Hamilton County Circuit Court Judge Alex McVeagh took office as president of the TBA’s Young Lawyers Division (YLD) at the group's Annual Convention meeting in Franklin. He plans to focus on supporting recovery courts in the state and offering a Leadership & Law Academy for high school students. Joining him in leadership of the division is President-elect Jennifer Sneed of Memphis, Vice President Darius Walker Jr. of Nashville, Secretary Judge Zachary Walden of Jacksboro and Treasurer Ashley Tipton of Nashville. During the Lawyers Luncheon, McVeagh thanked outgoing president Sean Aiello for his year of service and honored the mock trial team from Montgomery Bell Academy, which won this year’s state and national high school mock trial competitions. Also during the convention, the YLD held its Annual Meeting and a CLE program on the state of DEI in the legal profession. The YLD Board met on Saturday for committee planning sessions and its first meeting of the new bar year. See the full list of board members.

The TBA Environmental Law Section has announced that Layton Coker, a student at the University of Tennessee Winston College of Law, has won the 2025 Jon E. Hastings Memorial Award Writing Competition. The judges reported that Coker’s essay, Paradise Lost: Environmental Justice Gaps in TVA’s Clean Energy Transition, was both timely and captured the spirit of the competition. Nashville School of Law graduate Emily Crawford's submission "Jarkesy, Juries and Justice: The Future of EPA Civil Penalties" was named runner up. Rounding out the competition were exceptional entries by University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law students Logan Hawkins and Owen King. The Environmental Law Section sponsors the annual writing competition to recognize the best legal writing by a Tennessee law student on a topic of state or federal environmental law. The juried competition is held in memory of Jon Hastings, one of the section’s founding members.

The Nashville office of Bass Berry & Sims today will host a Pride event featuring internationally acclaimed songwriters, Leland and Shane Stevens. The pair's songwriting credits include Troye Sivan, Cher, Ariana Grande, BTS, Charli XCX, Selena Gomez, Lady A, Kelsea Ballerini, Sara Evans, Meghan Trainor, Jo Dee Messina, Little Big Town, Kelly Rowland, Jordin Sparks, Fifth Harmony, Little Mix and others. Hors d'oeuvres and refreshments will be provided. Contact Greg Maczko at greg.maczko@bassberry.com with any questions.

When: Wednesday, June 18, 5 – 6:30 p.m. CDT
Where: Bass Berry & Sims, 21 Platform Way S., Ste. 3500, Nashville

Today the TBA LGBT Section will host a free webinar focused on elder law and estate planning for the LGBTQ+  client. Presenters Ryan Rolston, Emily Matheny and Tim Takacs will provide an in-depth exploration of the unique challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community, equipping participants with knowledge of these issues, strategies to avoid them and how to offer sensitive and inclusive counsel. One hour of general CLE credit is available for a $50 processing fee. Register now.

Members of the 2025 TBA Leadership Law class (TBALL) selected Memphis lawyer Rebekka Freeman Terrell as the winner of the annual Larry Dean Wilks Leadership Award. She was honored during the group’s graduation ceremonies in Franklin. The class has spent the last six months learning about leadership in the legal profession, issues in the courts, policymaking in state government and the importance of community service. Freeman Terrell is the chief administrative officer of the Shelby County Criminal Court Clerk's Office and serves on the board of directors for the Memphis Child Advocacy Center, Association for Women Attorneys and National Black Prosecutors Association for the Western District of Tennessee among other community service engagements. The award, named for former TBA president and Springfield lawyer Larry Wilks, who was instrumental in creating the TBALL program, is given to the class member who exemplifies exceptional leadership qualities and enhances the education of other class members. Wilks' son John was on hand to present the award. See the full picture of Freeman Terrell and Wilks. Learn more about the Wilks Award and see past recipients.

The Tennessee Lawyers’ Fund for Client Protection on June 16 paid a $3,500 claim filed against Knox County lawyer Gary Lee Anderson and a $17,609.40 claimed filed against Shelby County lawyer George Skouteris Jr. Both are required to reimburse the fund for the money. The Fund for Client Protection was established by the Tennessee Supreme Court to reimburse individuals for losses caused by dishonest conduct by attorneys. The fund is operated by a board, which meets quarterly to consider claims. In September 2022, the Tennessee Supreme Court amended Rule 25 to require the fund to notify the Tennessee Bar Association of claims paid. News releases also are posted online.

