Chattanooga law firm Summers, Rufolo and Rodgers PC has made a $5 million gift to the University of Tennessee College of Law. According to the College of Law’s website, the gift will support the Center for Advocacy and Dispute Resolution, the Legal Clinic, the Douglas Blaze Professorship and scholarships for students interested in pursuing legal careers in advocacy. The firm previously gifted the law school $900,000 in February. Summers, Rufolo and Rodgers member Jeffrey Rufolo said supporting the law school “is paramount to the long-term success of and sustainability for the legal profession in the State of Tennessee." A classroom and a moot court team at the law school will be named after the firm.

Nashville Mayor John Cooper today signed an executive order requiring face masks indoors at all city buildings, effective tomorrow, the Tennessean reports. The order comes after a new wave of COVID-19 infections tied to the more contagious Delta variant. Shelby County, Hamilton County and the City of Knoxville have all previously enacted mask mandates for city buildings as well. Metro’s mandate applies to all Metro employees and members of the public, and it will be re-evaluated on an ongoing basis.

Former Gov. Bill Haslam has announced he will serve as treasurer of the Yes on 1 Committee, a campaign promoting the right to work amendment that will appear on the November 2022 ballot, the Associated Press reports. The amendment would place the state law that prohibits a company and a union from requiring workers to pay union dues or fees into the state Constitution. The law was enacted in 1947, but Republican lawmakers have completed the lengthy process to place it on the ballot as a constitutional amendment. The Yes on 1 Committee says the law would be harder to repeal if it were a constitutional amendment, but opponents say the measure discourages workers from joining unions in a state where unions already have very little foothold. 

The University of Tennessee has resumed its search for dean of the College of Law. Interim Dean Doug Blaze will leave the position on June 30, 2022. The law school invites experienced and energetic leaders to apply for the role, which is responsible for setting overall academic and strategic priorities for UT Law, allocating resources to move those priorities forward and developing a collaborative community committed to student success. Priority consideration will be given to materials received by Sept. 10. Contact executive recruiter Brooke M. Swart for confidential inquiries and nominations. Read more on the position and how to apply.

A new report shows how many floor votes were missed by members of the Tennessee General Assembly during the last legislative session, the Tennessee Journal reports. According to the scorecard assembled by the Club for Growth Foundation, the average representative missed 8% of the vote, while the average senator missed 6%. Sen. Katrina Robinson, D-Memphis, who is set to stand trial in September on charges of fraud and money laundering, missed 40% of the Senate votes, the most among her colleagues. Rep. David Byrd, R-Waynesboro, missed 100% of the votes due to being hospitalized after contracting the COVID-19 virus. Months after voting for a resolution saying the news media had "sensationalized the reporting on COVID-19 in the service of political agendas,” Byrd spent 55 days on a ventilator, received a liver transplant and spent a total of eight months in the hospital and rehab. The Tennessean reports that Byrd is now back home and encouraging people to consider getting vaccinated.

Tennessee veterans are underrepresented in the Veterans Affairs’ Department (VA) claims and appeals process, but a new three-hour CLE set for Aug. 12 is designed to encourage VA accreditation. The live virtual program will cover representation before the VA, claims procedures, benefits eligibility, right to appeal, disability compensation, dependency, indemnity compensation and pension benefits. Speakers include James R. Drysdale with the VA Office of General Counsel in Washington, D.C.

The Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) is now accepting applications for a three-judge panel law fellow. This position will work directly with the judges appointed to the panels to assist in the creation, development and implementation of process and procedure. Work will involve professional legal services including research, analysis, and opinion drafting as well as research of a variety of legal issues, recommendations as to the case management and organization and development of additional procedures for the panel system as needed. Read more about the position and how to apply on the TBA’s JobLink page.

The Justice Department is moving forward with plans for a second trial of former University of Tennessee professor Dr. Anming Hu, the Knoxville News Sentinel reports. Hu, a nanotechnology expert, was accused of being a spy for the Chinese military and was charged with fraud by the Justice Department under the Trump administration. A deadlocked jury failed to convict the former professor during June trial. Assistant U.S. Attorney Casey Arrowood has filed a one-page notice in U.S. District Court in Knoxville, signaling that the Justice Department intends to try again. 

Thirteenth Judicial District Public Defender Craig Fickling last week was honored for his recent term as president of the Tennessee District Public Defenders Conference, the Crossville Chronicle reports. Members of Fickling’s staff and state Sen. Paul Bailey, R-Sparta, gathered to present the chief district public defender with a framed joint resolution recognizing his leadership. “Mr. Fickling epitomizes the spirit and commitment that are characteristic of a true Tennessean,” the resolution reads, in part. “We find it appropriate to acknowledge and applaud Mr. Fickling on his dedication to serving the people of the state.” Fickling is also an active member of the 13th Judicial District Recovery and Veterans courts, working cooperatively with judges and prosecutors in assisting those recovering from drug and alcohol addiction.

Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, last night said he will ask Gov. Bill Lee for a special legislative session if school districts mandate masks or close due to the recent spread of the COVID-19 virus, the Tennessean reports. Sexton has previously disapproved of school vouchers, but said in a news conference that if schools were to shut down, he would “ask the governor for legislation to allow those parents in those school districts to take their children and take their money and with school choice go wherever they need to go."