Maury County lawyer William Clark Barnes Jr. received a public censure from the Tennessee Supreme Court on July 24. The court found that he violated Rules of Professional Conduct 3.3, 3.4 and 8.4 while representing a juvenile at a detention hearing in juvenile court. As part of the hearing, the parties were looking for viable options to place the juvenile as an alternative to detention. Barnes eventually was able to secure placement for the juvenile with a family member and informed the magistrate there was an agreement between the parties for placement of the juvenile. However, Barnes had not discussed the placement with the opposing attorney. He then signed the opposing attorney’s name to the judge’s order without authorization.

A proposal from the American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar is facing pushback from law school deans. The ABA Journal reports that proposed changes to Accreditation Standards 303, 304 and 311 would double the required number of experiential learning credits from six to 12. The section’s council has received 343 pages of comments on the proposal, most of which were in opposition. Concerns centered on the cost of creating the classes, the overall impact on tuition, and the lack of flexibility within the curriculum, including how part-time students would be able to meet the requirements. Writing in support of the change was the Clinical Legal Education Association, the Society of American Law Teachers and one professor emerita. The council will consider the input at its next meeting set for Aug. 21-23.

The American Bar Association (ABA) will receive $3.2 million in domestic violence training grants through 2027, after the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) declined to appeal a May ruling blocking cancellation of funding. After the department chose not to appeal, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper administratively closed the ABA’s lawsuit, putting the case on hiatus for two years. According to Reuters, the DOJ and the ABA released a joint status report that either party could reopen the case “if circumstances warrant.” Cooper had ruled in May that the ABA was entitled to the full amount of grants it had been awarded to train lawyers to represent victims of domestic and sexual violence.

A coalition of news organizations — including the Nashville Banner, Tennessee Lookout, The Tennessean, WSMV and WTVF — are suing the state of Tennessee over a law passed in the 2025 legislative session that makes it illegal to approach a police officer within 25 feet if the officer is engaged in official duties and has ordered the person to stop advancing. The publications claim the law is so broad it will cover “most of what law enforcement officers do in public” and will put reporters at risk of arrest for simply doing their job. They also argue that a distance of 25 feet is too far way for journalists to report on law enforcement activities. The Banner has more on the suit in its newsletter today.

Rulings from federal judges yesterday mean that Kilmar Abrego Garcia will be released from jail in the coming weeks and put under the supervision of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Maryland, where he was living before being deported to and brought back from El Salvador. The Hill reports that U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw in Nashville ordered him to be released pending trial on charges of human smuggling. Later in the day, another federal judge delayed that order for 30 days at the request of the defendant’s lawyers. Meanwhile, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis of Maryland ordered that Abrego Garcia be transferred to supervised release under ICE's Baltimore office and that the agency give him 72 hours to appeal if it plans to deport him.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, along with four other state attorneys general, are speaking out against the proposed SCORE (Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements) Act. The group argues the bill gives too much power to the NCAA and risks undermining athlete compensation progress. According to WBIR, the bill would establish a federal standard for name, image and likeness (NIL), create regulations for agents who represent college athletes, prevent schools from revoking scholarships for injuries or performance, require schools to provide academic and medical support for athletes who leave the school, and put restrictions on the use of student fees for athletics. The lawyers agree with the bill authors that the NCAA has not done enough to "fully ensure fair treatment for student-athletes" but say this response is misguided. Read more in the release from the AG's office.

Columbia Mayor Chaz Molder told the Tennessee Lookout this week that he is “strongly considering” entering the 5th Congressional District race as a Democrat, potentially setting up a 2026 race against incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles. According to the Nashville Post, Molder announced yesterday that he would not seek a third term as mayor. If he runs, Molder could face three others in a party primary. Nashville Metro Council member Mike Cortese, adjunct professor Joyce Neal and health care executive Jim Torino have expressed interest in running. Molder, who practiced law in Columbia before becoming mayor in 2018, is a graduate of the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law. As a new lawyer he was active in the TBA Young Lawyers Division.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) recently settled a suit brought by the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) on behalf of its clients, the Star News and journalist Matt Kittle of The Federalist. WILL had sued the bureau in April after it denied a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for access to the writings of the individual who shot and killed six at Nashville’s Covenant School. As part of the agreement, the FBI released 120 pages of the shooter’s “manifesto” and agreed to pay WILL more than $86,000 in legal fees. Star News Digital Media owns and operates a number of state-focused news sites, including The Tennessee Star. Read more in a news release from the institute.

The traditional maxim in a military career was “up or out” — either you progressed up the chain of command or you were urged to find your career calling elsewhere. Similarly, there are “A-list” clients who are easy to work for, pay promptly and bring in new business. This webcast replay on Monday will explore the process of grading clients on a variety of criteria, and then cover techniques to move them up the scale, turning “C clients” into Bs and “B clients” into As. Join Jeffrey Krause with Affinity Consulting at noon CDT for this one-hour program. Can’t make that time? The program also is available on demand.

The Trial Court Vacancy Commission has received eight applications for a vacancy in the 20th Judicial District following the retirement of Judge Cheryl A. Blackburn. The applicants for the criminal court vacancy are Mark Cole, Ronald Dowdy, Dustin Faeder, Keeda J. Haynes, Dominic J. Leonardo, Kyle D. Parks, Stephen Douglas Thurman and James Harwell Todd. A public hearing for the candidates will be held July 31 at 9 a.m. CDT at the Nashville School of Law, 4013 Armory Oaks Dr., Nashville 37204. Any member of the public may attend and may express orally or in writing any objections about the applicants. The commission is expected to vote immediately following the interviews and forward nominees to Gov. Bill Lee for his consideration.