Bradley Arant Boult Cummings and the Arts and Business Council of Greater Nashville have partnered together to present monthly Black-Owned Small Business and Nonprofit Legal Clinics. The clinics, held on the third Thursday of each month throughout 2021, are by appointment only and help provide accessible and affordable business-oriented legal services. Among other services, attorneys will provide corporate governance, review of contracts and guidance navigating local ordinances and state regulations. The next clinic will be held on May 20. Appointments can be made online.

The American Bar Association Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service and the National Legal Aid & Defender Association will convene their annual Equal Justice Conference next week with a virtual program. The annual gathering of legal services and pro bono advocates will focus this year on strengthening civil justice partnerships. Special speakers will include Douglas Emhoff, entertainment law attorney and husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, entrepreneur Mark Cuban, civil rights lawyer Damon Hewitt and Vu Le, former director of a nonprofit focused on social justice.

Make plans now to join colleagues for the 2021 TBA Annual Convention, presented this year as both an in-person event at The Peabody in Memphis and as a virtual online event the week of June 14. For both the in-person and virtual audiences, the event offers eight hours of CLE. This year's offerings include the ever-popular Legislative Update, which will feature a panel of lawmakers discussing the 2021 legislative session and an update on legislation of interest to lawyers with TBA Director of Public Policy and Government Affairs Berkley Schwarz and Legislative Counsel Brad Lampley. This legislative session has seen a more active effort to reshape the judiciary in the state. Don’t miss this opportunity to find out what it all means for your practice and the profession.

Results from the February bar exam are scheduled to be released by 2 p.m. CDT Thursday, the Tennessee Board of Law Examiners has announced.  Watch the TBA.org website for results as soon as they are available. The February exam was administered remotely per a Tennessee Supreme Court order issued on Oct. 23, 2020. The next exam, set for June, also will be held virtually.

In the third episode of its multi-series event on troubled teens, the ABA presents “Institutional Child Abuse: What is it and How Can We Prevent It?” on Thursday from 11 a.m. to noon CDT. Panelists will explore institutional child abuse within the troubled teen industry and the child welfare system. Topics include what constitutes abuse in residential treatment, reasons why these issues persist, the harms and costs of unnecessary congregate care, and alternatives to congregate care. Register here for the free program.

The YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee will hold its 2021 Stand Against Racism virtual community rally this Thursday from noon to 1 p.m. CDT. The focus on this event will be addressing racism as a public health crisis. The event will include civil rights and freedom songs and spirituals, youth poetry, and speakers on the topics of health equity and justice. Register here to receive the log in information by email.

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee & the Cumberlands will hold one phone clinic this 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 clinic will take place Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. CDT. To help answer questions, contact Andrae Crismon or Kendra Cheek or call 615-780-7131.

The Tennessee Faith & Justice Alliance will hold a free training and discussion on the “Role of Faith-Based Communities in Addressing Sexual Assault” next Thursday at 2 p.m. CDT. The event will begin with a 30 minute training on mandatory reporting laws in Tennessee, followed by a panel of experts addressing best practices for supporting assault survivors and building safer communities. Participants include Henry County General Sessions and Juvenile Court Judge Vicki Snyder; Kathryn Ellis, executive director of the Knoxville Family Justice Center; Shan Foster, executive director of AMEND Together and vice president of external affairs at the YWCA of Nashville and Middle Tennessee; and Sharon Travis with the Sexual Assault Center in Nashville.

Make plans now to join colleagues for the 2021 TBA Annual Convention, presented this year as both an in-person event at The Peabody in Memphis and as a virtual online event the week of June 14. Virtual programming will be available for all registrants on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. On Thursday and Friday, virtual-only registrants will tune in for a livestream of key Convention events such as the Bench Bar CLE and Luncheon, Lawyers Luncheon, Better This Year CLE program and Legislative Update CLE. During that same time, in-person attendees will experience all that Memphis has to offer, including key programs, a joint social event with state judges, a group breakfast and the delights of Beale Street and beyond.

The American Bar Association will hold its annual ABA Day virtually this year with two days of programming tomorrow and Wednesday. Sessions will be focused on urging Congress to increase legal aid funding to help low-income people resolve problems resulting from the pandemic, and passing legislation to strengthen judicial security. ABA representatives will be meeting with legislators on Zoom and lawyers across the country are invited to join in these conversations. Training videos on how to be an effective advocate are available online as are briefing materials on the two focus issues. Register here.