The good news is that the clouds of the pandemic that have interfered with our lives since March 2000 are lifting.  The bad news is that they have not lifted enough to enable Nashville School of Law to hold our Annual Recognition Dinner this year. Current health and safety concerns outweigh our growing, collective desire to see each other in person again. 

Law school is a game of endurance. Survive four years of classes, reading, case briefs, study groups, and tests and you are rewarded with a law degree. For the Nashville School of Law class of 2021, life threw in a global pandemic to keep things even more interesting.

So, it is easy to see why there was a special measure of joy in the room as the class of 2021 crossed the stage and received their diplomas in front of a ballroom full of socially distanced friends and family, the first such gathering the School has had in two years.

Beginning June 1, Nashville School of Law will relax many of the protocols put in place to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 on campus. Our efforts this past year have been successful, with no known transmission of the virus on campus. Thank you to our NSL community for your work to keep everyone safe. 

The modifications effective June 1 are:

• Masks are optional for fully vaccinated individuals.
• Campus will be open for all visitors to the library.
• The School will discontinue temperature and pulse ox checks, but asks that visitors do not enter campus if they are not feeling well, or have been exposed to COVID-19 in the past 10 days and are not vaccinated.
• Study rooms in the library will be open on a first-come, first-served basis.

Measures still in place at this time:

• Eating on campus is limited to the outside courtyard and will not be permitted inside the building for all individuals.
• Social distancing will remain in effect in classrooms for summer courses.

As the seasons progress, vaccination rates improve, and the spread of the disease weakens, the School expects to continue loosening restrictions in accordance with health care guidance.

The School strongly recommends vaccinations and believes it is in everyone’s best interest for individual safety and the safety of others to be vaccinated. The School does not have plans to require vaccinations for students, faculty, staff, or visitors. Students should note that violations of the mask requirements for unvaccinated individuals will fall under the provisions of the Honor Code.

Judge Todd Campbell, who taught a Federal Courts class at Nashville School of Law from 2006 to 2015, died Sunday, April 11, 2021.

Judge Campbell served in the U.S District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee from 1995-2016. Dozens of Nashville School of Law students have benefitted from the Todd J. Campbell/Middle District Court scholarship, which is given each year to deserving students.

A Nashville native, Campbell was a graduate of McGavock High School, Vanderbilt, and earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law. He stepped down from the bench amid his battle with multiple system atrophy. in 2016.

The Tennessean has more details about his life and career.