Legal Aid of East Tennessee and the Kingsport Bar Association will host a free legal advice clinic by phone this month for members of the public who are dealing with issues such as bankruptcy, child custody and support, debt collection, employment and landlord/tenant issues. Those interested in receiving free one-time legal advice must register between April 21-28 by calling LAET at 423-794-2487. A volunteer attorney will then contact the registrant on April 29.

The Tennessee Bureau of Workers’ Compensation has extended the deadline for nominations for the Second Annual Sue Ann Head Award for Excellence in Workers’ Compensation. Nominations will now be accepted through May 29. More information, past winners and nomination forms are available here. Questions should be directed to Janie Dorris at Janie.L.Dorris@tn.gov.

The Utah Supreme Court yesterday issued an order adopting an emergency diploma privilege for recent law graduates who meet a lengthy list of criteria, making it the first state to allow this year’s graduates to skip the bar exam. To qualify, students must have graduated between May 2019 and June 2020 from a law school that had a first-time bar pass rate of 86% or higher in 2019. They may not have previously sat for the exam and must have registered for the July exam by April 1. Finally, they must complete 360 hours of legal work under the supervision of an experienced attorney licensed in the state. When all requirements are met, graduates will be fully admitted. Law schools and graduating students have been urging courts to provide relief, but the National Conference of Bar Examiners, which develops the test, says abandoning the exam puts the public at risk by opening the profession to unqualified lawyers, Law.com reports.

Tupelo, Mississippi, lawyer Lamar Bradley “Brad” Dillard died April 16 after battling cancer since September 2019. He was 50 years old. A 1995 graduate of the University of Mississippi Law School, Dillard was a partner at the law firm of Mitchell, McNutt & Sams for 25 years and was serving as president of the firm at the time of his passing. A private graveside service was held Monday. Memorials may be made to Tupelo Lee Humane Society, 2795 Cliff Gookin Blvd., Tupelo, MS 38801 or Belden Baptist Church, 4121 McCullough Blvd., Belden, MS 38826. Expressions of sympathy may be left at www.peguesfuneralhome.com.

The White House announced late today that President Donald Trump had signed an executive order temporarily halting the issuance of new green cards. The policy, as described, would stay in effect for 60 days and would not affect those seeking tourist, student or temporary work visas. The administration said it would "monitor the labor market to amend or extend the proclamation if needed."

The Tennessee Department of Children's Services is taking action after a juvenile in a Memphis treatment facility tested positive for COVID-19, Fox 17 News reports. The department is doing mass testing of all youth and staff at the Memphis Center for Independence one day after news of the positive test. The teen in question has been quarantined at the facility and will not return to the general program until a full recovery is documented. CSI is operated under contract by Youth Opportunity Investments. It houses 48 youth and employees 60 staff.

Three additional law firms with offices in Tennessee have announced changes in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Law.com reports. Dickinson Wright, with an office in Nashville, says it is implementing a 3% reduction in its workforce, canceling its summer associate program (but providing job offers to all) and deferring the fall class of associates to January 2021. FordHarrison, with offices in Memphis and Nashville, has canceled its summer associate program. Greenberg Traurig, with an office in Nashville, has canceled its summer associate program and may delay its fall associate class, though it is leaving that decision to individual offices. For 2Ls, the firm is extending a job offer and a $10,000 advance against first-year salaries. For 1Ls who have a summer associate offers for 2021, it will provide a $5,000 advance on that salary. Finally, individual offices can bring summer associates on as hourly interns to make up for the missed “real world” experience of a summer program. Finally, Ogletree Deakins, which previously announced cuts in hours and salaries and cancellation of its summer associate program, now says it also will reduce pay for equity partners by 20%, associates by 15% and highly compensated staff by 10% for the rest of the year.

A paper written by Vanderbilt Law School student Ramon Ryan has prompted Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Illinois, and Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii), to ask the U.S. Government Accountability Office to review the Federal Communication Commission’s longstanding policy of excluding private satellites from environmental review. In his paper, “The Fault in Our Stars: Challenging the FCC’s Treatment of Commercial Satellites as Categorically Excluded from Review under the National Environmental Policy Act,” Ryan identifies several issues with commercial satellites that he believes warrant an assessment under the National Environmental Policy Act. The paper will be published this summer in the Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment and Technology Law. Read more on Vanderbilt's website.  

The Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference is seeking applicants for the position of executive director, which is being made available due to the retirement of Jerry Estes. The new executive director will be selected by Tennessee’s 31 elected District Attorneys General for a term of four years, beginning July 1. Resumes and references will be accepted until May 15 and should be emailed to Carolyn Greer. Read more about the position on the TNDAGC website.

Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services staff attorney Kirsten Jacobson will “takeover” the American Bar Association’s Grassroots Action Center Twitter account tomorrow to talk about her experience with the public service student loan forgiveness program. The Twitter discussion is part of a three-day conference in Washington, D.C. in which bar leaders take to Capitol Hill to advocate for the legal profession and honor select ABA advocates and lawmakers for their commitment to “Justice for All.” The conference will be virtual this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Jacobson’s Twitter takeover will begin at 1:45 p.m. CDT.