Shelby County lawyer Kenneth Michael Margolis was censured on March 24 after the Tennessee Supreme Court found that he violated Rules of Professional Conduct 1.5(c), 7.1 and 8.4(a). The court found that Margolis mistakenly took the word of his co-counsel that an existing shared client wanted both of them to handle a new matter. He did not verify that arrangement with the client, who in fact, had intended to hire only the lawyer with whom he was speaking. In addition, during this new representation, there was no written fee agreement executed, an existing medical authorization was used without the client’s authorization, and Margolis, along with co-counsel, improperly attempted to collect a contingency fee from the client.

The federal judiciary has approved a new office focused on improving the quality of representation of indigent criminal defendants at the U.S. Supreme Court, with the goal of creating a counterweight to the U.S. Solicitor General's Office, Reuters reports. The U.S. Judicial Conference recently approved the Supreme Court Advocacy Project and the creation of four full-time positions to support it. Its first director will be Ashley Robertson, a lawyer in the Solicitor General's Office. She is a former law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan. The project initially will be housed in the office of the federal public defender for the Eastern District of Virginia. The long-term plan is for the office to become an independent, standalone entity. The judiciary plans to consider funding for that in its 2028 budget, according to reports.

The next legal clinic for veterans in Knoxville will take place April 8 from noon to 1 p.m. EDT at the Knox County Public Defender's Community Law Office, 1101 Liberty St., Knoxville 37919. This is a general advice clinic sponsored by the Knoxville Bar Association, KBA Barristers, Legal Aid of East Tennessee, Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law, the University of Tennessee Winston College of Law, the Knox County Public Defender’s Community Law Office and the local Veterans Affairs office. Attorneys and law students are needed for the in-person clinic. Attorneys also may help clients by phone. Sign up to volunteer.

Two Democratic candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives — Elizabeth Stephens of Nashville, who is running in the 5th Congressional District, and Jacob Anders of Tullahoma, who is running in the 4th Congressional District — are suing the Tennessee Democratic Party after being disqualified from their primaries. The two candidates argue that the party’s appeal hearing procedures were unfair and failed to provide due process. They are seeking a temporary restraining order to ensure their names appear on the August ballot. The Nashville Banner reports on the development.

The Tennessee Department of Revenue will host a free webinar on the state's obligated member entity election under the franchise & excise (F&E) tax on March 31 beginning at 9 a.m. CDT. Department staff will discuss how pass-through entities can elect to pay F&E tax at the entity level and what this means for compliance and planning. The webinar is part of a free series the department offers to the public. Learn more and register here or read more in a press release.

Nashville trial lawyers Joe Welborn, Charlie Malone and Jason Callen have launched WelbornMalone PLC, a boutique litigation firm that will focus on complex, high-stakes disputes for corporations, small businesses, high-net-worth families and individuals across a range of industries. The office is located at One Burton Hills Boulevard, Ste. 200E, Nashville, TN 37215 in the Green Hills area of the city. It can be reached at 615-455-0360 or online at www.welbornmalone.com. Welborn, originally from Memphis, has practiced law in Nashville for 35 years, previously with Bass, Berry & Sims; Walker, Tipps & Malone; Butler Snow; and K&L Gates. Malone, a Nashville native, has practiced law for 23 years, previously with Walker, Tipps & Malone; Butler Snow; and K&L Gates. Callen has practiced law for 22 years: four years with Kirkland & Ellis in Chicago and 18 years with the Nashville offices of Walker, Tipps & Malone; Butler Snow; and K&L Gates. Read more about the firm.

William "Bill" Franklin Alley Jr. died March 15 in Knoxville. Alley graduated from the University of Tennessee (now Winston) College of Law and joined the U.S. Air Force. He later joined the Air National Guard, retiring as a lieutenant colonel in 2004. He served as a partner at the Knoxville firm of Hodges, Doughty and Carson until his retirement in 2006. A celebration of life will be held March 28 at 3:30 p.m. EDT at Fountain City United Methodist Church, 212 Hotel Rd., Knoxville 37918. A private family burial will take place on March 30. Read more about his life from this obituary in Knox News.

Former Tennessee state legislator and retired lawyer Bill Bruce died recently at the age of 90. A native of Virginia, Bruce moved to Memphis in the 1960s to practice law. He later was elected to the state House of Representatives and then the state Senate. Bruce retired from the legislature in in the early 1970s and moved his law practice to Nashville. He joined Stokes & Bartholomew and launched the firm’s government relations practice. He supported the merger with Adams & Reese in 2005, and facilitated discussions with Armstrong Allen, which led to an expansion to Memphis in 2006. Burce retired from active practice not long thereafter and moved to the Georgia coast. Arrangements are pending for a memorial service in the coming weeks. Read more from Adams & Reese.

Sessions from TBA’s 2026 Construction Law Forum are available online as a 1-Click package or as individual programs. The package offers up to 4.5 hours of general hours and two hours of dual hours for a total of 6.5 hours. Topics include the many ways lien claims can go awry; the nuances of the Prompt Pay Act, Beacon4 and other current cases; emerging AI tools for the construction practioner; ethics update; and key opinions and case developments from the Tennessee appellate courts.

Magistrate Shayla Purifoy has announced her campaign for judge on the Shelby County General Sessions Civil Court, Division 2. Purifoy graduated from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law and joined Memphis Area Legal Services as a staff attorney in the civil Domestic Violence and Family Law Unit. In 2016, she was appointed to the magistrate judge role, where she hears criminal and civil matters. Purifoy was president of the Ben F. Jones Chapter of the National Bar Association in 2020 and remains involved in community groups and local and statewide legal organizations. Purifoy says she will use the General Sessions position to promote understanding in the judiciary through community outreach. She also pledges to run a fair and efficient courtroom for all those who come before her. Read more in a press release or visit her campaign website.