The Tennessee Supreme Court suspended Rutherford County lawyer Jared Michael Streich from the practice of law on June 13 for six years, with five years to be served on active suspension and the remainder on probation. The discipline is conditioned on Streich paying restitution to two former clients and, if reinstated, the appointment of a practice monitor. The court took the action after determining that Streich failed to reasonably communicate with his clients, act in a diligent manner, expedite litigation, act competently, comply with requirements for a suspended attorney and return client property. The court also found that he charged an unreasonable fee and provided false information to the Board of Professional Responsibility. These actions violated Tennessee Rules of Professional Conduct 1.1, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.15, 1.16, 3.2, 3.4 and 8.4.

Tennessee Attorney General (AG) Jonathan Skrmetti has announced that 55 attorneys general, representing all eligible states and U.S. territories, agreed to sign on to a $7.4 billion settlement with Purdue Pharma and its owners, the Sackler family. The Sackler family has also informed the attorneys general of its plan to proceed with the settlement, which would resolve litigation against Purdue and the Sacklers for their role in creating and worsening the opioid crisis across the country. Now that the state sign-on period has concluded, local governments across the country will be asked to join the settlement contingent on bankruptcy court proceedings. Tennessee is expected to receive more than $90 million. Read more in a press release from Skrmetti’s office.

Chattanooga lawyer William Robert Heck died May 2 at the age of 81 following an extended illness. Heck earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 1968 and enlisted in the Army. He was honorably discharged in 1971, returned to Tennessee, and earned his law degree at the University of Tennessee College of Law (now Winston College of Law). He was admitted to the bar in 1974, establishing himself as a small firm practitioner specializing in criminal defense. For nearly 50 years, he was a stalwart presence in Hamilton County's courtrooms, defending clients across the full spectrum of criminal charges — from misdemeanors to high profile death penalty cases. Visitation will be Friday from noon to 1 p.m. EDT at the North Chapel of Chattanooga Funeral Home, 5401 Highway 153, Hixson 37343. A chapel service will follow at 1 p.m. Burial with full military honors will be held at 2:30 p.m. at Chattanooga National Cemetery, 1200 Bailey Ave., Chattanooga 37406.

KAREN NELSON MOORE, Circuit Judge. Plaintiff Jeff L. Kean was fifty-nine years old and working as a General Manager at one of the most profitable Chili’s restaurants in the Nashville, Tennessee market when he was terminated and replaced by a thirty-three-year-old with no managerial experience. Defendants Brinker International, Inc.,1 Brinker International Payroll Co.,2 and Chili’s, Inc., (together “Brinker”) explain that Kean was terminated for creating a toxic “culture” and not “living the Chili’s way.” According to Brinker, “culture” at Chili’s meant treating employees well, satisfying guests, and turning a good profit—among other intangibles. Despite Brinker’s explanations, by all objective metrics, Kean’s restaurant was one of the top performers in his market. Not only was the restaurant profitable, but also it had operated for years as a training center for other managers, and Kean had consistently positive ratings as a manager from his employees. So why did Brinker fire Kean? The answer is complicated. No one at Brinker can remember why they actually fired Kean, and Brinker destroyed all original documents related to Kean’s employment and the reasons for his termination. Kean tries to fill in the gaps with his own theory. According to Kean, Brinker used “culture” as a catchall term to obfuscate their systematic efforts to remove older employees in favor of younger ones. In his estimation, he was fired because he was the oldest manager in his region and did not fit into Brinker’s business model aimed at attracting millennial guests. Based on this theory, he filed this suit under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (“ADEA”). Ultimately, the district court credited Brinker’s explanation, granted summary judgment in Brinker’s favor, and dismissed the case. For the reasons that follow we VACATE AND REVERSE IN PART and AFFIRM IN PART the district court’s decision, and REMAND for proceedings consistent with this decision.