Join members of the TBA Attorney Well Being Committee for a live interactive roundtable on how best to manage work-life balance as a legal professional. This 45-minute Zoom event on March 25 at 12:30 p.m. CDT will feature attorneys discussing their day-to-day practice and provide effective tools for personal well-being. While geared toward law students and young lawyers, this free event is open to all TBA members, but registration is required. Questions and feedback are encouraged. Submit questions in advance to jword@tnbar.org.

The TBA YLD was on hand to speak with University of Tennessee Winston College of Law students today. Samantha Ellis, the East Tennessee governor of the TBA YLD and Winston Law alumna, returned to her alma mater to encourage students to get involved with the TBA while still in law school. She answered questions about their entrance into the legal field and encouraged them to apply to two of the YLD's statewide programs: DLI and the Rural Judicial Fellowship (RJF). Savannah Grant, a student at Winston Law, shared her experiences as an RJF fellow this summer. See a photo from the event. 

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Tennessee sent a letter to the town of Mason urging officials to halt all actions related to a planned ICE detention center at a former state prison, the Commercial Appeal reports. The letter alleges the project did not receive the necessary votes to pass. The Mason Board of Aldermen voted on Tuesday on two contracts: one between the town and private prison company CoreCivic, and another between the town and ICE. Mason’s town recorder initially said the second contract failed, but the town attorney later said abstentions had been mistakenly counted. If approved, the project would convert the West Tennessee Detention Center in Mason into an ICE detention facility operated by CoreCivic.

After several months of steady rates, Tennessee’s unemployment rate edged up slightly in July, according to the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development. The state’s seasonally adjusted jobless rate was 3.6%, an increase of 0.1 percentage point from June. A year ago, the rate was 3.4%. Tennessee’s rate remains below the U.S. rate, which was 4.2% in July, unchanged from a year earlier.

Nashville's Estes Kefauver Federal Building and Annex at 801 Broadway is on a list of government properties approved for closure and divestment this year, The Tennessean reports. Named for Tennessee politician Estes Kefauver, the building served as a courthouse for the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee until 2021. The federal government plans to sell the property, and remaining federal tenants will vacate. Officials say the sale could save $484 million. A timeline for the transaction has not been announced.

Hamilton County Criminal Court Clerk Vince Dean is warning the public about a bond scam targeting family members of inmates. Dean said scammers are contacting relatives, often claiming to represent established local bonding companies, and requesting payment to post an inmate’s bond, The Chattanoogan reports. In one reported case, a family paid the requested amount after receiving a message from someone using a fake bondsman’s name, but no such person exists on the county’s bond list. “Everyone should use extreme caution when making bonds for family and friends,” Dean said, noting that it is against state law to solicit a bond. He advised verifying any bonding agent by asking to see their Tennessee Association of Professional Bail Agents card, which includes a photo and expiration date.

A U.S. District Court judge has ruled in favor of dozens of local governments and agencies, including Nashville, that sued several Trump administration officials and federal agencies in May, alleging they were imposing political conditions on grant funds already appropriated by Congress. On Tuesday, Senior U.S. District Judge Barbara Rothstein issued a preliminary injunction in the case, halting nearly a dozen agencies from withholding billions in federal grants if those cities did not implement the Trump administration’s policy agenda, such as prohibiting the use of funds to promote gender ideology, illegal immigration, or diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, according to The Tennessean. Nashville joined the case in May, with roughly $23 million in U.S. Department of Transportation funding and nearly $290,000 in housing grants under threat. This is the third lawsuit Nashville has joined against the Trump administration this year over grant funding.

A joint operation between the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in South Nashville is facing new scrutiny over concerns by some lawmakers that Hispanic drivers were disproportionately targeted during traffic stops conducted in May. According to WSMV, partial dispatch records obtained by the news station identified the ethnicity of 34 drivers, 29 of whom were Hispanic, two were Asian, two were Black and one was white. The state has not released full data on the 369 stops conducted. Rep. John Ray Clemmons, D-Nashville said the lack of transparency raises legal and constitutional concerns, while U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has denied any racial profiling, saying all enforcement operations are based on investigative work. The Department of Public Safety says it will work on producing “responsive records.”

A man is paralyzed after being stabbed multiple times at the Shelby County Jail earlier this month. An inmate was assaulted by another on Aug. 6 inside the jail, The Daily Memphian reports. The family identified the victim as Christopher Ross and said he was stabbed 17 times, resulting in paralysis from spinal cord injuries. Kokou Sanoumegah has been charged with aggravated assault, possession of contraband and other offenses. The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that jail staff immediately intervened and provided medical aid. Ross was taken to Regional Medical Center at Memphis. At least six inmates from the jail have died this year.

Vanderbilt University Law School recently announced that Cristina Gapasin Tortal will be the next dean of admissions, succeeding Todd Morton, who is retiring this summer. Gapasin Tortal has more than 20 years of experience in law school admissions and most recently served six years as dean of admissions at the University of California, Irvine School of Law. She previously spent six years as director of admissions at Northwestern Law. “Cristina is a leading figure in the law school admissions world and well known to our staff. I am thrilled that she has agreed to join us,” Dean Chris Guthrie said in a press release.