Since severe storms and flooding struck Nashville in March, members of Nashville Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) have been focused on assisting survivors. The group’s next recovery outreach event is planned for Thursday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. CDT at Plaza Mariachi, 3955 Nolensville Pike, Nashville 37211. Food boxes, stress kits and hygiene kits will be available. Experts also will be on hand to discuss mold exposure, long-term recovery and trauma care. Legal advice on predatory landlords, contractor fraud and renters rights also will be available. Volunteers can sign up here to help. For more information call 615-270-9244, email erika@hon.org or visit nashvilleresponds.com.

The Legal Aid Society will hold two in-person legal advice clinics next week for those with questions about housing and renters’ rights, bankruptcy, medical bills, debt collection, domestic violence, and SNAP and unemployment benefits. The clinics will take place in Nashville on Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. CDT at Operation Stand Down, 1125 12th Ave. S., and on Saturday from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. CDT at the Belmont Ministry Center, 2005 12th Ave. S. To volunteer, contact Andrae Crismon or Kendra Cheek or call 615-780-7131.

West Tennessee Legal Services (WTLS) will host a bankruptcy and debt relief advice clinic on July 28 from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. The event will be held at the WTLS office at 210 W Main St, Jackson, TN, 38301. A virtual option will be available for attorneys. To volunteer for the clinic, contact Andy Cole.  

The Arts & Business Council's Volunteer Lawyers and Professionals for the Arts and the law firm of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings will provide free legal services for Black-owned small businesses and nonprofits at a virtual clinic this Friday. Eligible businesses may receive up to one hour of pro bono legal assistance. Appointments are first come, first serve. Companies may sign up online. For more information email vlpa@abcnashville.org.

A news item in Friday's issue of TBA Today had the incorrect location for the Knoxville veterans’ legal advice clinic on Wednesday. The event will be held at the Knox County Public Defender’s Community Law Office, 1101 Liberty St., from noon to 2 p.m. EDT. Those seeking advice should pre-register at 865-637-0484. Lawyers who would like to volunteer can sign up online. To learn more, download a flyer or sign up for an "Understanding VA Benefits" webinar tomorrow at 10 a.m. EDT.

Knoxville area legal organizations will hold an in-person veterans’ legal advice clinic on July 14 from noon to 2 p.m. EDT at the Knox County Public Defender’s Community Law Office, 1101 Liberty St. Those seeking advice should preregister at 865-637-0484. Lawyers who would like to volunteer can sign up online. Legal advice is provided on issues such as family law, landlord/tenant, bankruptcy, criminal defense, consumer protection, contract disputes, child support and personal injury. To learn more download a flyer or sign up for an "Understanding VA Benefits" webinar on July 13 at 10 a.m. EDT.

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee & the Cumberlands will host two upcoming in-person legal advice clinics and one phone clinic for members of the public with questions about housing and renters’ rights, bankruptcy, medical bills, debt collection, domestic violence, SNAP benefits and unemployment benefits. The in-person clinics will take place Saturday from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the McHugh Clinic, 2005 12th Ave. S. in Nashville, and on Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. CDT at Operation Stand Down Nashville, 1125 12th Ave. S. The phone clinic will be held Tuesday from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. CDT. To volunteer, contact Andrae Crismon or Kendra Cheek or call 615-780-7131.

ABA Free Legal Answers (FLA), the online virtual legal clinic that helps qualifying users get civil legal advice from volunteer attorneys, continues to grow, with 40 jurisdictions and over 9,500 pro bono attorneys participating. Last month, ABA President Patricia Lee Refo announced a 2021 ABA FLA Summer Associate Challenge to recognize law firms that answer FLA questions with the assistance of summer associates. The firms reporting the top participation by July 30 will be highlighted prior to the ABA Annual Meeting. More information is available in the most recent FLA report. Sponsored by the American Bar Association's Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service, FLA was established a decade ago as a joint project of the TBA, Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services and Baker Donelson. Since launch, FLA volunteers have answered over 168,000 submitted legal questions.

The ABA Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service announced the focus for October's National Celebration of Pro Bono will be "Moving Forward in a Post-Pandemic World." The 2021 event will center on the legal needs of vulnerable communities resulting from the pandemic as well as recognizing the efforts of pro bono attorneys during the pandemic. Celebrate Pro Bono is an opportunity to connect pro bono providers and attorneys across the nation and to highlight some of the most common legal issues impacting communities, including evictions, housing injustice, racial disparities, and challenges to accessing legal service. The TBA will work with our state's legal service providers and others in the access to justice community to support and promote pro bono and celebratory events throughout the month of October. 

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee & the Cumberlands will host three in-person legal advice clinics and one phone clinic next week for members of the public with questions about housing and renters’ rights, bankruptcy, medical bills, debt collection, domestic violence, SNAP benefits and unemployment benefits. The in-person clinics will take place Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Thursday from 3 to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. CDT. The phone clinic will be held Wednesday from 4:30 to 6 p.m. CDT. To volunteer, contact Andrae Crismon or Kendra Cheek or call 615-780-7131.