Join the Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program (TLAP) on March 12 from noon to 2 p.m. CDT for QPR Gatekeeper Training, a free educational training program on suicide prevention. The event will take place in person in the Nashville office of Sherrard Roe Voit & Harbison, 150 3rd Ave S. #1100, Nashville 37201. "Question, Persuade and Refer" (QPR) is designed so that anyone can learn to help save a life from suicide. Those trained in QPR know how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to offer help. Speakers include Lauren Castor, clinical case manager for TLAP and Erin Lynch, a member of the TLAP's Professional Clinical Team. Space is limited to 20 participants. Find out more and register.

The Energy, Environment and Land Use (EELU) Program at Vanderbilt Law School will host the second annual State of the Environment Conference on Feb. 12 in the law school's Flynn Auditorium, 131 21st Ave. S., Nashville 37203. The conference brings together faculty, policy makers and other experts for a state of the environment report followed by panels led by EELU faculty members. Panelists will discuss current work and research and answer audience questions. The conference includes a cocktail hour and a box lunch is available. Registration is not necessary. Learn more about the conference and see the full agenda.

The TBA’s next book club discussion event will take place tomorrow with Preston Lauterbach, author of “Beale Street Dynasty: Sex, Song and the Struggle for the Soul of Memphis.” The rescheduled event will take place virtually on Zoom beginning at 4 p.m. CST. Register to attend. The book, selected by TBA President Jim Barry, centers on an ex-slave who becomes the south’s first Black millionaire in Prohibition-era Memphis. Lauterbach brings history and the realities of race relations to life in his works, which also include “The Chitlin’ Circuit” and “Bluff City.” He also has co-authored three memoirs on significant figures in Black music: American blues musician and song writer Robert Johnson, Memphis soul drummer Howard Grimes, and a soon-to-be released biography of the Blind Boys of Alabama.

The University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law will host a Diversity & Pre-Law Day for interested undergraduate students on Feb. 24 from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. CST. Participants will hear tips on how to prepare for law school and apply for financial aid and scholarships, as well as learn why diversity is important. Register here. For more information email LawDiversity@memphis.edu.

The Barristers, the Young Lawyer’s Division of the Knoxville Bar Association (KBA), annually hosts the Regional High School Mock Trial Competition for Competition Districts 2, 3 and 4 every year. The 2024 regional competition is slated to occur at the Knoxville City-County Building on Feb. 16 (Round 1) and Feb. 17 (Rounds 2-4). The Regional Championship (Round 5) will be held Feb. 18 in the Business Courtroom at LMU’s Duncan School of Law. Volunteers are needed to serve as bailiffs, scoring judges and presiding judges. To volunteer, fill out this form. Read the press release from the KBA.

The 23rd Judicial District Recovery Court will honor Paul Broome and William Wesley Knight at its 300th graduation ceremony Jan. 30 at 5:30 p.m. CST in Circuit Courtroom #3 in Charlotte, according to a press release from the court. The court serves Cheatham, Dickson, Houston, Humphreys and Stewart counties, promoting responsibility and accountability, and teaching participants to become productive members of the community. The program is an alternative to incarceration and integrates chemical dependency treatment and community resources with the criminal justice system. This year marks the 25th year of operation of the program, making it one of the oldest recovery courts in Tennessee.

The TBA’s next book club discussion event will take place Wednesday with Preston Lauterbach, author of “Beale Street Dynasty: Sex, Song and the Struggle for the Soul of Memphis.” The event will take place virtually on Zoom. Register to attend. The book, selected by TBA President Jim Barry, centers on an ex-slave who becomes the south’s first Black millionaire in Prohibition-era Memphis. Lauterbach brings history and the realities of race relations to life in his works, which also include “The Chitlin’ Circuit” and “Bluff City.” He also has co-authored three memoirs on significant figures in Black music: American blues musician and song writer Robert Johnson; Memphis soul drummer Howard Grimes; and a soon-to-be released biography of the Blind Boys of Alabama.

The ABA Task Force for American Democracy, a nonpartisan task force formed to bolster voter confidence in elections, recently announced its roadmap for the 2024 election season. The group says it will work to mobilize the legal profession to uphold its duty to support and defend the Constitution and the rule of law, educate lawyers regarding their professional obligations, and leverage the legal profession to educate the public on importance of democracy and the rule of law. The task force also announced a listening tour across the country. Stops are scheduled in Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Arizona. Each session will feature local election officials and community leaders discussing ways to enhance public confidence in the election process. Read more about the Task Force's work.

The 2024 ABA Midyear Meeting will take place Jan. 31 through Feb. 5 in Louisville. Lawyers from across the country will gather for networking and learning opportunities, award presentations and governance meetings. Sessions at the conference will address qualified immunity, gun control, post-pandemic challenges for eviction cases, science in the courtroom, navigating racial equality after the U.S. Supreme Court’s opinion in Students for Fair Admissions, and elevating the voice of Native American women attorneys. Learn more about the meeting on the ABA's website.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division (YLD) and Tennessee Judicial Conference have rescheduled their planned Bar and Bench reception due to winter weather. The event will now take place on Jan. 31 at 5:30 p.m. CST in Memphis. The reception is sponsored by and will take place at Morgan and Morgan, 80 Monroe Ave., Ste. 900, Memphis 38103. The reception will kick off a series of networking events across Tennessee, offering a unique opportunity for lawyers and members of the judiciary to interact in a casual atmosphere.