Tom Shumate - Managing Partner A significant development in employment law could alter the way employers manage employment agreements and post-employment restrictions within their organization and the extent to which employees can be restricted by noncompetes — in as little as four months.  On Tuesday, April 23, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced a sweeping ban on noncompete agreements, directly affecting both new and existing contracts. In a departure from the original proposal, existing noncompete agreements covering senior executives may remain in effect. Key Highl ..read more

By: Leah J. Bennion, Of Counsel and Leader of Meridian’s Corporate and Securities Division If you have ownership in a business entity, you may now be required to submit personal information online to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, and time is of the essence. This blog post highlights some of the significant points of the new federal Corporate Transparency Act and the requirements for reporting Beneficial Ownership Information for your entity. Note: The best resource for understanding the reporting requirements is the official website of FINCEN: fincen.gov.boi. What is the Corporate ..read more

Natalie Shacklett has completed year two of a three-year leadership role for the Middle Tennessee Association of Legal Administrators (MTALA) Board of Directors. Natalie served as Vice President from 2022-2023, and in April will complete her term as Chapter President. She will finish out the leadership role as Immediate Past President during 2024-2025. During her time as President, Natalie oversaw the implementation of organizational pricing for the local chapter, with a goal of assisting firm administrators with succession planning and boosting awareness and recruitment to ALA. “Serving in a ..read more

Meridian Law, PLLC is pleased to announce that two of its attorneys were again named to the 2023 Mid-South (Tennessee) Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists. This honor recognizes their high level of peer recognition and professional achievement. No more than 5% of the lawyers in the state are selected as Super Lawyers and no more than 2.5% are selected as Rising Stars. Thomas W. Shumate IV, Founder and Managing Member of Meridian Law, LLC, has again been selected as a Super Lawyer. Tom has received this award for the past four years and was named to the Rising Star list twice. Firm Member, Er ..read more

Meridian Law, PLLC is pleased to announce that three of its attorneys were again named to the 2023 Mid-South (Tennessee) Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists. This honor recognizes their high level of peer recognition and professional achievement. No more than 5% of the lawyers in the state are selected as Super Lawyers and no more than 2.5% are selected as Rising Stars. Thomas W. Shumate IV, Founder and Managing Member of Meridian Law, LLC, has again been selected as a Super Lawyer. Tom has received this award for the past four years and was named to the Rising Star list twice. Firm members ..read more

Meridian Law, PLLC is pleased to announce that Tom Shumate has been included in the 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®. Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. "For more than 40 years, the rigorous methodology of Best Lawyers has ensured the integrity and esteem of our legal recognitions," said Best Lawyers CEO Phillip Greer. "It is with great pleasure that we continue to provide potential clients with the pinnacle measurement of credibility through our Best Lawyers awards as t ..read more

By: Tanner Gibson, Senior Associate - Meridian Law Staying up to date on the rules regarding the admissibility of medical records and bills is critical for personal injury law practitioners and clients. Plaintiffs can take advantage of certain evidentiary presumptions regarding the reasonableness of their bills. However, this does not necessarily mean that it is easy for personal injury plaintiffs to prove their case. Recent decisions by Tennessee courts have clarified the law and highlighted hurdles to admissibility. Navigating these hurdles can make or break a case for businesses and individ ..read more

Robert Martin has been selected for the 2024 Nashville Bar Foundation Leadership Class. In 2014 the NBF established the NBF Leadership Forum - a local leadership program for lawyers with three to eight years of experience - designed to bring together emerging leaders who participate in monthly workshops for nine months to help them realize their potential and to benefit the legal profession and our local community. “We are very excited about our 2024 Nashville Bar Foundation Leadership Forum class. Through this training program, which includes monthly workshops and pairing with NBF Fellow ment ..read more

By: Dalton Darnell, Summer Associate The past few months have seen massive changes in federal employment law concerning pregnancy in the workplace. Congress recently passed the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA)—which requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to employees that are pregnant or have recently given birth—and the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers Act (PUMP Act)—which requires employers to provide employees with a private place to express breast milk for up to a year after childbirth. Employers must be aware of this new legislation, have a p ..read more

Meet Dalton Darnell, a third-year law student from The University of Alabama School of Law. Dalton is spending his summer with Meridian conducting legal research, drafting legal memoranda, conducting firm research projects, and assisting attorneys however needed. Dalton is currently a Senior Editor for the Alabama Law Review, an Alabama Law Academic Success Fellow, a Moot Court Board Member, and was recently a quarter-finalist in the 2L Moot Court Competition. If you ask Dalton what defines him most, it is that if he commits to something, he will make sure he does it well. He works hard and k ..read more