In 2026, California will become the first U.S. state to require attorneys to take an annual civility oath to “conduct themselves with dignity, courtesy, and integrity,” Reuters reports. The new requirement was proposed by a 2021 task force, approved by the state Supreme Court in September and finalized by the State Bar of California last month. Brian Currey, a retired California appeals court judge and chair of the task force, says, “Incivility is ‘sand in the gears’ of the legal system. When lawyers waste their time and energy sniping at each other, it makes resolving disputes or issues more difficult.” In 2018, the Tennessee Supreme Court amended the oath that new Tennessee lawyers take, swearing that they will conduct themselves "with honesty, fairness, integrity, and civility."

Apperson Crump, self-proclaimed as the oldest continuously operating law firm in Memphis, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the Commercial Appeal reports. The reporting was based on filings with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Tennessee in Jackson. According to the paper, the firm voluntarily filed to reorganize on Dec. 1. A meeting with its creditors is set for Jan. 5, 2026. Apperson Crump opened its doors in 1865, founded by Charles W. Metcalf, grandfather of the late Charles Metcalf Crump, who served multiple terms in the Tennessee House of Representatives. The firm did not respond to a request for comment at the time of publication, according to the paper.

Memphis could receive additional law enforcement resources and funding for technology to combat cargo theft under a legislative proposal from Tennessee's Republican U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, the Daily Memphian reports. In a statement Blackburn said, “Cargo theft is a pressing issue impacting businesses in Tennessee, and we need to shut down these organized crime groups that steal essential goods from Tennesseans to traffic drugs and weapons.” The bill, co-sponsored by Minnesota Democrat Sen. Amy Klobuchar, would equip six American intermodal facilities with funding for more technology or law enforcement resources. Blackburn wants to locate one of those facilities in Memphis, according to the paper. The Greater Memphis Chamber is supporting the effort. Chamber President Ted Townsend said that Memphis, a gateway city that links eastern and western railroad tracks, ranks second for cargo theft in America.

The Knoxville Bar Association (KBA) will hold its Annual Meeting and Elections on Dec. 12 at 8:30 a.m. EST. At the annual event, KBA President Jonathan Cooper will pass the gavel to incoming President Rachel Hurt. Members also will vote to elect Ursula Bailey as president-elect, Cathy Shuck as treasurer, M. Samantha Parris as secretary and four members of the KBA Board of Governors. The event will take place in the Main Assembly Room of the City County Building, 400 Main St., Knoxville 37902.

A fully insured Cigna health plan features five coverage options designed to meet the unique needs of law students. The plan requires no medical underwriting or health questions. Enrollment opens on the first of each month, with coverage beginning on the first day of the following month with premium payment. Learn more about the plan on the TBA's webpage for the Solo Insurance Plan.

The next legal clinic for veterans in Knoxville will take place Dec. 10 from 12-2 p.m. EST at the Knox County Public Defender's Community Law Office, 1101 Liberty St., Knoxville 37919. This is a general advice clinic sponsored by the Knoxville Bar Association, KBA Barristers, Legal Aid of East Tennessee, Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law, the University of Tennessee College of Law, the Knox County Public Defender’s Community Law Office and the local Veterans Affairs office. Attorneys and law students are needed for the in-person clinic. Attorneys also may help clients by phone. Sign up to volunteer here.

A split federal appeals court held last week that Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz PC was wrongly denied qualified immunity for its role acting as outside counsel for Nashville’s local government in a First Amendment suit. Bloomberg Law reports on the decision from the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. Read the opinion.

HERMANDORFER, Circuit Judge. As a convicted sex offender, Gene Roper must register his whereabouts with state authorities. He has a long track record of failing to do so. After Roper’s latest failure-to-register conviction, the district court sentenced him to prison. It also imposed a 20-year term of supervised release, which was above the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines’ recommendation but below the statutory maximum of lifetime supervision. In explaining the supervised-release term, the district court cited—among other considerations—Roper’s history of mental-health issues and the treatment that supervision could facilitate. Roper now says the district court erred by relying in part on his mental illness to justify the 20- year term of supervision. We disagree. And Roper’s supervised-release term otherwise falls within the statutory limits and is reasonable. We therefore affirm.

Vanderbilt University reportedly is still in talks with the Trump administration around a proposal that would provide preferred access to federal grants in exchange for the school implementing a series of government mandates, the Nashville Business Journal reports. The proposal had an original deadline of Nov. 21 for the school to respond. At that time, the university’s chancellor released a campus-wide message reiterating the school’s commitment to “academic freedom, free expression and independence” and belief that grants should be merit based. The paper reports that the university issued a statement saying: "We do not currently have a November 21st deadline, nor a directive to accept or reject the compact" and highlighting its track record of "principled, bipartisan dialogue with the federal government."

This is an appeal from the denial of two class action certifications. The trial court found that the classes proposed by the Appellants did not meet the requirements of Tennessee Rule of Civil Procedure 23. Discerning no error, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.