The TBA unveiled expanded pandemic resources today, with information for lawyers interested in how the COVID-19 virus is impacting the practice of law as well as specific practice areas. The online resource center also includes an ongoing list of closures and policy changes at courts and other legal organizations, health and wellness resources, and updates about TBA events. This information is being made available to the entire legal community. TBA membership is not required for access. If you have a resource you would like share please email the information to tbatoday@tnbar.org.

A group of 11 law professors and education policy experts have authored a new paper asking bar officials to offer alternatives to the licensing exam in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Law.com reports. The paper, titled “The Bar Exam and COVID-19: The Need for Immediate Action,” lays out six options for dealing with law students who are graduating this year, arguing the pandemic will make it impossible to administer the bar exam in the traditional manner this year. Those options include postponing the exam, administering it online, issuing emergency diploma privilege, adopting a supervised practice program and more. President of the National Conference of Bar Examiners Judith Gunderson has said the national conference is working with individual jurisdictions to find flexible ways of dealing with the July exam.

Practice management company Clio announced Monday it would commit $1 million to a disaster relief fund that will help the legal community recover from hurdles brought by the COVID- 19 pandemic. The disaster relief fund will help with financial aid for Clio licenses, financial support for law firms and organizations that need help moving to the cloud and educational resources and consulting expertise for firms. Clio co-founder and CEO Jack Newton talks to Bob Ambrogi on the legal podcast LawNext about the fund and how it will be used.

The Shelby County Commission on Monday agreed to buy the CoreCivic Shelby Training Center to use as a juvenile detention facility, the Daily Memphian reports. The county bought the space for $3.4 million and will invest another $12 million for renovations. The purchase resolves a potential problem of not meeting a December 2021 deadline to have juveniles whose cases have been transferred to adult court removed from adult detention facilities. The training facility was built for 200 individuals, but will be retrofitted to house about 146 juveniles.

The TBA’s Animal Law Forum 2020 has been rescheduled for Sept. 18 in response to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic. The program will still be held at the Nashville Zoo and will provide updates on trends and advancements in animal law. The zoo’s president and chief executive officer will be on hand to discuss conservation efforts, laws affecting procurement and care for zoo animals and more. Programming will run from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Nashville Zoo, 3777 Nolensville Pike. Zoo admission, breakfast and lunch are included with the program.

Two of the state House’s most conservative Republicans announced their retirements soon after the legislature passed a budget and left town last week, the Nashville Post reports. Rep. Martin Daniel, R-Knoxville, and Rep. Andy Holt, R-Dresden, both said they would not seek another term in 2020. Daniel was originally elected in 2014 and chairs the House Government Operations Committee. Holt was first elected to the House in 2010 and chaired the Finance Subcommittee during former Speaker Glen Casada's brief tenure. This year he is chairing the Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee. Attorney and Democrat Virginia Couch announced she would run for Daniel’s seat earlier this month. James Corcoran, an attorney who finished third in a crowded 2016 Republican primary against Daniel, has filed to seek the seat as well.

The Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program (TLAP) is open and ready to assist attorneys who may be facing extra stress and pressure because of the coronavirus outbreak and related closures. TLAP is a free, confidential assistance program providing consultation, referral, intervention and crisis counseling for lawyers, judges, bar applicants and law students who are struggling with substance abuse, stress or emotional health issues. Judges, attorneys and others in the legal profession may also refer colleagues to the program. “We at TLAP want to let you know that we are up and running during this difficult time of COVID-19 and understand the many complications that have arisen in the legal community,” said TLAP Commission Chair Judge Michael Spitzer. Read more from Judge Spitzer. Contact TLAP at 877- 424-8527 or 615-741-3238.

Courts around the country are halting jury trials and other proceedings due to COVID-19 concerns, which will create a backlog that could harm access to justice in already overburdened districts, Law360 reports. The article looks at several states as an example of the emerging national quandary that is pitting access to justice against public health concerns. Many of the states hardest hit by the new coronavirus — New York, Washington, California, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Florida — are also home to some of the most overburdened federal courts in the country, the article points out. Legal aid leaders say they hope attorneys will call on Congress to provide the funding and additional judges the federal courts will need.

The Mid-South Commercial Law Institute recently announced its 2020 officers and five new directors for its 25-member board. Officers are President Tracy M. Lujan, Vice President/President-elect Shanna Fuller Veach, Secretary Thomas Humphries, Treasurer Nick Foster, Assistant Treasurer Stephen D. Barham and Immediate Past President Gulam R. Zade. The following new officers will serve a five-year term: Cara J. Alday, David M. Anthony, Stephen D. Barham, Erika R. Barnes and Jerome C. Teel Jr. Read more in a press release from the group.

Pandemic news from legal organizations and other organizations that affect lawyers is posted online. Updates for today include items from Hamilton County Juvenile Court, Legal Aid for East Tennessee, Spring Hill Municipal Court, U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development, U.S. Supreme Court, and Williamson County Traffic Court. Check out the TBA’s new Pandemic Resource Center, with sections dedicated to cancellations, postponements and closures, changes in procedures, legal resources, general information, and updates about TBA events.