Editor’s Note: The State Bar of Texas is providing this collection of important links, blog posts, and media stories to keep its members and the public informed of the latest news and resources related to the novel coronavirus outbreak and its impact on the legal community.
Important links
State Bar of Texas Coronavirus Legal Resources Page — Texasbar.com/coronavirus
State Bar of Texas Coronavirus Public Resources Page — Texasbar.com/COVIDHelp
Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program Well-being Resources page — Texasbar.com/remote-well-being
Texas Supreme Court Justice Debra Lehrmann, husband test positive for coronavirus — The former Tarrant County jurist calls her COVID-19 infection ‘very perplexing,’ coming as it did after two months of being ‘extremely careful.’ — The Dallas Morning News
Federal judge denies motion to release former state District Judge Rudy Delgado from prison — He filed an emergency motion for compassionate release last month, when COVID-19 swept through the federal prison system. — KRGV – Rio Grande Valley
Texas legal aid providers offer free “Bankruptcy in a Box” online CLE — Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas, Lone Star Legal Aid, and Texas RioGrande Legal Aid are offering a free three-hour online CLE course designed to help attorneys learn about Chapter 7 bankruptcies while helping others. — Texas Bar Blog
Which law firms laid off lawyers and cut pay this past week? The announcements slow to a trickle — For weeks, larger law firms have been announcing layoffs, furloughs and pay cuts. — ABA Journal
End-of-life planning in the wake of a pandemic (audio) — Stephanie Townsend Allala, an elder law attorney, tells us what kind of conversations we need to have with our loved ones before our inevitable exit. — Texas Public Radio
Navigating a new era of virtual events during the COVID-19 pandemic — The pivot to virtual meetings gives you another set of problems to solve and new ways to engage your audience. — ABA Journal
Judges get creative as patent jury trials resume next month — Plexiglass, larger deliberation rooms and physically distant seating are some of the safety solutions coming online in the heavy patent dockets of Texas. (Subscription required) — Texas Lawyer
Covid-19 cases concerning prisoners’ rights hit the Supreme Court — The Supreme Court will see an increasing number of pandemic-related disputes in the coming weeks on whether prisons are violating the constitutional rights of inmates by failing to adequately protect them against the coronavirus. — CNN
New lawsuit seeks release of medically vulnerable Dallas County Jail inmates amid COVID-19 threat — Dallas faith leaders and civil rights icon the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. called for the release of about 1,800 who have medical issues. — The Dallas Morning News
Gov. Greg Abbott lifts coronavirus restrictions for travelers from New York, Georgia and other hot spots — Travelers coming to Texas from select major states and cities previously had to undergo a mandatory 14-day self-quarantine. — The Texas Tribune
Texas Supreme Court allows evictions to resume this week, but many renters are still protected — Marissa Latta, an attorney at Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, said based on court records available online, they haven’t seen a rush of filings. — KXAN – Austin
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