The Tennessee Supreme Court entered an order yesterday that reduces the seating of the July 2020 bar exam that is scheduled for July 28 and July 29. The court also approved a policy that establishes protocol for seating applicants. The policy gives priority seating at the July exam to 2019 or 2020 graduates of Tennessee law schools who are taking the exam for the first time. If seats remain, additional levels of seating priorities have been established. Those who cannot be seated at the July exam will be seated at the October exam, scheduled for Sept. 30 and Oct. 1. Additionally, applicants who will be seated at the October exam have the opportunity to transfer their application to the February 2021 exam without additional fees. The Administrative Office of the Courts has the full story.

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands will hold free legal clinics over the phone this week on Thursday and Saturday. Local attorneys will offer advice on questions about housing and renters’ rights, bankruptcy, medical bills, debt collection, domestic violence, applying for SNAP benefits and applying for unemployment benefits. Thursday’s clinic will take place from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. CDT and the Saturday clinic will run from 8:30 a.m. until 11 a.m. CDT. For more information, please contact Andrae Crismon or Kendra Cheek or call 615-780-7131.

The TBA will host a free roundtable discussion Wednesday (today) at 1 p.m. CDT that will cover the dramatic changes to policy and operations of the courts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Join Appellate Practice Section past chair and American Academy of Appellate Lawyers member Buck Lewis, Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Sharon G. Lee and Clerk of the Appellate Courts Jim Hivner as they discuss remote arguments, the recent oral argument white paper from the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers and Justice Lee’s views on both. This event is free and open to all TBA members, but registration is required. Log in information will be provided following registration.

The Tennessee Bar Association offers express renewal for 2020-2021. You can quickly renew your membership and update your profile through your MyTBA dashboard.

Republican and Democrat state legislators increasingly are raising concerns about the Lee Administration’s practice of sharing names and addresses of COVID-19-positive people with law enforcement, the Tennessean reports. At the direction of the governor, the Tennessee Department of Health is providing law enforcement a daily list of names and addresses of individuals who have tested positive for the coronavirus. Those individuals are not informed that their information is being shared with police, the paper reports. A number of Republicans and Democrats alike agree the practice raises serious concerns about liberty and privacy and should be reconsidered, if not immediately suspended. Those calling for an end to the practice include the Tennessee Caucus of Black State Legislators and conservative Republican lawmaker Scott Cepicky of Maury County.

The global pandemic is impacting every sector of the economy and the legal industry is no exception. In response to interest in more information about how COVID-19 is affecting the legal profession, Above the Law has launched a new podcast. The first episode features an update on financial austerity measures being implemented by law firms and a conversation with Kristin Tyler, co-founder of LAWCLERK. She talks about the state of freelance lawyering and how the freelance world could experience a boom as a result of the crisis.

Metro Nashville Police are investigating how a toy practice target came to be set up in the front yard of Keith Caldwell, president of the Nashville NAACP, WPLN reports. The department has elevated the case to a potential act of intimidation. Caldwell says he considers the bullseye a threat and fears for the safety of his children though he said he would not speculate on the motive until the police complete their investigation. Caldwell lives in the heart of the city’s historically black neighborhoods around Jefferson Street.

Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander is in self-quarantine after one of his staff members tested positive for the coronavirus, WPLN reports. Alexander will stay at his Tennessee home and will not return to Washington, D.C., for at least 14 days. He will run a Senate Health and Education Committee hearing remotely on Tuesday to review the pandemic response.

Former state representative Arnold A. Stulce died last Thursday in Soddy-Daisy. Stulce served as a bomber pilot in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. After the war he attended North Carolina State University and began a 40-year career at DuPont in Chattanooga. He served on the Soddy-Daisy City Commission as well as the Hamilton County School Board. Stulce also served four terms in the Tennessee General Assembly as representative for District 31. No funeral or memorial services will be held at this time. Private interment will be at the Chattanooga National Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the Billy Stulce Memorial Scholarship Fund at Soddy-Daisy High School, 618 Sequoyah Rd., Soddy Daisy, TN 37379, or the Soddy-Daisy First Baptist Church Food Bank, P.O. Box 1357, Soddy Daisy, TN 37384.

The Tennessee Supreme Court transferred the law license of Shelby County lawyer Elizabeth Margaret Cummings to disability inactive status on May 7. The court said it reviewed documentation from Cummings and her medical provider and concluded she currently is incapacitated from continuing the practice of law.