YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee will host the virtual program “Stand Against Racism: The First Amendment in a Time of Crisis” on Feb. 25 from noon to 1 p.m. CST. Speakers — including Belmont College of Law visiting professor David L. Hudson Jr., Vanderbilt University Law School professor G.S. Hans and Brandon Tucker with the ACLU — will discuss ways in which the First Amendment supports and challenges the fight for racial justice. Download a flyer for the event.

The Dean’s Lecture Series on Race and Discrimination will take place virtually on Feb. 25, beginning at noon CST. The series annually convenes scholars and thought leaders to provide the Vanderbilt community with foundational knowledge on race, civil rights, discrimination on the basis of gender and sexual orientation and critical historical milestones and their importance. Daniel J. Sharfstein, Vanderbilt’s Dick and Martha Lansden Professor of Law and co-director of the George Barrett Social Justice Program, will deliver this year’s lecture. Sharfstein’s scholarship focuses on the legal history of race and citizenship in the United States. The event is free and open to the public. Register now through Vanderbilt’s website.

The Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services will host its 44th Equal Justice University conference Sept. 21-23. The conference will be held virtually again this year and will feature timely and impactful legal, professional and ethics topics and networking opportunities. Along with community boards, virtual meet ups and networking tables, the conference will also provide attendees access to the Access to Justice Awards presentations. More information will be forthcoming. Browse pictures from last year’s virtual event.

The University of Tennessee College of Law’s Tennessee Journal of Race, Gender, And Social Justice presents the 2021 Rose Lecture — a symposium on “Rethinking Reentry” — next Tuesday. The free event will take place at noon EST and feature prison reform advocate Cyntoia Brown Long and Bone McAllester Norton founding partner Charles Bone. Two additional sessions will include a range of speakers and will focus on overcoming obstacles to reentry and restoration of voting rights. View a flyer for the event

TBA President Michelle Greenway Sellers is launching a new initiative to hold virtual town hall meetings across the state to hear from TBA members. The first session will take place Wednesday at noon CST. It will focus on issues impacting the legal community in Jackson, including technology and the courtroom, criminal and civil issues, and what to expect in a post-COVID legal world. Judge Roy B. Morgan Jr., president of the Tennessee Judicial Conference and judge on the 26th Judicial District Circuit Court, and Terica Smith, TBA YLD president and 26th Judicial District assistant district attorney, will join Sellers for the discussion. Please RSVP to let us know if you will be joining this live event. Also, feel free to post questions in advance for the panel. CLE credit for this program (0.75 general hours) is available for a $35 fee. Please contact the TBA CLE team if you would like to receive CLE credit.

The Memphis Bar Association and the Center for Excellence in Decision-Making will host a webinar Thursday from noon to 1:30 p.m. CST on “Broken Policing and the Windows for Change.” Jeffery Robinson, deputy legal director and director of the ACLU Trone Center for Justice and Equality, will discuss a century of racism in policing in America and the ethical obligations of law enforcement to render equitable service to all communities. The program is free but registration is required. Contact Lauren Gooch at the MBA for more information.

The University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law Career Services Office is looking for alumni volunteers to participate in virtual mock interviews with law students and recent graduates. The interviews will take place on March 4 from 12:30 to 1 p.m. CST. Those interested should email lawcareerservices@memphis.edu.

The University of Memphis School of Law will hold its 2021 Diversity & Pre-Law Week from Feb. 22 to 26. The week is designed to celebrate and promote the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion at the school; highlight diverse student experiences and organizations; and provide valuable information about the law school admissions process and legal careers. This year’s program theme is “Still I Rise,” which also confronts the challenges that diverse and first-generation students can face in the law school admissions process and beyond.

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee & the Cumberlands will hold four phone clinics 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. Clinics will take place on Tuesday from 4:30 to 6 p.m., Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Thursday from 3 to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. All times central. LAS is looking for attorneys to help answer questions. To volunteer, contact Andrae Crismon or Kendra Cheek or call 615-780-7131.

Several legal groups in East Tennessee are joining forces to hold a virtual pro bono debt relief clinic on March 13. The event will begin at 9 a.m. EST with a presentation by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Suzanne Bauknight on the pros and cons of bankruptcy and other options available. Clients and volunteer attorneys will then be assigned to breakout rooms for an initial consultation. Volunteer attorneys should have a basic understanding of bankruptcy considerations and exemptions but if the attorney determines the client would benefit from bankruptcy, the client will be referred to a bankruptcy lawyer. Malpractice coverage will be provided. Please let Emily McLaughlin know if you are willing to volunteer and you will be sent a registration form. Sponsors of the event include the Chattanooga Federal Bar Association, Northeast Tennessee Federal Bar Association and TBA Young Lawyers Division.