After its IP webcast series installment on April 1, the TBA Intellectual Property Section will host its next series session on April 8 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. CDT. This webcast will explore how LKQ Corp. v. GM Global Tech. Operations LLC changed the obviousness test for design patents and what the change means on a practical level for design patent practitioners. Attendees also will learn how examiner training post-LKQ may impact design prosecution and how to handle obviousness rejections in the current landscape. The webcast will feature speaker Elizabeth Shah, a patent attorney with the Washington, D.C.-based law firm Bookoff McAndrews. Intellectual Property Section members save on registration costs. Not a member? Join now!

The TBA Pro Bono Portal provides a centralized source for lawyers and law students to find pro bono opportunities across Tennessee, like the following case through West Tennessee Legal Services (WTLS). A client is seeking a conservatorship for their adult disabled daughter. WTLS has an updated physician affidavit on file. Get more information about the requirements associated with this opportunity or browse other pro bono needs. A free half hour CLE is available on the TBA’s website to introduce attorneys to this innovative platform. The webcast includes a live demonstration of the portal and shows attorneys how to search and sign up for pro bono opportunities in their practice areas.

Attorney Curtis Bowe has been selected as the new judge for Collegedale following the death of Judge Kevin Wilson in December, Chattanoogan.com reports. Bowe will serve as city judge until the next election in 2030. He was the only eligible applicant after the city received three applications, two of which were disqualified because the candidates did not meet residency requirements established by the Tennessee Supreme Court in March 2025. Those rules require city judges to have lived in the city for at least one year and in Tennessee for five years preceding the election. City Attorney Sam Elliott tells the paper he plans to draft a letter to state legislators seeking changes to the residency requirement, which also have affected the cities of Red Bank and East Ridge in Hamilton County.

Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti will not intervene in an ongoing lawsuit over the state’s ban on religious charter schools, leaving the Knox County Board of Education to defend the policy against claims of religious discrimination, Chalkbeat reports. The Wilberforce Academy of Knoxville sued the school district late last year in federal court. The school is challenging the constitutionality of Tennessee’s charter school law. According to Chalkbeat, under federal regulations, state attorneys general must be notified and given the option to intervene in lawsuits involving constitutional challenges. Skrmetti did not weigh in on the suit but his office pointed to his November legal opinion questioning the constitutionality of the law. In the opinion, Skrmetti argued there was “no compelling interest” in excluding religious charter schools from participating in a “public benefit.” Last week, a federal judge denied Wilberforce’s request for a ruling that would immediately block the school board from enforcing the ban. A trial on the issue is scheduled for January 2027.

Former NASA astronaut Barry “Butch” Wilmore has notified the Tennessee secretary of state his intention to run for governor, WBIR reports. He has until March 10 at noon to officially file. Wilmore would join the Republican race alongside U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, U.S. Rep. John Rose of Cookeville and state Rep. Monty Fritts of Kingston. A Tennessee native, Wilmore is a graduate of the University of Tennessee Space Institute. He was a test pilot before becoming an astronaut in 2000, and spent 25 years with NASA before retiring in August.

Memphis Police Department Chief C.J. Davis outlined a significant and continued drop in crime Tuesday, the Daily Memphian reports. The department saw a 48% decrease in Part 1 crimes — homicide, rape, murder, burglary, robbery, larceny and car theft — in January 2026 compared with January 2025, falling from 3,709 incidents to 1,908. February 2026 saw a 38% drop from the same month the year before, according to data the department provided to the city council. Further data show motor vehicle thefts are down 68% year to date compared with the same period in 2025. The city recorded 344 motor vehicle thefts through Feb. 24, compared with 1,097 in the same period the year before.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says that a Nashville plumber arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Feb. 17 did not present a driver’s license during a traffic stop, resisted officers and was found to have two prior arrests for driving without a license, though both cases were dismissed. The family of Mexican national Juan Martin Espindola Ramirez disputes that story saying he has no criminal background, holds a driver’s license and work permit, was previously granted a U visa after assisting law enforcement, and has applied for a green card. The arrest has sparked concerns about the situation and has led some to donate to a GoFundMe page for legal expenses and to support his partner and their two sons.  ICE says Ramirez remains in custody in Louisiana pending immigration proceedings. The Tennessean has more.

Former Metro Nashville Council member and mayoral aide Bob Mendes has joined the Nashville office of Epstein Becker Green. According to the Nashville Post, Mendes’ practice will focus on corporate reorganization and complex governance matters. Mendes served as chief development officer for Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell during the mayor’s first two years in office, stepping down in September. Prior to his appointment as a mayoral aide, he served two terms as an at-large member of the Metro Council. Epstein Becker Green says it is expanding in health care markets, including Nashville, with a focus on adding attorneys focused on financial restructuring and corporate governance. Read more from the firm.

On this month’s episode of BarBuzz, TBA Communications Coordinator Azya Thornton sits down with Knoxville attorney E. Michael Brezina III to examine the rapidly evolving world of college sports law, from name, image and likeness deals to high-profile eligibility litigation involving University of Tennessee athletes. Brezina discusses his NIL representation of athletes, the legal implications of recent cases challenging NCAA eligibility rules, including those involving SEC quarterbacks, and how antitrust arguments are reshaping the conversation around athlete compensation. The episode also explores Tennessee’s aggressive NIL landscape, institutional involvement and revenue-sharing risks as well as broader sports law issues, offering practical insight for litigators, business lawyers and attorneys interested in the future of college athletics. Listeners can catch past episodes of the podcast anytime in the BarBuzz archive.

Join the University of Tennessee Winston College of Law for the 26th Annual Julian Blackshear Jr. Scholarship Gala, a tradition honoring one of Winston Law’s first Black graduates and celebrating the school's commitment to expanding access to legal education. This event supports the Julian Blackshear Scholarship Endowment, which helps recruit exceptional future students. Iké Adeyemi, senior vice president, chief legal officer and corporate secretary of Eastman Chemical is this year’s keynote speaker. Attendees should register by March 13.