Tennessee law schools have held virtual celebrations over the last few weeks for their graduating 3Ls. Belmont University honored its graduates on May 2 via a special online celebration that also included granting of scholarships and awards. Lincoln Memorial University conferred degrees on May 7 in an online ceremony but is allowing graduates to participate in a future in-person ceremony for the next two years. The University of Memphis School of Law held a virtual commencement on May 9. The school also has set up a Law Student Emergency Fund to help students who are struggling due to the pandemic. At the University of Tennessee College of Law, a virtual celebration took place May 7-9. By contrast, the Nashville School of Law has postponed its 2020 graduation ceremony until Aug. 29 while Vanderbilt University has postponed commencement for 2020 graduates to May 2021.

The National LGBT Bar Association has released results from its 2020 Annual Law School Campus Climate Survey. The survey asked law schools 28 questions from eight different categories relevant to LGBTQ+ students, faculty and staff. Subjects ranged from employee and student benefits to self-identification issues. Read the Executive Summary. The group also released a campus climate toolkit designed to provide strategies for law schools to support LGBTQ+ community members and has information on what each ABA-accredited law school is doing in this regard.

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands will hold three legal clinics by phone this week. General legal clinics will be held Tuesday from 3 - 4:30 p.m. and on Saturday from 8:30 - 11 a.m. Then on Wednesday, LAS will hold a clinic specifically for veterans from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Those needing assistance can call 800-238-1443 during any of these times.

Littler Mendelson, with offices in Memphis and Nashville, is in the process of implementing salary reductions, Law.com reports. Equity shareholders will take a 20% cut to compensation, while salaries for nonequity shareholders and staff making more than $300,000 will be cut by 15%. In June, the firm will reduce pay for other lawyers and staff. Cuts will range from 4% for those making $50,000 or less, to 13% for those making over $200,000 up to $300,000. While Littler is not laying off or furloughing any employees, it will cut pay by 50% on June 5 for staff who are unable to work remotely.

The 2020 TBA Annual Convention, originally scheduled to take place in-person in Knoxville, is being converted to an all virtual, FREE event for members of the TBA. The conference will take place entirely online during the week of June 15. Executive Director Joycelyn Stevenson released a message to members earlier today about the new event. Highlights of the conference include roundtable discussions on issues affecting law firm managing shareholders, in-house counsel and diversity and inclusion in the practice of law, as well as a legislative update from members of the Tennessee General Assembly, law school alumni mixers, and a program celebrating the ratification of the 19th Amendment featuring Elaine Weiss. Members can earn up to eight hours of CLE credit at no cost. The annual Lawyers Luncheon, featuring the passing of the gavel from President Sarah Sheppeard to Michelle Greenway Sellers, will be accessible to registrants and also live streamed on Facebook and YouTube. Register now or learn more about what is to come.

In an open letter to students and legal community this week, Nashville School of Law President and Dean William C. Koch Jr. announced that NSL has canceled its Annual Recognition Dinner scheduled for June 5. “Even though all of us look forward to this event every year, the paramount consideration is our collective health and safety,” Koch wrote. The school released a video with footage from past dinners and announced the 2021 event will take place June 11. The 2021 event will be “a grand celebration” of the school’s 110th Anniversary.

Gov. Bill Lee announced today that starting next week, restaurants and retail stores throughout the majority of the state will no longer need to limit capacity. In addition, he announced that large attractions such as  amusement parks, theaters, museums and auditoriums will be allowed to reopen starting May 22, provided they practice appropriate social distancing. For social gatherings, however, the limit on 10 or more people will remain in place, the Tennessean reports. These changes will affect 89 counties with the remainder — Davidson, Hamilton, Knox, Madison, Shelby and Sullivan — following their own reopening plans.

As courts begin resuming in-person operations, open government experts are raising concerns about the transparency of proceedings, WJHL reports. Many of the courts that have begun opening for in-person proceedings have procedures in place to protect public health and safety including limiting access to their buildings and courtrooms. Tennessee Coalition for Open Government Director Deborah Fisher says that most courts are not providing guidance for public or media access. Of the 26 reopening plans she reviewed, only seven included provisions for public access. Fisher said courts could maintain transparency by offering live streams or videos of proceedings while continuing to abide by social distancing and limits on large groups. A related story from WBIR notes that some journalists have appealed directly for help to the Administrative Office of the Courts.

The Hamilton County Health Department has ended its agreement with the local 911 center to share COVID-19 patient information, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reports. The move comes as criticisms grow about the practice of sharing personal health information with law enforcement and first responders. Since April, the health department had been sharing "limited data" about patients who tested positive for the virus with 911 dispatchers.

Did you miss today’s live webcast on Real Estate Law-eClosings and Remote Witnessing? The one-hour program is now available to watch on demand. The session reviews advancements in the industry regarding e-notarization, e-closings and remote witnessing, as well as the history of e-signing in the state, the RON statute, how to become a RON notary, how to select a platform or vendor, and the governor’s recent executive order allowing remote signing and witnessing in certain matters.