Make plans now to attend the TBA’s 2025 Health Law Primer and Health Law Forum this fall. The primer will take place Nov. 12 at Barnes & Thornburg in Nashville. Designed for those new to health practice, that program will provide a general health law overview and practical tips to identify and avoid the pitfalls of real-life situations in the heavily regulated health care industry. Then on Nov. 13 and 14, the forum will take place at the Music City Center in downtown Nashville. Hear from keynote speakers Adam Herbst, former deputy commissioner at the New York State Department of Health, now at Sheppard Mullin; Dr. David Reich, chief clinical officer at Mount Sinai Health System; and Aidoc CEO Elad Walach. Get more information and register here.

Henry Ford said customers could have any color so long as it’s black. At least you have two choices when it comes to core email, communication and office productivity applications. This comparison chart highlights the strengths and weaknesses of Google and Microsoft’s bundled, subscription offerings. Find this and more in the Opening a Firm section of TBA’s Law Firm in a Box.

The Defendant, Mikal B. Morrow, appeals the trial court’s revocation of his effective six-year probationary sentence for aggravated assault by strangulation, false imprisonment, and interference with a 911 call. On appeal, he alleges that (1) the State failed to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that he violated the terms of his probation and (2) the trial court abused its discretion by fully revoking his probation after finding the Defendant had absconded. Following our review, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.

The Juvenile Court for Hamblen County (“the Juvenile Court”) terminated the parental rights of Josue O. (“Father”) to his daughter Neyra S. (“the Child”), finding multiple grounds applicable to a putative father, pursuant to Tenn. Code Ann. § 36-1-113(g)(9), and the ground of failure to manifest an ability and willingness to assume custody, pursuant to Tenn. Code Ann. § 36-1-113(g)(14). Father does not contest the Juvenile Court’s findings of statutory grounds for termination but appeals the Juvenile Court’s determination that termination of his parental rights was in the Child’s best interest. Discerning no reversible error, we affirm.

September 15, 2025 - September 19, 2025.

The frame of Nashville's new juvenile justice center off of Brick Church Pike was completed last week, marking a milestone celebrated by city leaders. The Nashville Youth Campus for Empowerment is designed to reimagine how the city cares for young people in trouble with the law, News Channel 5 reports. Organizers said the trauma-informed campus will focus on healing, restoration and rehabilitation. “What we’re going to have here is something more restorative. We will be able to house up to about 64 youth if we need to. Hopefully, we will not have to need that many. They will have space where they can do job training. They will do their schooling in an actual building part that looks like a school. They will have counseling services,” Davidson County Juvenile Court Judge Sheila Calloway said. The campus also will provide resources for families, with partner organizations operating on site. The facility is expected to open in 2027.

The U.S. Senate on Thursday confirmed John Squires, a former chief intellectual property attorney at Goldman Sachs, to lead the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) under President Trump. Squires was confirmed as part of a push by the Senate to approve dozens of Trump nominees at once. The USPTO is responsible for issuing U.S. patents and trademarks and advising the government on intellectual property policy. The office's Patent Trial and Appeal Board reviews the validity of existing patents. Squires will head the USPTO as it faces increasing competition with China on innovation and questions about the role of artificial intelligence in inventing, Reuters reports. Trump nominated Squires in March to lead the office. He succeeds Kathi Vidal, who served as director during the Biden administration.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced last week in a press release that it had dismantled an MS-13 cell operating within Nashville. After a nine-month investigation, a series of court-authorized search warrants were conducted in the metropolitan Nashville area, resulting in the arrests of at least 17 members and associates of MS-13 across three states, including Tennessee, California and Oklahoma. In addition, investigators also seized bulk quantities of marijuana, counterfeit pills, cocaine, THC vapes, liquid psilocybin and multiple firearms, including assault rifles. DEA officials said the operation, carried out with local, state and federal partners, marked a significant step in efforts to disrupt MS-13’s drug trafficking and violent activities.

A Tennessee state legislative committee voted last week to remove references to women, minorities, people with disabilities and veterans from the state's equal employment opportunity plan. Under the proposal, Tennessee will no longer formally track or publicly report on the demographics of individuals interviewed, hired or promoted to jobs in the executive branch of state government as of Oct. 7. According to Tennessee Lookout, the Joint Government Operations Committee also lifted a requirement for state agencies to specifically recruit, hire and promote underrepresented women and minorities. The rule change was necessary to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order ending affirmative action in government employment and recent state laws according to a deputy general counsel for the state’s Department of Human Resources. According to the paper, the state will continue to track employment of veterans and those with disabilities to comply with separate federal laws.

Rural hospital management company Java Medical Group has named former circuit court judge Craig Johnson as chief legal officer to oversee risk compliance, contract management, liability and risk for the Nashville-based company, the Nashville Post reports. Johnson brings more than 30 years of judicial and legal experience to the role. He previously served as circuit judge of the 14th Judicial District in Tennessee until his retirement in 2021. Johnson continues to hear cases as an ad hoc judge and also serves as attorney for the city of Manchester. Johnson earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee. “For the rural hospitals we serve, having access to experienced legal leadership is critical. The addition of Craig Johnson as chief legal officer gives our facilities a trusted advisor who understands the complexities of healthcare compliance and provider retention,” said Java CEO Bappa Mukherji.