Hear Ye, Hear Ye

2022 NBA BOARD OF DIRECTORS Journal

MARTESHA JOHNSON MOORE, President GULAM ZADE, President-Elect Journal HON. MELISSA BLACKBURN, First Vice President LIZ SITGREAVES, Second Vice President CHARITY WILLIAMS, Secretary FLYNNE DOWDY, Treasurer GIL SCHUETTE, Assistant Treasurer LELA M. HOLLABAUGH, General Counsel JEREMY OLIVER, YLD President MIKE ABELOW, Immediate Past President LORA FOX, First Vice President-Elect MARLENE MOSES, Second Vice President-Elect

BAHAR AZHDARI CHRISTEN BLACKBURN JAZ BOON ERIN COLEMAN RAQUEL EVE OLUYEMO SAM FELKER MANDY FLOYD ELIZABETH FOY MARY TAYLOR GALLAGHER JEFF GIBSON PAZ HAYNES JOSEPH HUBBARD KIM LOONEY JUNAID ODUBEKO KAYA GRACE PORTER MARIE SCOTT TIM WARNOCK LUTHER WRIGHT

NBA TEAM

ABBY SPARKS, Executive Director CAMERON ADKINS, CLE Director ADRIENNE BENNETT CLUFF, Marketing & Communications Coordinator TRACI HOLLANDSWORTH, Programs & Events Coordinator SUSAN JENCZYK, Finance Coordinator VICKI SHOULDERS, Membership Coordinator, Office Manager

HAVE AN IDEA FOR AN ARTICLE?

We want to hear about the topics and issues you think should be covered in the journal. Send your ideas to Adrienne.BennettCluff@nashvillebar.org.

Nashville Bar Foundation Grant Applications

The Nashville Bar Foundation is now accepting grant applications for 2023. If you know of any 501(c)(3) organizations that may be eligible for a Foundation Grant, please spread the word. Grant eligibility and application guidelines can be found at NashvilleBar.org/NBFGrantGuidelines. The Foundation will allocate funding each budget year on the basis of written applications in a format prescribed by the Foundation. Grant applications can be found at NashvilleBar.org/NBFGrantApplication and are due in mid-January. Watch your NBA Weekly Update for further information. n

Didn’t Renew Your Dues?

Last chance to renew your dues! The 2022 NBA membership year has officially ended. To ensure uninterrupted member benefits, please renew online at NashvilleBar. org/Renew or contact Vicki.Shoulders@nashvillebar.org. Thank you for your continued support and membership— we appreciate you! n

2023 YLD Mock Trial

Join the YLD on Friday, February 24, and Saturday, February 25 at the Metro Courthouse for the 2023 YLD Mock Trial. Save the Date and watch for more details on how to volunteer! n

The 2023 David Rutherford Award

The Nashville Bar Foundation (NBF) is currently requesting nominations for the 2023 David Rutherford Award. This award will be given to a Fellow of the NBF who exemplifies the memory and ideals of David Rutherford, which include professionalism, charitable contributions in the legal field and in the community as a whole, and the spirit of collegiality among the bench and bar. The nomination form can be found at NashvilleBar.org/RutherfordAward. The deadline for nominations is Friday, December 9. n

Congratulations on your membership—thank you for joining the NBA! We look forward to serving you this year and appreciate your support. Visit NashvilleBar.org or contact Vicki.Shoulders@nashvillebar.org with questions or to learn more.

NEW MEMBERS (SEPTEMBER 1 - OCTOBER 31)

Allyson Agee-Jodway Craig Allison Olivia Al-Sadi Olivia Arboneaux Auva Attar Wesley Barbee Melanie Barksdale Katherine Barnes Lindsey Bars Christopher Biller Connor Blair Zach Boulden Reese Bourne Thomas Brothers Nickolas Bryant Stacia Burns Jay Campbell Gabriella Cannone Adriante Carter Ilse Chavez Evalina Cheadle Catherine Cocke Kenneth Conour Kenesia Cook Austin Correll Ruffin Craig Patrick Cumpton Taylor Dahl Wyatt Decker Gabriella Del Gandio James DeLanis Katherine Denney Halle Diaz John Dodd Zoe Doyle Christopher Dunbar Tony Duncan

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Jackie Sharp Deke Shearon David Shepherd John Sinclair Kathryn Skagerberg Matthew Smith James Sperring Joel Stampley Reagan Stanfill Talia Stein Katie Stenberg John Stevens Jordan Stringer Janet Summey Elena Surmen Thomas Swafford Jeffrey Usman Jessica Van Dyke Lida Vanorman Jacob Vanzin Kristen Walker Monte Watkins Connor Webber Robert Wells Amelia White Mark Wildasin Mattielyn Williams Stephanie Williams Luke Willoughby Thomas Wiseman Elizabeth Wolfe Emma Wolfe Andrew Wood Qianlu Ying Madison Young

Feature Story | Bill Ramsey & Phillip Hampton

Metaverse: Super Highway of the Future, or a High-Tech Dead End?

