In a message sent to Tennessee Bar Association members today, TBA President Sarah Sheppeard provided details on the closure of the association offices at 221 Fourth Ave. N. in Nashville and plans for TBA staff to work remotely. The office will close tomorrow and remain closed through March 31. President Sheppeard’s message also provided updates on recent cancelations of TBA events and programs. Read her letter here. Visit the TBA's Pandemic Resource Center to keep track of other legal community closings.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) is moving its West Tennessee crime lab from Memphis to Jackson, where a new $25 million facility is set to open in June 2021. Construction of the new crime lab has been in the works since 2015, the Daily Memphian reports. Some have questioned the impact of the move on Memphis, but TBI Director David Rausch says the move made sense so the lab is more central to all partners in the west and processing of evidence from Memphis will not be affected. The Memphis TBI office will remain open and law enforcement can drop off evidence there if they do not want to drive to Jackson.

Gov. Bill Lee, state House Speaker Cameron Sexton and state Senate Speaker Randy McNally announced an “unprecedented” plan Monday to expedite the legislature’s business as the new coronavirus continues to spread. The legislature will pass a budget as quickly as possible, likely by Wednesday, and then recess, the Nashville Post reports. The move comes after Gov. Bill Lee closed the state Capitol to visitors and Sexton and McNally closed legislative offices to everyone but members, media and staff. Those actions were raising concerns from open government groups, the Tennessean reports.

The TBA today canceled the 2020 Leadership Conference that was scheduled to take place in Nashville on April 3-4. After monitoring recent developments related to COVID-19 from local, state and federal agencies, TBA leaders concluded that the safety of members and guests required cancellation of the conference. The Board of Governors and House of Delegates meetings will take place remotely via Zoom at their scheduled times. All other committee or section meetings will take place remotely and logistics will be confirmed by the appropriate TBA staff coordinator responsible for those meetings. The decision is disappointing; however, the TBA will provide additional information and training relevant to the conference electronically. Please follow TBA’s coverage of updates related to COVID-19 and its effect on our legal system through TBA’s Coronavirus Information Center. The most recent updates about specific TBA events are available here. 

Legal organizations across the state continue to evaluate whether to move forward with operations as well as with events scheduled to take place in the coming weeks. The TBA’s Pandemic Resource Center has updates today about the Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims, Davidson County courts, federal district courts, Lawyers' Association for Women Marion Griffin Chapter, Legal Aid clinics, Shelby County criminal courts, the Tennessee state capitol, U.S. Patent & Trademark Office and the U.S. Supreme Court. Updates about TBA events are available here.

The Tennessee Supreme Court suspended 19 attorneys last week for failure to pay the annual registration fee and/or file proof that client funds are being held in an IOLTA-compliant account. See the list of all lawyers suspended for fee and IOLTA violations in 2020 or access all administrative suspensions. View the fee suspension order or the IOLTA suspension order.

For a quick and easy way to meet your CLE requirements, visit cle.tba.org for a variety of online videos, webcasts and online packages by practice area. These products are viewable on your laptop or mobile device and from the comfort of your home or office. Both general and ethics hours are available and new content is available weekly! Visit our online catalog for more information.

The Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee & the Cumberlands held its annual Breakfast of Champions fundraising event at City Winery in downtown Nashville last week. Former Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans player Michael Oher, who inspired the book “The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game” spoke at the gathering, as did a number of legal aid clients. Proceeds from breakfast go to the 2020 Campaign for Equal Justice, which has a goal of $830,000. See photos from the event on Nashvillepost.com.

Tennessee lawyers who still need CLE hours for 2019 may earn all or any portion of those hours through approved distance learning courses completed through March 31 following the issuance of a Supreme Court order today that temporary suspends Rule 21, sections 3.01(c) and 4.02(c). The order was issued in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and follows the Supreme Court's declaration of a state of emergency for the Judicial Branch. Read the order.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed the Trump administration to continue enforcing a policy that requires asylum-seekers to remain in Mexico while their claims are heard, the Hill reports. The justices allowed the administration to enforce the policy while it appeals a lower court ruling that found it to be illegal. Justice Sonia Sotomayor was the only justice to publicly dissent from the decision.