Legal Aid of East Tennessee (LAET) is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its Pro Bono Christmas Tree at the Hamilton County Courthouse this year. The tradition involves a tree festooned with handmade cards, each containing a description of a pro bono case in need of a volunteer attorney. Attorneys may visit the tree throughout the holiday season and take a case for representation. Local judges have been invited to help decorate and light the tree Wednesday at noon EST. The group is also running a “12 Days of Pro Bono” challenge on social media to match cases across its region with lawyers by the end of the year. Follow along on Facebook or Instagram for details. For more information contact Mary Frances DeVoe.

The Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands will hold four clinics next week. A phone clinic will be held Tuesday at 2 p.m. to provide general advice. The first 15 callers will be accepted. On Wednesday, LAS will hold a clinic specifically for veterans from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Operation Stand Down, 1125 12th Ave. S. Nashville 37203. On Thursday, a clinic will be held from 3 to 4:30 p.m. at Greenhouse Ministries, 309 S. Spring St., Murfreesboro 37130. And on Saturday, a clinic will be held from 8:30-10:30 a.m. at the McHugh Clinic, 2005 12th Ave. S., Nashville 37204. All times central. To volunteer contact Kendra Cheek, 615-780-7131. See all December clinics.

Criminal justice reform advocate and former public defender Keeda Haynes will discuss and sign copies of her book “Bending the Arc: My Journey from Prison to Politics” on Sunday at the Williamson County Library. The event will run from 3-4:30 p.m. CST, the Williamson Herald reports. Arrested while in college, Haynes spent four years in prison for helping her boyfriend traffic drugs. She has maintained that she did not know the nature of the work. After her release, Haynes earned a law degree. The book traces her journey through the prison system and into politics while also exploring criminal justice reform, racial justice, solution-based change and community activism. The book is available at www.keedahaynes.com.

Retired Congressman and judge John J. Duncan Jr. will sign copies of his new book this Thursday at the Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum on Lincoln Memorial University’s (LMU) campus. Duncan served as a criminal defense lawyer and judge before being elected to represent the state’s 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1988. He retired at the end of his 16th term in January 2019. Duncan’s new book, “From Batboy to Congressman: Thirty Years in the U.S. House,” tells stories from his family, early life and time as lawyer, judge and Congressman. Duncan will recount some of his favorite stories at 5 p.m. EST and will be available for a book signing and meet and greet from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. EST. LMU has more on the event.

The Nashville Hispanic Bar Association will host a holiday happy hour on Dec. 7 from 5 to 7 p.m. CST at Conexion Americas, 2195 Nolensville Pike, Nashville. The event’s Facebook page says the mixer will offer friends and colleagues a chance to reconnect and celebrate the holidays. Find more information and RSVP here.  

Knox County Juvenile Court invites the legal community to a celebration honoring Magistrate Michael Fortune’s career with the court. The event will take place Dec. 8 from 3 to 4 p.m. EST. Those who are interested also may send a note or card to the court to be presented to Fortune at the ceremony. Send correspondence by Dec. 6 to Debbie Wade, Knox County Juvenile Court, Carey E. Garrett Juvenile Court Building, 3323 Division St., Knoxville, TN 37919.

The TBA Mentoring Committee will host a free virtual event from 3-4 p.m. CST this Thursday. The program will feature guest speakers J. E. "Buddy" Stockwell III, executive director of the Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program (TLAP), and Rachel Rosenblatt, employment counsel with Zillow, who will talk about burnout, stress and services provided by TLAP. To RSVP for the event, email Ateia Aldridge.

The Tennessee Department of Revenue will hold its next free webinar on state tax issues on Nov. 30 at 9 a.m. CST. The December session will focus on tax registration and reporting for special events in Tennessee. Participants will learn how to register as a special event promoter or vendor and will have the opportunity to ask questions of department staff.

The National Bar Association (NBA) and the National Haitian American Elected Officials Network (NHAEON) have filed a joint amicus brief in support of Haitian migrants. The groups have filed the brief against U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayokras to “to prevent DHS from illegally deporting and continually denying due process to the thousands of Haitian migrant children, woman, and men who have journeyed to the United States to seek refuge from the perilous conditions in Haiti.” The brief addresses the issue of the potential irreparable harm suffered if the migrants are continually expelled under Title 42 without an asylum hearing. The NBA has partnered with the Haitian Bridge Alliance to provide pro bono legal services to those affected by the Haitian migrant crisis and is still in need of volunteers. Those interested can contact Johanna Leblanc to get involved.

The TBA Mentoring Committee will host a free virtual event from 3-4 p.m. CST on Dec. 2. The program will feature guest speakers J. E. "Buddy" Stockwell III, executive director of the Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program (TLAP), and Rachel Rosenblatt, employment counsel with Zillow, who will talk about burnout, stress and services provided by TLAP. To RSVP for the event, email Ateia Aldridge.