For those of you who have attended this year’s Bill & Phil Show (and I know there aren’t many of you), we have been speaking about the metaverse all year because the topic is so “trendy.” In fact, the theme of this year’s Bill & Phil presentation was entitled “Are You Ready for the Metaverse?” It has been a very fun topic for us, but we are not sure where this whole metaverse thing is going. We have been following the progress of the metaverse (or lack thereof) all year. At this point, we are still not sure what impact, if any, the metaverse will have on society in general, or, more specifically, on the practice of law... at least in the foreseeable future.

Consequently, we thought that, at this time, we should provide our view of the present and future impact of the metaverse on the practice of law. So here it is...

What Exactly is the Metaverse?

Wikipedia describes the term “metaverse” as follows: “In futurism and science fiction, the metaverse is a hypothetical iteration of the Internet as a single, universal and immersive virtual world that is facilitated by the use of virtual reality and augmented reality headsets. In colloquial use, a metaverse is a network of 3D virtual worlds focused on social connection.” (That is so simple and clear, isn’t it?) Wikipedia goes on to point out that the term actually originated in a 1992 science fiction novel written by Neal Stephenson entitled “Snow Crash.” Matthew Ball, a tech author and thought leader, has been a leading voice on the emergence of the metaverse and has written extensively on the subject on his eponymous website MatthewBall.vc and in a recently released book, “The Metaverse And How It Will Revolutionize Everything.”

Recent interest in metaverse development is influenced by a concept called “Web3,” which is supposed to become a decentralized iteration of the Internet. If you will remember, so far, we have had basically Internet version one (or Web1), which was nothing more than a development by ARPA (Advanced Research Projects Agency) of the Department of Defense in the 1960s. The technology continued to develop into the early 1980s. Then, in 1989, an English computer scientist, Tim Berners-Lee at CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research) developed a prototype of the World Wide Web, which was initially visioned as a document management system. Beginning in 1991, however, the technology was released outside of CERN, and it began to spread beginning late in 1991. In fact, the technology spread like wildfire and developed into what we now know as the World Wide Web and, really, what we know of today as the Internet. Today’s Web is referred to in a shorthand way as “Web2”, being distinguished by dynamic sites with user-created content, such as social media sites, video-sharing apps, etc. Many view the metaverse as the natural progression from Web1 to Web2 to Web3.

Nevertheless, the concept of Web3 or the metaverse still seems very vague and ill-defined. In its present incarnation, the Metaverse is primarily a space for online video games, entertainment, and marketing. Multiplayer online games such as “World of Warcraft,” “Minecraft,” “Fortnite,” and the game creation platform “Roblox” are the major players in the “metaverse” as it presently exists. In addition, superstars like Travis Scott,

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Original Thinking. Unique Protection.® Justin Bieber, and Ariana Grande have held virtual events on the metaverse with significant success. For example, Travis Scott’s appearance on Fortnite has been attended by nearly 28 million people. In fact, Nashville’s own Soccer Mommy has recently promoted her new album by hosting three days of events and a concert on Roblox. The Brooklyn Nets, an NBA team, has created the “Netaverse” that has provided a virtual broadcast of their games, so you could watch it as if you were at the court.

Of course, as most of you know, some of the biggest players in the tech world are becoming involved with the metaverse. The most extreme example is Facebook. Facebook has now changed its name to “Meta” (short for “Meta Platforms, Inc.”) with Mark Zuckerberg asserting that the metaverse is the future of technology and the future for his company. Unfortunately, it is not working out so well for Meta so far. Last year, Facebook had a market cap of over one trillion dollars, and now the company is worth $560 billion. Meta CEO Zuckerberg has warned that the technology necessary to enable the metaverse is still five to ten years away. Stockholders may not be that patient.

Microsoft is also dabbling in the metaverse. It acquired Activision Blizzard, which has technology that is the cutting-edge development platform for interactive and entertainment products that are the foundation of the metaverse. Microsoft paid $70 billion for the company earlier this year, not a small purchase. Apple is also dipping its toe into the metaverse, but in typical Apple fashion, it is being much more cautious and deliberate in its involvement. Apple is rumored to be developing its own proprietary set of goggles or glasses that can be used to interact in the 3D world of the metaverse. It remains to be seen how far Apple will venture into this wild, wild virtual wilderness.

Suffice it to say, the metaverse is still being built and will remain “under construction” for some time in the future. Currently there are several “worlds” in the metaverse such as Otherside, Decentraland, the Sandbox, and so on. To date, $1.9 billion worth of “land” has been sold in the metaverse (and remember, this is all “virtual real estate”). There are night clubs, mini-golf facilities, shopping malls, poker lounges, and even a Sotheby’s Auction House. Other businesses include: Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, IBM, Chase Manhattan Bank, Adidas, Nike, and the list goes on and on.

Clearly, there is a lot of money and capital being poured into the metaverse; but what effect will all this “virtual development” have on the practice of law?

Present and Future Impact of the Metaverse on the Practice of Law

As might be expected, in an effort not to be outdone, many large law firms (and some smaller ones) are buying “office space” in the metaverse. ArentFox Schiff is in the metaverse as are the DLA Piper Global Law Firm, Kirkland & Ellis, and several others. Morgan & Morgan even has a television spot seeking clients who have been injured in the metaverse.

Many legal pundits assert that law firms should be investing in the metaverse. Some argue that by having an office in the metaverse, lawyers will have a chance to increase their exposure to potential clients and reach them in new ways. They will have an advan-

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