Registration for the in-person TBA Convention in Memphis will close Monday at midnight CDT. After that point, registration will be limited to the virtual experience. Don’t miss this opportunity to join colleagues from across the state for the annual Bench Bar Luncheon, Lawyers Luncheon, and eight hours of CLE credit, including the Bench Bar program, Better Right Now session and Legislative Update. In-person attendees also will enjoy a joint social event with state judges, a group breakfast and the delights of Beale Street and beyond. Get details here.

The League of Women Voters of Tennessee will host a free webinar on redistricting featuring University of Memphis School of Law Professor Steven Mulroy. The Great Unskewing: The Law and Politics of Redistricting will feature Mulroy discussing the federal and state law requirements regarding redistricting as well as arguments for nonpartisan redistricting commissions as discussed in his book, “Rethinking U.S. Election Law: Unskewing the System.” The program will take place on June 9 from 11 a.m. until noon CDT.

The 2021 Bench Bar Luncheon, scheduled for June 17, will feature a keynote address by Lang Wiseman, deputy and chief counsel to Gov. Bill Lee. Wiseman assists the governor in his day-to-day duties and acts as a liaison between the governor’s office, the legislature and the various departments and agencies in state government, including the judiciary, the attorney general and the district attorneys general. Wiseman also coordinates the legal affairs of the executive branch, reviews judicial appointments and clemency requests, and advises the governor on legal, political and legislative matters. Prior to his appointment, Wiseman was a founding partner at the Memphis law firm Wiseman Bray. He previously worked at Baker Donelson Bearman & Caldwell, as counsel for the U.S. Senate Governmental Affairs Committee and as a law clerk to the late Judge Harry Wellford of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. He earned his law degree from Harvard Law School. The luncheon will be presented live in Memphis and live streamed for virtual convention registrants. Learn more and register here for this year’s convention.

The Veterans’ Legal Advice Clinic is a joint project of the Knoxville Bar Association Barristers and Young Lawyers Division, Legal Aid of East Tennessee, Knox County Public Defender’s Community Law Office, University of Tennessee  College of Law, Lincoln Memorial University-Duncan School of Law, and the local Veterans Affairs office. This is a general advice and referral clinic which requires attorney volunteers for its continued operation. The next clinic will be held in person at the Knoxville Community Law Office, 1101 Liberty St., on June 9 from noon to 2 p.m. Sign up here.

The Memphis Lawyers’ Chapter of the Federalist Society is hosting a free virtual program on June 3 at 11:30 a.m. CDT with Dr. John S. Baker, professor emeritus at Louisiana State University Law School and visiting professor at Peking University School of Transnational Law. Baker will speak on the topic "The Anti-Federalists and the Debate Over the U.S. Constitution.” Register online or by contacting Greg Grisham, 901-333-2076.

The 2021 TBA Annual Convention is being presented this year as both an in-person and virtual event. For those not yet ready to travel, the virtual option includes all the same CLE and key programs as the in-person option but at a significant savings. Programming will be offered each day the week of June 14. Early in the week, Tennessee law school alumni will gather for virtual mixers, while virtual programs will focus on civility, the TBA’s Practice Management Center and legal trends beyond COVID. On Thursday, join colleagues gathered in Memphis for the annual Bench Bar program and popular Better Right Now CLE via Zoom. And on Friday, don’t miss the annual Legislative Update CLE and Lawyers Luncheon, where colleagues will be honored for their service to the bar and the profession, and Nashville lawyer Sherie Edwards will be sworn in as TBA's 142nd president. Register here for the virtual option.

The TBA Mentoring Committee will host a free virtual program on ethics in the mentoring relationship from 11:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. CDT on June 8. The session is open to all current mentors and mentees or anyone interested in joining the Mentoring Program. Guest speakers Brian Faughnan of Lewis Thomason, Sandy Garrett with the Board of Professional Responsibility and Knoxville Law Director Charles Swanson will discuss identifying clear ethical violations in a mentoring relationship and setting and maintaining healthy expectations and boundaries in today’s setting. To RSVP for the event, email Stephanie Vonnahme.

The YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee will hold its next “Stand Against Racism” event Tuesday from noon to 1 p.m. CDT. This virtual program will focus on teaching and talking about racism in U.S. history. Speakers include Metro Nashville Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer Andrea Blackman; Tennessee State University professor Dr. Learotha Williams; and Vilmaris González with the Education Trust. Register here for the free program.

An investiture ceremony and reception for Charles E. Atchley Jr., U.S. District Court judge for the Eastern District of Tennessee, has been scheduled for Aug. 20. Watch for more details coming soon. Atchley was nominated to the federal bench by then-President Donald Trump in September 2020 and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in December. He previously served as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee.

The Tennessee Department of Revenue is hosting a free webinar on the professional privilege tax on May 25 at 9 a.m. CDT. The program will review who is subject to the tax, who is exempt and how to timely remit the required payment. Sign up for the webinar here. The department offers monthly programs to give tax practitioners, attorneys, accountants and others an opportunity to learn more about presented tax topics and ask questions. The recorded sessions and dates for future webinars can be found on the Department of Revenue’s website.