A defendant appeals a judgment arising out of a dispute over residential electrical work. Because the defendant did not file his notice of appeal with the Clerk of the Appellate Court within thirty days after entry of the judgment as required by Tennessee Rule of Appellate Procedure 4(a), we dismiss the appeal.

In this second interlocutory appeal, the employer questions the trial court’s denial of its request for a continuance of an expedited hearing, as well as its award of medical benefits to the employee. The employee suffered multiple injuries when he fell at work. The employer provided medical treatment initially but later denied some of the recommended medical care. Following the first expedited hearing, the trial court awarded medical benefits for several conditions, including an injury to the employee’s left knee, and the employer appealed. On appeal, we reversed the trial court’s award of medical benefits for the left knee as the record did not contain sufficient evidence that the knee condition was primarily caused by the work injury. On remand, the employee filed a new request for expedited hearing, again seeking medical treatment of his left knee, which he supported with new medical evidence. The employer sought to schedule a medical examination with its own expert prior to the expedited hearing. Due to ongoing discussions between the parties’ attorneys regarding scheduling the exam, the employer filed a request for a continuance. The trial court denied the continuance on the day of the expedited hearing and issued an order awarding medical benefits. The employer has appealed. Having carefully reviewed the record, we reverse the trial court’s denial of the requested continuance and remand the case.

Memphis-Shelby County School Board voted unanimously Tuesday to sue over a state takeover of the district, the Daily Memphian reports. On Wednesday, the House and Senate passed the measure, sending it to Gov. Bill Lee for his consideration. The plan would give a nine-member, state-appointed board authority over the district through at least 2030, potentially reshaping how Memphis’ approximately 100,000 students are educated, how schools are governed and how roughly $1.7 billion in annual local, state and federal education funding is allocated. The school board argues the measure is unconstitutional and grants “unprecedented authority” over the system. It also directed general counsel Justin Bailey to retain outside counsel. Rep. Mark White, R-Memphis, who sponsored the legislation and spoke prior to its passage, said that the measure is not targeted at any particular district.

A record percentage of U.S. law school students landed legal jobs soon after graduating in 2025, according to new American Bar Association (ABA) data, despite reduced hiring for government and public interest jobs, Reuters reports. The percentage of 2025 law degree graduates who landed ‌jobs requiring bar admission within 10 months of leaving campus ticked up one percent from 2024, which also was a record year, to 83%. In total, 31,743 of the 2025 graduates from the 195 ABA-approved or provisionally approved law schools were employed in such roles as of March 16 of this year. The data also ranks employment success by law school with Vanderbilt University Law School coming in at third place behind Cornell Law School and Duke University School of Law. ABA officials noted that reporting changes this year include certain law school-funded positions in the totals, affecting year-over-year comparisons.

The Red Bank City Commission has appointed attorney Bryan Hoss to serve as city judge until a special election on Aug. 6 to fill the remainder of Judge Johnny Houston’s term following his medical disability, Chattanoogan.com reports. Hoss, who had been serving in an interim capacity, said he has picked up qualifying papers and plans to run in the election. Hoss has more than 20 years of legal experience, including work in criminal defense, civil litigation and appellate advocacy. He is a graduate of the McCallie School and the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law.

The Kingsport Board of Mayor and Aldermen unanimously approved a recommendation Tuesday to name the courthouse at the Kingsport/Sullivan County Justice Center in honor of the late Judge John S. McLellan III, who died Feb. 11 at the age of 80. A graduate of the University of Tennessee (now Winston) College of Law, McLellan practiced for 24 years as a general practitioner and served as the Sullivan County attorney, city attorney for Mt. Carmel and judge of the Kingsport City Juvenile Court. In 1994, Gov. Ned Ray McWherter appointed him to the 2nd Judicial District Circuit Court, where he served for 30 years. McLellan served as director of the Tennessee Trial Judges Association from 1996-1997 and joined the Court of the Judiciary in 1999. In 2004, his fellow judges elected him president of the Tennessee Judicial Conference. The TimesNews reports that the $14.4 million justice center expansion is expected to modernize court and police facilities and improve safety and accessibility for staff and the public.

The death of a Shelby County Jail inmate last year was caused by a drug overdose, according to an official autopsy report. According to the Daily Memphian, Marcel Hutton was found unresponsive around 7 p.m. CST Dec. 21 and was pronounced dead less than an hour later. Hutton was one of 13 inmates who died at the jail in 2025. He was in custody on a second-degree murder charge related to a 2024 shooting in his Millington home. According to reports, his cellmate said Hutton had been smoking K2 liquid, a form of synthetic marijuana, prior to his death. It remains unclear how drugs and other contraband entered the jail, though guards have been charged with smuggling items inside in the past.

Smyrna attorney Ingrid Klose died April 21 at age 73. Klose earned her law degree from the University of Tennessee (now Winston) College of Law and began practicing in 1995. She focused her practice on general civil matters, including estate planning, veterans benefits and limited immigration cases. Memorial contributions may be made in her name to Smyrna First Presbyterian Church, 540 Sam Ridley Pkwy. W., Smyrna, TN 37167 or the Smyrna Rotary Club Foundation, P.O. Box 353 Smyrna, TN 37167. Information about a celebration of life at Smyrna Presbyterian Church will be announced when available.

The Tennessee Bar Association (TBA) and Tennessee’s American Inns of Court are accepting nominations for the 2026 Judge Pamela L. Reeves Tennessee Professionalism Award until May 8. The annual award is presented to a lawyer or judge whose life and practice display sterling character and unquestioned integrity, coupled with ongoing dedication to the highest standards of the rule of law and the highest standards of the legal profession in Tennessee. This year's award will be presented to a lawyer or judge residing in the Eastern Grand Division. Nominees must be alive when nominations are submitted but they need not be an active member of an American Inn of Court or the TBA. The award will be presented at the TBA's Annual Convention, which will be held in Knoxville June 10-13. See past recipients of the award.

Make plans now to join the TBA Mentoring Committee and the TBA Young Lawyers Division for this month's mentoring meetup in Nashville. The gathering will take place April 30 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. CDT at Streetcar Taps, 1325 3rd Ave. N., Nashville 37208. Come connect, build relationships and enjoy your time with the mentoring community! Learn more about the TBA Mentoring Committee on the TBA website.