The University of Tennessee College of Law has announced a new strategic plan that will provide guidance for the school through 2028. “Tennessee Law: Lighting the Way” is the result of two years of work by the Strategic Planning Committee, chaired by Interim Associate Dean for Faculty Development Teri Baxter. The plan includes the college’s vision statement to be the “premier law school in the southeast” and five strategic goals. Read more in a news release from the college or the full plan.

Last year’s law firm merger total saw a slight increase over 2022, beating what had been the busiest year for mergers since the pandemic, Reuters reports. Some 48 deals were completed in 2023 — two more than 2022, according to new data from legal consultancy Fairfax Associates. Among the largest deals were Holland & Knight's tie-up with Nashville-based Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis and Dentons' combination with Indian law firm Link Legal. This year, at least nine other mergers are expected.

Those interested in running for an elected office with the Tennessee Bar Association or as a TBA delegate to the American Bar Association (ABA) House of Delegates have until Feb. 15 to qualify for the 2024 ballot. Positions open this year on the TBA Board of Governors include a new vice president from the state's West Grand Division, four district governors and six grand division governors. For the ABA House of Delegates, four positions are available. To qualify for any of these roles, candidates must file a nominating petition, including the signatures of 25 TBA members in good standing, with the TBA executive director by emailing barED@tnbar.org, or by mail to 3310 West End Ave., Ste. 590, Nashville, TN 37203. The TBA’s website has more information on the election process and the list of available positions.

An American Bar Association (ABA) proposal to strengthen job protections for untenured law faculty is garnering widespread support, reports Reuters. The change under consideration by the ABA’s Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admission to the Bar would require law schools to hire full-time legal writing instructors and other untenured full-time faculty on five-year “presumptively renewable long-term contracts.” The ABA developed the proposal at the urging of the Association of Legal Writing Directors and the Legal Writing Institute, and has received more than 30 public comments in support of the change. The public comment period ends Jan. 8.

Several members of the University of Tennessee's College of Law faculty made publishing news in 2023. Eric Amarante published "The Absurdity of Criminalizing Encouraging Words" in the Cato Supreme Court Review in September. Professor Wendy Bach spent much of last year giving talks to audiences across the country on her book, "Prosecuting Poverty, Criminalizing Care." And Ben Barton’s "Deborah Rhode In Memoriam: Three Stories and Ten Life Lessons" celebrates the life and legacy of the Stanford law professor and legal ethicist. Read more faculty publishing highlights.

The University of Tennessee College of Law's newly launched Transactional Law Clinic located in Jefferson City provides free legal representation to the East Tennessee community while equipping law students with practical experience in business and nonprofit law. It is one of seven clinics offered through the school's nationally ranked legal clinic, and the only one focused on business law. For upper-level law students, the six-credit-hour Transactional Law Clinic provides hands-on experience representing small business and nonprofit clients in business matters. Read more about the story behind the clinic.

Paul Young was sworn in as the new mayor of Memphis on Monday at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts, reports the Commercial Appeal. Young earned nearly 28% of the vote in the mayoral election last Oct., defeating 16 other candidates. “We are Memphis,” said Young in his acceptance speech. “Together, we can make history, we can make America’s largest majority minority city ... America’s safest city.” The elected city council members were also sworn in Monday, with Chair JB Smiley Jr. noting for the first time that the council has a female majority. Young previously served as the city's director of housing and community development, and president and CEO of the Downtown Memphis Commission.

A former town manager and a resident are the latest people to file complaints against Smyrna Town Manager Brian Hercules. The former manager alleges that Hercules has an "angry and domineering leadership style" and the resident's complaint states that Hercules was "unprofessional and condescending" in a phone call. Attorneys representing Town Court Judge Brittany Stevens in October sent a letter to the Town Council requesting an independent investigation of Hercules. The letter accuses Hercules of intimidation and retaliation against the judge for standing up to him about how she manages her court staff. In addition to the judge's complaints, elected Smyrna Town Court Clerk Lisa Brewer in November emailed a complaint to Mayor Mary Esther Reed accusing Hercules and Assistant Town Manager Todd Spearman of "bullying and belittling behaviors." Hercules has requested an independent review of the allegations. The Murfreesboro Daily News Journal has the full story.

The University of Tennessee (UT) College of Law hosted the National Moot Court Region VII Competition in November. Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Dwight Tarwater, Tennessee Court of Appeals Judge Kristi Davis and Judge Cindy Wyrick of the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Tennessee presided over the final round of the competition, which was held at the Tennessee Supreme Court. UT Law’s National Moot Court team, comprised of Emma Fowler, Luke Norton and Tyler Raper, qualified for the single elimination rounds of the Region VII competition. After winning in the quarter-final round, the team lost in the semi-final round. On Friday evening following the first day of competition, the college hosted a banquet celebrating 70 years of National Moot Court excellence at UT Law. See photos from the event.

The University of Tennessee (UT) College of Law's Legal Clinic welcomed Tyler Dougherty as its first teaching fellow this fall. Fellowship programs not only prepare practicing attorneys to teach law, they also increase the clinic’s capacity to enroll student attorneys, take on more cases and provide legal services to the community. In August, Dougherty began teaching in the Advocacy Clinic, supervising students in juvenile, criminal and rights restoration cases. Through the UT Legal Clinic, law students gain real-world legal experience by working directly in the community representing clients in criminal, juvenile and civil cases; petitioning for orders of protection; creating businesses and nonprofit organizations; expunging charges and mediating disputes. Read more about the fellowship program.