The Tennessee Board of Law Examiners released a statement today explaining why seat limitations are being met in cities across the state. The board says that it reserved “more than sufficient space based on the number of applicants who tested in previous years” but that the number of applicants has significantly increased. “This is primarily due to other states and the District of Columbia closing applications early” leaving Tennessee "one of the few remaining jurisdictions with open applications.” The board reported yesterday there are no remaining seats in Knoxville and Memphis, but some seats remain in Nashville.

Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery has informed his staff that he will not seek a second eight-year term this fall, the Tennessee Journal reports. A spokesperson for the AG’s office confirmed the news, sharing the note Slatery sent to his staff. In it, Slatery writes, “I want you to know that after much thought, discussion, prayer and seeking of advice, I sent a letter to the Supreme Court today advising them that I do not plan on applying to be re-appointed.” Prior to taking office as attorney general in 2014, Slatery served as chief legal counsel to then-Gov. Bill Haslam. The Tennessee Supreme Court will appoint a replacement, who would take office on Sept. 1.

Nashville attorney and former Tennessee Bar Association President John Tarpley will be honored next month with the prestigious William M. Leech Jr. Public Service Award. Named for former Attorney General William M. Leech and presented by the Fellows of the TBA Young Lawyers Division, the award is given to a Tennessee lawyer who has been of outstanding service to the profession, legal system and the community. Tarpley is a shareholder in the Nashville office of Lewis Thomason. In addition to his service to the TBA, he has held numerous leadership positions with local, state and national legal organizations, and has served as president of the board of directors of the Music City Chapter of the March of Dimes and as a member of the board of directors of First Steps. He is a 2016 graduate of Leadership Nashville. The Leech Award will be presented at the Tennessee Bar Association Annual Convention in Nashville on June 17 during the Lawyers’ Luncheon. Read the full press release.

New data from the U.S. Labor Department shows the legal sector added 4,700 jobs in April, in what's largely been a trend of monthly growth since May 2020, Reuters reports. According to preliminary seasonally adjusted data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, sector jobs totaled 1,177,900 last month.

The Nashville Predators hockey team has awarded a $5,000 grant to the 23rd Judicial District Recovery Court to provide bicycles, tricycles and ride-on toys for the children of Recovery Court participants. The court, which serves Cheatham, Dickson, Houston, Humphreys and Stewart counties, is presided over by Circuit and Recovery Court Judge Suzanne Lockert-Mash. “We appreciate the Nashville Predators for giving us the means to teach important parenting skills,” Lockert-Mash said. “Simple things like teaching a child to ride a bike or tricycle creates a bond between parents and their children.” Read more here.  

Davidson County Criminal Court Judge Monte Watkins today vacated the conviction of Claude Francis Garrett who in 1992 was found guilty of murdering his girlfriend, Lori Lee Lance, the Tennessean reports. Lance died in a Nashville house fire that Garrett was accused of intentionally starting. The dismissal comes after reports and testimony by witnesses for the Innocence Project and the Davidson County District Attorney’s Conviction Review Unit, that said the fire was not intentionally set. The DA’s office in a statement today said Garrett’s original conviction was "based on outdated investigative methods and baseless conclusions.” In his ruling vacating the conviction, Watkins wrote that Garrett has shown “actual innocence” and would not have been convicted by a jury “in light of the new scientific evidence.”

Law books from the judge’s chambers at the Estes Kefauver Federal Building U.S. Courthouse in downtown Nashville are seeking a new home. If you are interested in reserving the books, contact Hardi Ibrahim. More pictures of the books can be found here. 

A joint investigation into the Rutherford County juvenile justice system by Nashville public radio station WPLN and nonprofit newsroom ProPublica has been named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize’s feature writing category. WPLN’s Meribah Knight and ProPublica’s Ken Armstrong shed light on the county’s juvenile justice system in which children were being illegally arrested and jailed under a judge who had the highest rate of locking up children in the state. The reporters discovered that the county was jailing children in 48% of the cases referred to juvenile court, versus the statewide average of 5%. A follow up investigation revealed the county was jailing a disproportionately high percentage of Black children. WPLN has more on the story.

Testing sites for the July 2022 bar exam in Knoxville and Memphis are at capacity and the Nashville location is near capacity, according to an order issued today by the Tennessee Supreme Court. The order says that bar exam applications will close once the Nashville site hits max capacity. Those who have submitted a paid application will have until May 20 to complete the application process. If there are more applications than available seats, those without a seat will be placed on a waiting list. If no seat becomes available by June 15, applicants without a seat will be refunded and withdrawn from the exam. Read more about the situation and the court's order.

Two top officials from the Metro Codes Department will be leaving the department to join a new land use practice at the Thompson Burton law firm. Director Bill Herbert and Deputy Director Emily Lamb will join Thompson Burton as partners. The two were recruited for the new practice by attorney Jon Michael, who started the land use division last summer. Michael also recently hired attorney Margaret Martin, who was once chief development officer for the Metro Nashville Airport Authority. The Nashville Business Journal has more on the story.