In addition to all of the advice for how to remain physically healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health professionals are warning of the need to stay mentally healthy. According to the Centers for Disease Control, managing anxiety and stress at this time means we should do four things: (1) take breaks from watching, reading, or listening to news stories, including social media; (2) take care of our bodies by eating healthy, continuing to exercise and getting plenty of sleep; (3) make time to engage in enjoyable activities; and (4) connect with others. Talk with people you trust about your concerns and how you are feeling, and share these strategies with others. The TBA has additional resources for attorney well-being provided by the ABA Commission on Lawyers Assistance Programs posted on its Coronavirus Information Center or for download here.

U.S. News & World Report has released its law school rankings for 2020. Vanderbilt University Law School tops the list of Tennessee schools coming in at number 18. The University of Tennessee College of Law ranked 70th, Belmont University College of Law ranked 129th, and the University of Memphis School of Law ranked 141th. The Duncan School of Law at Lincoln Memorial University was not ranked and the Nashville School of Law was not on the list, which only ranks schools fully accredited by the American Bar Association. Read highlights from Above the Law. See all rankings.

With tax revenues expected to fall sharply in the months to come, Gov. Bill Lee has detailed a new spending plan that the legislature intends to take up and pass by the end of the week. Lee is abandoning much of the legislative priorities he detailed during his State of the State address last month as forecasters project lost revenue this fiscal year and next, the Nashville Post reports. The budget does, however, call for more resources to be dedicated to the state’s “rainy day” fund to help prepare for the future.

Attorneys for death row prisoner Oscar Smith have asked the Tennessee Supreme Court to delay his June 4 execution because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Nashville Scene reports. The motion cites extraordinary disruptions to society, the court system and the legal team’s work in asking that the court delay the date for six months. Smith was sentenced to death in Nashville for the 1989 murders of his estranged wife, Judy Smith, and her two sons. The request comes after the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals stayed an execution set for this week in light of the public health crisis.

There is a little less than two weeks left for voting in the 2020 Tennessee Bar Association election for the vice presidential office. Earlier this month, access to the electronic ballot box was sent to all TBA members from the email address vote@electionsonline.com. Please check spam filters if the ballot notification did not make it to your inbox. If you did not receive the message, please email elections@tnbar.org. Voting ends at the close of business on April 1.

Former TBA President and Hohenwald attorney William Landis Turner died yesterday following a brief illness. He was 79. From 1967 until his retirement in 2007, Turner practiced law with the Hohenwald firm founded by William C. Keaton. For 40 years, he also was city attorney for Hohenwald and county attorney for Lewis County. He also served as the attorney for South Central Tennessee Railroad Authority, the city of Lobelville and Lewis County School System. He held many positions with the TBA, including speaker of the House of Delegates and president in 1988-1989. In 2019, he was interviewed for the “Spark” article published in the January issue of the Tennessee Bar Journal. Turner earned his law degree from Vanderbilt University Law School. A private burial is planned with a memorial service to be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to the University of the South at Sewanee or St. Peter’s Church in Columbia.

Sessions from the TBA’s Ethics Road Show are now available online. Join Memphis lawyer Brian Faughnan with Lewis Thomason as he explores potential rules changes, that if enacted, would fundamentally reshape the landscape for legal services. He also discusses ethics rules that remain important whatever the future looks like. Check out Part 1 here and Part 2 here. Each session offers 1.5 hours of dual credit.

The Tennessee Supreme Court ruled today that Shelby County firefighter Paul Zachary Moss received sufficient notice of the reasons for his termination. After being arrested for aggravated assault, Moss entered an Alford guilty plea and was placed on judicial diversion. The fire department gave him written notice he was facing possible termination for violating department rules, reckless and irresponsible conduct, and untruthfulness during a meeting intended to provide Moss a chance to explain why he should not be terminated. The lower courts upheld the termination but the Court of Appeals found that Moss was not given adequate notice of the grounds for his termination. The Supreme Court reversed that finding and sent the case back to the appeals court to resolve remaining issues on appeal.

New updates from the legal community are posted online at the TBA’s Pandemic Resource Center. Updates added today include news from the Davidson County General Sessions Court, Executive Office for Immigration Review, Legal Aid of East Tennessee, Law School Admission Council, Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee & the Cumberlands, National Conference of Bar Examiners, Tennessee Workers' Compensation Appeals Board, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and West Tennessee Legal Services. The site also includes office management and well-being resources.

A special episode of Legislative Updates recorded today reviews how the legislature is responding to the COVID-19 virus in Tennessee. The TBA’s Berkley Schwarz and Adams and Reese attorney and TBA lobbyist Brad Lampley walk us through the budget lawmakers are looking to pass before an early adjournment. Catch the full episode on Facebook Live by liking the TBA’s Facebook page.