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.

The Lincoln Memorial University (LMU) Board of Trustees dedicated a bronze statue honoring Gen. Oliver Otis Howard in Alumni Park on the LMU Main Campus in Harrogate, Tennessee, during its annual Homecoming celebration in October. LMU Chairman Autry O.V. “Pete” DeBusk and the board commissioned the Fine Art Studio of Rotblatt Amrany to create a tribute to Howard based on another statue honoring the Civil War general, which stands in Gettysburg National Military Park. In 1896, after retiring from the Army, Howard traveled to the Cumberland Gap area and met with Rev. A.A. Myers who had founded the Harrow Academy for underprivileged mountain families. Howard agreed to help raise money for the school if Myers would expand its scope to include higher education. A year later, LMU was founded as a living memorial to President Abraham Lincoln. Howard remained dedicated and involved with LMU through the end of his life in 1909. Read the press release from LMU.

Several new laws will take effect on Jan. 1, 2024, including harsher penalties for distracted drivers, the elimination of disabled license plate fees for parents or guardians of a person confined to a wheelchair, and the requirement of car ignition breathalyzers to include GPS technology that will track the car's location at the time of an alcohol test. Additionally, the Tennessee Department of Safety will create a voucher program to reimburse people for the cost of a handgun safety course and the Tennessee Paid Family Leave Insurance Act will amend current code to allow insurances companies to offer paid family leave, which employers could then purchase for their employees. Read the Tennessean's full summary of the new laws.

Retired Circuit Court Judge Michael W. Binkley, of Tennessee’s 21st Judicial District, is the initial recipient of the Vanessa Pettigrew Bryan Equal Justice Award, reports the Williamson Herald. The award is given in recognition of the recipient’s commitment to the relentless pursuit of justice by the 21st District public defenders and honors retired Public Defender Vanessa Pettigrew Bryan. Bryan's career spanned more than 30 years in the judicial system, starting as a magistrate and serving as public defender of the four-county district that includes Hickman, Lewis, Perry and Williamson counties.

Shelby County Commissioner Mick Wright on Thursday sent a 20-page “letter of formal complaint” against Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert to Hamilton County District Attorney General Coty Wamp, the special prosecutor investigating Halbert’s handling of her duties. Wright says his case “reveals a clear pattern of intentional negligence.” The Daily Memphian reports that the complaint breaks down his reasoning for ousting Halbert into three sections: the abrupt closing of the clerk’s office in Germantown in 2020 and the Poplar Plaza shopping center earlier this year, as well as the expiration of leases in other locations; the backlog of car tags and vehicle registration renewals in 2022 that Wright describes as an “operational collapse;” and Halbert’s persistent complaints since taking office in 2018 that her office isn’t getting the funding it is entitled to from the county administration and can’t hire enough employees or get the proper equipment.

The County Officials Association of Tennessee has named Hamilton County Juvenile Court Clerk Gary Behler its 2023 State Court Clerk of the Year, reports the Hamilton County Herald. Behler has served as the juvenile court clerk in Hamilton County since his 2010 election. In 2018, the County Technical Assistance Service recognized Behler’s office as the first fully electronic state court clerk’s office in Tennessee. In addition, the court’s electronic filing system, implemented in 2022, was one of the first to serve juvenile courts in Tennessee. Behler is a certified public administrator as well as a certified county financial officer and he has served as an adjunct professor of criminal justice at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga for 33 years.

Lincoln Memorial University (LMU) Duncan School of Law Vice President and Dean Matt Lyon announced the promotion of Hesper Capps to director of student services earlier this month. Capps first joined LMU in 2014 with the Paul V. Hamilton School of Arts, Humanity and Social Sciences and later joined the staff of Duncan Law School in 2017. In her new position, Capps will provide support to students in all facets of their law school experience. “Hesper’s counseling background and years of experience … make her the perfect choice for this new position,” said Lyon. Read the full announcement.

New York's law firms have often been bellwethers for the U.S. legal industry, setting expectations in areas such as salaries and sometimes bearing the brunt of downturns. Reuters reports on several year-end trends including the rise in law firm mergers (41 in 2023), the move away from single-tier partnerships and the closing of Stroock & Stroock & Lavan, founded in 1876.