called for action.

Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy’s office has released its annual report, which states that the office handled 87,206 cases with an average caseload of 498 per prosecutor during Mulroy's first year in office, from Sept. 1, 2022 to Sept. 30, 2023. “To say that that first year was a challenging one would be an understatement,” Mulroy said. “In my first week alone, we had the heartbreaking case of Eliza Fletcher’s kidnapping and murder followed in the same week by the Facebook Live shooting spree that led to the prosecution of Ezekiel Kelly.” The report covers Mulroy's violent crime initiative, the creation of the Justice Review Unit, the office's efforts in data collection and the expansion of its restorative justice program. The Daily Memphian has the story.

Clarksville lawyer Kevin C. Kennedy of The Kennedy Law Firm recently received a Golden Gavel Award at the National Trial Lawyers Summit, which was held in Miami, Florida. Kennedy received the award for his legal internship program. For decades, The Kennedy Law Firm has provided a legal internship program that has allowed high school, college and law school students to experience the real-life practice of law. Participants in the program also hear each year from area judges, who share their experiences and how they achieved their positions on the bench.

Lisa Ramsay Cole, president and managing shareholder of Lewis Thomason, and managing partner of the firm’s Nashville office, has been appointed vice chair of ALFA International’s managing partner forum. According to a press release from the law firm, the forum provides an opportunity for managing partners in ALFA’s various law firms around the world to share best practices, ask questions regarding common issues, and use each other for benchmarking. Three firms with offices in Tennessee are members of ALFA International: Burch, Porter & Johnson PLLC, Leitner, Williams, Dooley & Napolitan PLLC and Lewis Thomason.

The Office of the Attorney General yesterday released a number of winter storm scam prevention tips for Tennesseans, including being aware of utility imposters, researching vehicle repair options and hiring only licensed contractors. Read the prevention tips and visit the Division of Consumer Affairs website for more information. State residents also can sign up for consumer alerts and learn more about scam reporting via the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) website.

The Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands has launched Community Classroom, an online source of information covering a wide range of civil legal issues. Community Classroom contains more than 50 downloadable booklets explaining legal rights and offering self-help advice on various legal matters. All the information is presented at a fifth-grade reading level that presents legal concepts in plain, easily understandable language. Some booklets are available in Spanish, Arabic, Korean, Thai, Russian and Vietnamese. Read more about the project.