We have all entered a time of the unknown with the current COVID-19 crisis. As businesses and families face the challenges of how to manage with social distancing and quarantines, so too has the legal profession. Courts in Tennessee have suspended in-person hearings through April 30, which has left many people wondering about current cases as well as how to go about starting any new proceeding. For now, Courts are still open and operational – just in a different way. New petitions can still be filed – such as those for divorce, or probate, or a conservatorship/guardianship. The Courts have modified the requirements for filing, such as allowing certain documents that typically must be notarized to now be submitted with a signature under penalty of perjury. Additionally, some Judges are holding phone conferences rather than in-person hearings or reviewing all the filed documents and making decisions based on the filings. Much of the work required in a legal matter can be handled by phone, email, fax and other electronic means, as well as good-old-fashioned snail mail. New information is coming out from the Courts daily as they work to address the needs of all those involved in legal matters.
