The Rutherford-Cannon County Bar Association hosts a free legal clinic Thursday from 4 to 6 p.m. at Greenhouse Ministries, 309 South Spring Street, Murfreesboro. Contact Andrae Crismon at (615) 890-0905 or acrismon@las.org for more information.

An education and outreach program will be offered for seniors at noon Thursday in Gruetli-Laager. The event is sponsored by the Legal Aid Society of East Tennessee. For details, contact Charlie McDaniel at (423) 756-4013 x 1113 or cmcdaniel@laet.org. The program is one of more than 40 events planned across the state this month.

Join former football coach Bill Courtney for breakfast tomorrow beginning at 8 a.m. and stay for pro bono training. The training session, presented as part of Celebrate Pro Bono Month, will focus on handling debt collection, pro se divorce forms and employment issues at legal clinics. The Memphis Bar Association, Memphis Area Legal Services, Community Legal Center and University of Memphis School of Law host the event in the Ball Reading Room of the law school. Contact Linda Seely or Callie Caldwell for details. 

An education and outreach program will be offered for seniors at noon Wednesday in Pikeville. The event will be sponsored by the Legal Aid Society of East Tennessee. For details, contact Charlie McDaniel. See all the events planned for Celebrate Pro Bono Month

The Nashville Pro Bono Program, with lawyers from Walker, Tipps & Malone PLC, will provide advice and referral to people with low incomes at a Wednesday legal clinic at the Martha O'Bryan Center, 711 South 7th St., in Nashville. The event is 9 a.m. to noon. For more information contact Lucinda Smith at the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee & the Cumberlands.

A task force charged with finding innovative ways to enhance pro bono service in the face of decreasing legal aid funding is presenting the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) with a list of proposals that include: forming a professional association of pro bono coordinators at LSC-funded organizations; asking Congress to create a new Pro Bono Innovation/Incubation Fund; and developing a fellowship program for new graduates and emeritus lawyers designed to build support for civil legal services and pro bono within firms, law schools and the legal profession. The task force also recommends asking bar leaders, the judiciary, and others to permit judges to recruit and recognize pro bono attorneys, consistent with their ethical obligations; allow lawyers to take on limited-representation matters or unbundle services; and allowing lawyers to take on pro bono matters in jurisdictions other than those in which they are licensed to practice. Learn more from the LSC

Today kicks off Celebrate Pro Bono Month in Tennessee. In its fourth year, the initiative brings together bar associations, law schools, law firms, legal services providers and individual lawyers to offer free services to those unable to afford a lawyer. This year, more than 300 volunteers -- including lawyers, law students, paralegals and language interpreters -- are expected to participate in dozens of events and activities across the state. Here is what's on tap for Tuesday:

• Legal Aid of East Tennessee hosts a Seniors Education and Outreach Program at noon at 535 Chestnut St., in Chattanooga. Contact Charlie McDaniel for more information.

• The Nashville Pro Bono Program and lawyers from Waller will staff an Assisted Pro Se Divorce Clinic at the Nashville office of the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee & the Cumberlands. Clients should arrive at 4:30 p.m. for the clinic that runs 5 to 7 p.m. For more information, contact Lucinda Smith.

• The Nashville Bar Association hosts its monthly Dial-A-Lawyer program, where volunteer lawyers answer questions from anyone calling (615) 242-9272 from 6 to 8 p.m. For more information contact Wendy Cozby.

• The Nashville Pro Bono Program, with lawyers from Community Health Systems and the Williamson County Bar Assocation, will provide advice/counsel and referral to people with low incomes at the Williamson County Public Library, 1314 Columbia Ave., Franklin. Clients should arrive at 5:30 p.m. for the event that runs from 6 to 7:30 p.m. For more information, contact Lucinda Smith.

See more than 50 events planned for the month here.

Tennessee lawyers will offer free legal services to those unable to afford a lawyer throughout the month of October as part of the national Celebrate Pro Bono initiative. Activities will include legal advice clinics, education programs, public presentations and other events. The initiative kicks off with four legal clinics on Oct. 2, with more than 40 events planned across the state during the month. Last year more than 350 volunteers assisted more than 1,100 clients. "Though the legal community generously donates pro bono services year-round, this special focus is designed to ensure that those in our communities who need free legal help know where to find it,” TBA President Jackie Dixon said.

Knoxville lawyers will gather Thursday, July 26, at the Square Room on Market Square for Celebrate Pro Bono! The festivities will begin at 5:30 p.m. with a dinner buffet. Tickets are $25 per person ($15 for law students) and may be ordered online, by fax to (865) 525-1162 or by mail to Legal Aid of East Tennessee, 502 S. Gay Street, Suite 404, Knoxville 37902. Tennessee Supreme Court Justices Sharon G. Lee and Gary R. Wade will serve as the masters of ceremonies. The evening also will feature a silent auction, and will wrap up with a presentation of the Knoxville Bar Association's Pro Bono Awards and awards for those who have performed extraordinary service to low-income clients through the Pro Bono Project. Learn more about the event

Bar associations and legal organizations across the country will hold pro bono clinics and events as part of the national Celebrate Pro Bono effort this fall. The official Celebrate Pro Bono week will be Oct. 21–27, but Tennessee lawyers will hold events all month long. If you are interested in organizing an event in your area contact TBA Access to Justice Coordinator Sarah Hayman or call (615) 383-7421.