A retirement reception for Tennessee Court of Appeals Judge D. Michael Swiney will be held Jan. 8, 2026, at 3 p.m. EST at the Tennessee Supreme Court Building in Knoxville. The building is located at 505 Main St., STE 200, Knoxville 37902. The event will take place on the second floor. RSVP to Tammy Capps at tammy.capps@tncourt.gov by Jan. 5 to attend. Swiney plans to retire on Jan. 12.

The Tennessee Supreme Court reinstated Florida lawyer Heather Chastain Parker on Dec. 19. Parker was placed on inactive status more than five years ago, on May 16, 2012. The Board of Professional Responsibility reviewed Parker’s petition for reinstatement and found that reinstatement would be appropriate.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) earlier this month called the American Bar Association’s (ABA) law school accreditation system a “monopoly” that increases the cost of legal education and limits the supply of new lawyers, endorsing a proposal by the Texas Supreme Court to end the state’s reliance on ABA accreditation for bar admission, Reuters reports. In a letter to that court, the FTC criticized current accreditation standards — including a now-suspended diversity rule — and noted that other states such as Florida and Ohio are reviewing their requirements, while the ABA has launched a review of the standards. The chair of the council of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar recently addressed these state reviews in a Bloomberg Law opinion piece.

Cocke County lawyer Charlotte Ann Leibrock was temporarily suspended from the practice of law on Dec. 16 after the Tennessee Supreme Court found she posed a threat of substantial harm to the public. Leibrock immediately is precluded from accepting any new cases, and must cease representing existing clients by Jan. 16, 2026. The suspension will remain in effect until dissolution or modification by the court.

U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis in Maryland has ordered U.S. immigration officials not to re-detain Kilmar Abrego Garcia after his release from immigration detention until the court holds a hearing on a motion for a temporary restraining order, WSMV reports. Abrego Garcia appeared Dec. 12 for a scheduled appointment at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office after being released. To try to protect their client, Abrego Garcia's lawyers asked Xinis to block authorities from detaining him again.

The Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands (LAS) announced it has been awarded a $209,056 Technology Initiative Grant from the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) to help fund improvements to its legal helpline intake system. The technology program distributes annual grants to legal services providers across the United States. This year, LSC is awarding 32 grants totaling $4.2 million for projects that use technology to improve legal services for low-income Americans and increase access to high-quality legal assistance, the judicial system and legal information. LAS will use the grant to integrate artificial intelligence agents into its intake system. The upgraded system will be scalable, secure and offer multilingual intake capabilities, according to the group. By automating processes and improving data accuracy, the technology hopefully will shorten wait times and expand access to legal help.

Tennessee lawmakers are reviewing proposed changes to enhanced handgun permit training that would prohibit use of live firearms and ammunition during classroom instruction, limiting their use only to the shooting range portion of courses, Fox 17 reports. The Tennessee Department of Safety said the rule aims to improve safety and reduce liability following a classroom shooting incident. The proposal would require instructors to hold the same enhanced permit they teach and restrict the sharing of students’ personal information. Firearms instructors have raised concerns that the ban could hinder effective instruction and increase theft risks if guns are left in vehicles. After discussion in the Government Operations Committee, lawmakers approved a 30-day stay on the rule, giving the department time to work with instructors and clarify concerns before further review.

The U.S. Senate confirmed four Trump nominees to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) board last week. Senators voted 53-47 to confirm Knoxville attorney Jeff Hagood, Memphis hospital CEO Mitch Graves, Florida chemical engineer Arthur Graham and Alabama insurance agency owner Randall Jones, according to Knox News. The moves gives the board a quorum for the first time since April. President Donald Trump also had nominated Nashville businessman Lee Beaman to serve on the board, but that nomination stalled in committee.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has sued online gaming platform Roblox, alleging the company violated the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act by misleading consumers about safety risks to children on its platform. The lawsuit claims Roblox has for years deceived Tennesseans about serious dangers to minors, prioritizing profits over child safety. “Roblox is the digital equivalent of a creepy cargo van lingering at the edge of a playground,” Skrmetti said in a news release. The attorney general’s office is working with the Nashville-based law firm Stranch, Jennings & Garvey PLLC, including founding and managing member J. Gerard Stranch IV, to prosecute the case on behalf of the state.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division, in partnership with the TBA’s General, Solo & Small Firm Section, is offering a new Rookie Series CLE program in January aimed at helping attorneys build practical skills early in their careers. “The Rookie Series: Opening Your Own Firm” webcast will take place Jan. 29, 2026, from noon to 1 p.m. CST. The session will cover key steps, common pitfalls and available TBA resources for lawyers interested in launching a solo or small firm. For those who missed the last installment in the Rookie Series, "Making the Most of Mediation” will run as a webcast replay on Dec. 22. In this session, Nashville mediator Susan McDonald provides guidance on ethical and effective mediation preparation using neuroscience-based strategies, risk assessment and client engagement tools.