Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands (LAS) recently announced in an email to TBA that it has received two new grants to help fund improvements to its services for low-income residents of Middle Tennessee. The Lawyers Trust Account has awarded LAS a $50,000 grant, which will fund the printing of forms and packets for pro se litigants, as well as a series of legal explainer videos for LAS's website. Additionally, Legal Services Corporation's (LSC) Pro Bono Innovation Fund has awarded LAS a $106,717 grant to implement recommended changes to its pro bono program. The recommendations came from a consultant who analyzed the program, which was funded by a previous LSC grant.

The Nashville Bar Association (NBA) recently announced the members of the 2026 Nashville Bar Foundation (NBF) leadership class. In 2014, NBF established the Leadership Forum — a nine-month leadership program for lawyers with three to eight years of experience — to bring together emerging leaders who participate in monthly workshops to help them realize their potential and benefit the legal profession and the local community. NBF President Laura Smith says, "We are proud to welcome the 2026 Nashville Bar Foundation Leadership Forum class. This distinguished group of attorneys represents the future of leadership in our profession. We are confident that their contributions will strengthen both the legal community and the broader Nashville community for years to come." Read more about the class in a press release.

Herzfeld, Suetholz, Gastel, Leniski and Wall (HSGLaW) recently announced it has moved to new office office space in Nashville's midtown. “Our roots in Nashville run deep, and we’re thrilled to reaffirm our commitment to this community by moving into a new, purpose-built space,” said founding member Tricia Herzfeld. “Nashville is not just where we work — it’s our home. We look forward to continuing to stand up for working people in Tennessee and across the nation from this new base.” In addition to its Nashville headquarters, HSGLaW maintains offices in Cincinnati, Louisville and Washington, D.C. The firm now is located at 1920 Adelicia St., Ste. 300, Nashville 37212. Visit www.hsglawgroup.com for more information.

Retired Court of Appeals Judge Alan Highers died Aug. 27 at age 88. He received his law degree from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law. Highers practiced law with Gerber & Gerber and with Neely, Green & Fargarson in Memphis until he was appointed chief magistrate at the Juvenile Court of Memphis and Shelby County. In 1982, Gov. Lamar Alexander appointed him to the Tennessee Court of Appeals, Western Section, and he later became the senior appellate judge in Tennessee. Highers retired in 2014, after 37 years of judicial service. Memorial gifts may be sent to The Highers Scholarship at Freed-Hardeman University, 158 East Main St., Henderson, TN 38340.

The 22nd Annual TBA Leadership Law (TBALL) program has launched its annual call for nominations for the 2026 class. Nominees should have from five to 15 years of experience in practice. Nominations are due Sept. 19 and should be submitted using this online form. Candidates from rural communities are especially encouraged, as their perspectives are vital to representing the full scope of Tennessee’s legal profession and maintaining the success of this impactful program. Last year, 35 lawyers from across the state were accepted into the program. The new class will kick off in January 2026 with an opening retreat at Montgomery Bell State Park and end next June with a commencement ceremony during the TBA Annual Convention in Knoxville. Email TBALL coordinators Tanja Trezise or Jarod Word with any questions.

The American Bar Association (ABA) has voted to extend the deadline for law schools to apply for permission to admit students without requiring an admissions test, including the LSAT, Above the Law reports. The move follows a November decision by the Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar to allow schools to seek variances from Standard 503, giving them the option to admit up to 100% of students without a test score, a major shift from the prior 10% limit. Since then, more than a dozen law schools have applied for the variance, which is expected to reshape admissions policies nationwide.

The Tennessee Supreme Court will hear oral arguments for its September docket on Sept. 4 at the Supreme Court building in Knoxville, with proceedings livestreamed on the TNCourts YouTube page. Beginning at 9 a.m. EDT, the court will hear Kendall Collier v. Pericilis Roussis and State v. Ronald Lacy. At 1:30 p.m., the court will hear two related consolidated appeals, Sarah Woodruff ex rel. Ethan Woodruff et al. v. Dorel Juvenile Group Inc. and Sarah Woodruff ex rel. Ethan Woodruff et al. v. Ford Motor Company, while a fifth case, Elliott Schuchardt v. Board of Professional Responsibility, will be submitted on the briefs. Read more about the cases in a press release.

The Tennessee Highway Safety Office, a division of the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, on Thursday announced $33.5 million in federal grant funds to be distributed statewide from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for the 2025–2026 federal fiscal year. Over 415 federal grants exceeding $33 million in total have been awarded to law enforcement agencies and highway safety partners across Tennessee and $3 million in media grant funds will be allocated for statewide highway safety education and public awareness campaigns. “These funds will be used to increase traffic safety education, public awareness, advocacy, training, and enforcement initiatives to improve driver behavior and protect Tennessee roadways. These partnerships are essential to saving lives as we strive toward zero deaths,” said Commissioner Jeff Long. To view the list of grant awards and recipients, click here.

President Donald Trump said during an interview with a conservative Memphis radio host that he would consider deploying the National Guard or federal troops to Memphis to help reduce crime, Action News 5 reports. Trump said Memphis would be “early on the list” of cities where the federal government could step in. State Sen. Brent Taylor, R-Memphis, who launched the #MakeMemphisMatter initiative to raise awareness about crime-reduction efforts, told the news outlet he would welcome federal assistance, citing the impact of a federal takeover in Washington, D.C. But Rep. London Lamar, D-Memphis, said such intervention would not solve the root causes of crime: “We need to truly make an investment on making sure families can feed themselves, clothe themselves and have affordable housing and what you will see is crime going down.”

Reports of gambling addiction in Tennessee have climbed since the state legalized online sports betting five years ago. According to WKRN, calls to the state’s REDLINE — a resource for substance misuse treatment referrals — jumped from 477 in fiscal year 2023 to 746 in 2024 before dipping to 659 in 2025. Tax revenue from sports betting, which rose from $1.2 million in fiscal year 2023 to $4.3 million in the most recent budget, funds treatment through the University of Memphis Gambling Clinic. Across its three locations, 40% of the clinic’s clients are from Middle Tennessee.