The next free advice clinic for Black-owned small businesses and nonprofits is set for Sept. 18 in Nashville. The clinic, sponsored by the Arts & Business Council's Volunteer Lawyers & Professionals for the Arts and Bradley, provides assistance with business formation and corporate governance, review of contracts and guidance in navigating local ordinances and state regulations. Prospective clients should register by Sept. 15. Attorneys should email vlpa@abcnashville.org to volunteer.

The TBA and West Tennessee Legal Services (WTLS) will present a free webcast, “Building Better Boards: Ethical Considerations and Dilemmas for Attorneys on Nonprofit Boards,” on Dec. 10 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. CDT. The program will cover ethical boundaries for attorneys serving on boards, questions to consider before joining and real-world conflicts of interest. Panelists include Rita Gibson Rayford from Strategic Legal Advocates, Claudia Williams Hyman with West Tennessee Legal Services, Brande Boyd from Butler Snow, Seth Ogden from Patterson Intellectual Property Law, and Harolda Bryson, an attorney for the city of Chattanooga. Registration is free and 1.5 hours of CLE credit is available for a $50 processing fee. Visit the TBA website for more information and to register. 

The Legal Aid Society of the Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands will host an evening celebration and fundraiser on Sept. 20 from 6 to 10 p.m. CDT. According to organizers, the evening will celebrate "justice, dignity and the power of coming together." Guests will enjoy delicious local fare, curated cocktails and inspiring stories that highlight the life-changing work made possible through donor support. All proceeds from the event will directly benefit Legal Aid Society’s mission to provide free civil legal services to low-income and vulnerable Tennesseans across 48 counties. The event will take place at Clementine Hall, 4710 Charlotte Ave., Nashville, 37209. View the invitation and register online.

The Tennessee Department of Revenue will host a free webinar on Aug. 26 to discuss manufacturing tax exemptions. Department staff will discuss the various tax exemptions for manufacturers and provide details about the registration and application process. Register for the webinar or see all upcoming educational events from the department. Read more about the program in a press release.

The Tennessee Judicial Conference Foundation will host the 26th Annual Dick Jerman Memorial Golf Tournament on Oct. 13 at Indian Hills Golf Club in Murfreesboro. The event honors the late Circuit Court Judge Dick Jerman Jr. of Alamo, who died in 1999, and supports the foundation’s mission of providing need-based scholarships to Tennessee law students. Founded in 1995 by trial and appellate judges, the foundation is funded through private contributions, memorials, merchandise sales and the annual golf tournament. View more information and register on the foundation's website.

Members of the TBA Young Lawyers Division recently participated in Balancing the Scales: Voices of First-Gen Lawyers — a panel discussion designed to provide advice and insight to first-generation law students and young lawyers. The panel, moderated by TBA YLD Middle Tennessee Governor Alix Rogers, features YLD board members Raven Austin, Morgan Hanna, Cole Harrell-Morris, Lorne Hiller and Chicoya Smith as they share their journey to the legal profession. Topics discussed include: what it means to be a first-generation lawyer; what they wish they had known at the beginning of their careers; and what pitfalls need to be avoided. Check out their unique, yet relatable stories in this on-demand recording on TBA's YouTube account.

Join members of the TBA Attorney Well Being Committee for a live interactive roundtable on how best to manage work-life balance as a legal professional. This 45-minute Zoom event on March 25 at 12:30 p.m. CDT will feature attorneys discussing their day-to-day practice and provide effective tools for personal well-being. While geared toward law students and young lawyers, this free event is open to all TBA members, but registration is required. Questions and feedback are encouraged. Submit questions in advance to jword@tnbar.org.

A statue of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall will be unveiled on Oct. 3 at 5 p.m. CDT in downtown Columbia. News Channel 5 reports that the statue will mark the role Marshall played representing 25 Black men charged in what is now called the Columbia Race Riot of 1946. The incident stemmed from an argument between a white shop worker and a Black man, James Stephenson, who had brought in a radio to be repaired. The confrontation turned violent. After Stephenson was charged with attempted murder, a mob sought Stephenson for what the Black community believed to be a lynching. The Black residents resisted the mob but then were criminally charged. Marshall — who later would become the U.S. Supreme Court's first Black justice — was the lead attorney defending Stephenson and the others. They were acquitted. The bronze statue will stand at the center of a new roundabout in downtown Columbia.

Belmont University College of Law and the TBA Young Lawyers Division are looking for volunteer attorneys for a Tennessee Free Legal Answers Clinic on Aug. 25 from 5-7 p.m. CDT in Belmont's Randall & Sadie Baskin Center, 1901 15th Ave S, Nashville 37212. Volunteers will be partnered with three to four law students to research and answer questions posted on tn.freelegalanswers.org. Attorneys must have a Tennessee Free Legal Answers account to participate in this clinic. Interested volunteers should email their account information to Ginny.Blake@belmont.edu by Aug. 21 to make sure their profile is approved in time for the clinic.

Registration will close Friday for the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services (TALS) Equal Justice University (EJU) conference. The annual event, co-sponsored by the TBA, is set for Aug. 27-29 at the Embassy Suites in Murfreesboro. This year’s conference will include more than 50 CLE sessions, inspiring keynote speakers. Check out the full schedule.