When I first started programming many years ago, there was a BASIC program known as “Eliza” that employed early natural language processing — you could enter sentences on the keyboard, and Eliza would output her response to you on a monitor.  Essentially, the program’s premise was that Eliza was your psychotherapist and if you made certain statements or asked certain questions it would respond, sometimes eerily, in a manner like what you would expect during an actual therapy session.  There were limitations to Eliza, however.  If you interacted with the program for more than a b ..read more

Cole Law is proud to announce that Managing Shareholder Andy Goldstein has been selected to the Super Lawyers 2023 Mid-South Rising Stars list. Each year, no more than 2.5 percent of lawyers in Tennessee are selected by the research team at Super Lawyers to receive this honor. Super Lawyers, part of Thomson Reuters, is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The annual selections are made using a patented multiphase process that includes a statewide survey of lawyers, an independe ..read more

With the return of the school year, most parents are no doubt excited to have some peace and quiet around the house during the week. Understandably, many parents pay close attention to what their children are learning in public schools, particularly those with younger students going through key formative years. In recent times, increased attention has been drawn to public school curriculums and precisely what educators are teaching the future generations of this country. As part of this process, many parents have made their thoughts known. What rights do parents have in directing their childre ..read more

What Is a Military Letter of Reprimand? A military letter of reprimand (LOR) is an administrative censure given to a servicemember for alleged failure to comply with military rules or regulations. A letter of reprimand is a serious matter, and servicemembers subject to receiving one should carefully consider their options. A letter of reprimand is important because this letter might stay in a servicemember’s file and impact the ability of that servicemember to be promoted, selected for new training and assignments, or lead to administrative discharge in some circumstances.  Any servicemem ..read more

No engaged couple goes into a marriage planning to get divorced—but maybe they should. As a Tennessee bride-to-be I am certainly more concerned with flower arrangements and dress fittings than I am with whether the marriage will eventually sour. Unfortunately, the romance and excitement of planning a perfect wedding often overshadow the harsh reality that divorce is a common outcome of modern marriages, and it can be beneficial for you and your significant other to have an asset division plan in place before saying “I do.” Prenuptial agreements, or “prenups,” are probably the most well-known p ..read more

With the average age of marriage increasing, people are bringing more and more assets into a marriage. With that in mind, you should consider how to protect those assets in the event of a divorce. People have a tendency to scoff at the idea of a prenuptial agreement, also known as an antenuptial agreement or ‘prenup.’ Prenups are viewed as a sign that you do not think your marriage will work out or that you do not trust your future spouse. But I will ask you this: Would you rather decide how your assets and liabilities are divided when you are in love with your partner and have each other’s be ..read more

Kids Are Expensive $!$ It is commonly said that one of the most expensive choices that can be made in life is having children. According to CBS News, the cost of raising a child from birth to age seventeen is approximately $310,000![i] In Tennessee the payment of child support is mandatory in cases where the child is born out of wedlock, where the parents are divorced, or where there is a domestic violence order of protection. The Tennessee child support guidelines may be found in Chapter 1240-02-04 of the Rules of the Tennessee Department of Human Services Child Support Services Division. The ..read more

Custody Determination and the Permanent Parenting Plan Throughout Tennessee, courts are often tasked with rendering an initial child custody determination regarding one or more minor children between parents. These custody decisions – which are ultimately enshrined in the law in the form of court orders issued by a Tennessee court of competent jurisdiction – may occur between parents regardless of whether they are married. At the conclusion of a case where child custody is at issue, the courts in Tennessee will enter a Permanent Parenting Plan, setting out the parenting schedule between both p ..read more

A trademark’s protection can now expand to protect use of one’s trademark in digital worlds in the metaverse and within virtual reality. Hermès, a French luxury brand known for its iconic Birkin handbag, was successful in its litigation against Mason Rothschild, an NFT creator who is responsible for creating a series of 100 digital images entitled MetaBirkins.[i] A jury awarded Hermes $133,000 after finding Mr. Rothschild infringed on the trademark of Hermès and profited “unlawfully off the goodwill of its sought-after luxury product.”[ii] Other companies, like Miramax and Nike, have brought ..read more

Am I Eligible for an Annulment in Tennessee? When a couple seeks to end their marriage in Tennessee, the termination of the marriage is generally accomplished through divorce. The divorce process usually commences with one spouse filing for divorce in a Tennessee court of competent jurisdiction. Once the divorce litigation is initiated, it will progress in either an uncontested or contested fashion. In uncontested divorce cases, the divorce is finalized upon the court approving and incorporating a Marital Dissolution Agreement (and a Permanent Parenting Plan if there are minor children born of ..read more