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.

Legal Aid of East Tennessee (LAET) has launched a new portal for lawyers to customize how they sign up to provide pro bono assistance to clients. The tool, Pro Bono Matters, allows attorneys to review brief synopses of cases and then express interest in handling specific civil legal issues. Questions and any requests for a demonstration on Pro Bono Matters should be directed to the pro bono coordinator in your area. In Chattanooga, contact Robyne Lopez, 423-402-4763. In Johnson City, contact Christy Harris, 423-794-2487. And in Knoxville, contact Kathryn Ellis, 865- 251-4951.

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands will hold four legal clinics by phone this week. General legal clinics will be held on Tuesday from 4:30-6:30 p.m.; on Thursday from 3-4 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. Also on Wednesday, the group will broadcast the next installment of its Facebook Live Show answering questions about how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting particular areas of law. Join Mary Gillum at noon CDT that day to learn more about tax issues and IRS stimulus payments.

The Tennessee Department of Health is providing the names and addresses of residents who test positive for COVID-19 to sheriffs and chiefs of police across the state on a daily basis, the Times Free Press reports. The information is being shared with jurisdictions that have entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Health Department. The paper reports that 32 county sheriff's offices and 35 police departments have entered into such agreements. The ACLU of Tennessee criticized the policy saying even in “extraordinary circumstances” privacy rights should be protected.

The Supreme Court Special Workers’ Compensation Appeals Panel has reinstated a case that Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims Judge Lisa Lowe allowed to proceed but was reversed by the Appeals Board. Lowe had rejected the employer’s motion for summary judgement on the basis that no court had yet addressed the merits of the claim. The Appeals Board argued that extensive discovery and hearings on the matter took place in Georgia. However, the Supreme Court panel found that no remedies were available in Georgia because the Georgia Board dismissed the case for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. Therefore, the Tennessee claim is not barred by the election of remedies doctrine, the panel concluded.

Lawyer Well-Being Week comes to a close today, but the TBA’s Lawyer Well-Being Resources page will remain live. There you’ll find access to the 1-Click CLE Wellness Package, which covers important health and wellness topics like mindfulness, work life balance, ethics of healthy lawyering and more. You will also find links to the TBA’s wellness-centered podcast, HealthyBar, featuring episodes on the importance of yoga, good sleeping habits and the new two-part series titled Path to Lawyer Well-Being. The page also provides links to other helpful resources, including the Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program (TLAP), which offers numerous services addressing depression and suicide, substance abuse, stress and burnout, anxiety and much more.    

The TBA Real Estate Law Section will present a live webcast next week to review advancements in the industry regarding e-notarization, e-closings and remote witnessing. The session will be held May 15 at 10:30 a.m. CDT. It will cover 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. Please note that registration will close at 4 p.m. CDT on May 14.

The national law firm of Hagens Berman has filed a class action lawsuit against Vanderbilt University arguing that it violated state laws in refusing to reimburse students for room and board, tuition and other costs for the spring 2020 semester after it closed residence halls and halted in-person classes in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The suit, being brought on behalf of a freshman student known as “John Doe,” is proposing that all students enrolled at the school for the spring term who paid tuition, fees and/or room and board in whole or in part be part of the class. The Tennessee Ledger has more on the story.

Tennessee COVID-19 Unified Command Director Stuart McWhorter will leave Gov. Bill Lee’s administration at the end of May, the Nashville Business Journal reports. A Nashville entrepreneur, McWhorter will return to the private sector and a senior advisory role at Clemson University. He has led the joint pandemic effort between the Emergency Management Agency, Department of Health and Department of Military since it was formed in March. Prior to that he led the state Department of Finance and Administration. He is also the former chairman of Clayton Associates and former CEO of Nashville Entrepreneur Center.

Eligible Tennesseans can now request a ballot to vote absentee by mail for the Aug. 6 state and federal primary and county general elections, the Secretary of State's office announced today. Those eligible for absentee voting include voters 60 years or older; active jurors; poll officials; those who will be outside their county or outside the country during early voting and on Election Day; full time students living outside their county of registration; and those who are hospitalized, ill or physically disabled and their caretakers. Ballots should be requested from a local election commission. Get more details in this release.