The TBA Pro Bono Portal provides a centralized source for lawyers and law students to find pro bono opportunities across Tennessee. Whether looking for virtual opportunities, in-person clinics or longer-term cases, volunteers can go online and search options by date or type of representation. Learn more about the portal in a press release from the TBA or visit the site today to begin volunteering! Thank you to Paladin and World Within for making the first year of the portal free to the Tennessee legal community.

Gary Humble has ended his state senate campaign just two months after launching a bid to unseat Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, R-Franklin, citing “personal and organizational commitments.” According to the Williamson Scene, Humble made the announcement last Friday, saying, “after much prayer, thought, and honest conversations with my family, I have reached the conclusion that this is not the right pursuit for me at this time.” The founder and executive director of Tennessee Stands will continue to run that organization. He has offered a full refund to anyone who donated to his campaign.

The Tennessee Bar Association will be closed Wednesday through Friday in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. An abbreviated edition of TBA Today will be published on Wednesday. Visit the TBA website at any time to access CLE offerings and contact information for individual staff members. The office will reopen Dec. 1 at 8 a.m. CST. Happy Thanksgiving!

The Tennessee Supreme Court on Nov. 21 suspended 18 attorneys for failure to pay the annual registration fee, 12 of whom also failed to file proof that client funds are held in an IOLTA-compliant account. View the fee suspension order and IOLTA suspension order. Lawyers reinstated in the last month include two suspended this year, one suspended in 2021, one suspended in 2020 and one suspended in 2019. Access all administrative suspensions dating back to 2005.

Law firms now account for 10.5% of U.S. office leasing activity — double their pre-pandemic share — as other industries have scaled back and firms increasingly require in-person work, Reuters reports. Strong profitability and a renewed emphasis on office presence have allowed many firms to expand or maintain space, contributing to 8.3 million square feet leased through the third quarter. While more than a third of firms expanded their footprint, nearly one-third reduced space.

The Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments met in Nashville to select nominees for the upcoming vacancy on the Tennessee Supreme Court, which will occur with the retirement of Justice Holly Kirby on June 30, 2026. After holding a public hearing and conducting public interviews, the commission selected three names to forward to the governor. They are: Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals Judge J. Ross Dyer of Memphis; Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Kyle A. Hixson of Knoxville; and Memphis attorney Shea Sisk Wellford. View the nominees’ applications here.

A group of West Nashville residents has filed a 20-page ethics complaint against District 20 Councilmember Rollin Horton, accusing him of misuse of office, retaliation, doxxing and interfering with political activity in response to their efforts to oppose his successful rezoning plan for The Nations, according to the Nashville Post. The complaint stems largely from a failed recall effort and cites incidents including an Instagram post that displayed a resident’s address, police being called on petition gatherers and alleged pressure on business owners. Horton denies the allegations, calling them baseless and politically motivated, and says the rezoning followed extensive community engagement. Metro Legal now has two weeks to determine whether the complaint merits a full hearing before the Board of Ethical Conduct. WPLN also reports on the developments.

Shelby County General Sessions Court Judge Lonnie Thompson grew up in poverty in South Memphis and originally planned to become a classical pianist, earning a scholarship to the Oberlin Conservatory. His participation in student protests against South African apartheid led him to shift his focus from music to law. Thompson went on to earn a law degree from Georgetown and built a wide-ranging legal career before becoming a judge. And he still plays piano and organ at his Memphis church! Now elected president of the General Sessions Judges Conference, he hopes to improve court efficiency and expand community outreach. "I think general sessions is a very, very special court because it’s the court of first impression," Thompson said. "Our citizens get to see exactly what the court system is like, and they are more likely to encounter us before they will any judge on any other level." Read more in this profile from the Administrative Office of the Courts.

Calling all early birds! The TBA is launching a new series in December that will bring lawyers compelling CLE webcasts from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. CST. The Sunrise Series will begin Dec. 2 with “College Mascots and Legal Ethics: Lessons from the Sidelines,” during which legal educator Stuart Teicher will use tigers, eagles and other college icons to explore what mascots can teach lawyers about loyalty, character and protecting clients. Then on Dec. 9, Teicher will present "Good Lawyers Gone Bad: Ethics Lessons from True Lawyer Slime and Crime." The session will explore actual missteps committed by lawyers and the ethics lessons underlying the actions. Make plans now to get your day started with a CLE boost!

The TBA will host its 2025 Environmental Law Forum on Dec. 5 in Nashville, offering a full day of programming for lawyers and environmental professionals. The annual event will cover nuclear energy concerns, recent state and federal developments, brownfields and other timely issues shaping the practice area. Speakers include Payton Bradford of the Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation, Katherine Barnes Cohn of Bradley, John Dawson of Bass, Berry & Sims, Ellery Richardson of K&L Gates and Ashley Strittmatter of United Cleanup Oak Ridge. For more information and to register visit the TBA website.