The heart of sensory awareness practice is living an awake and responsive life and is based on the principle that we cannot heal what we are not willing to address. Sensory awareness practitioner Lee Klinger Lesser will offer a two-day online workshop on the mornings of Oct. 24 and 25 beginning at 11 a.m. CDT each day to introduce the practice and how it can be used to address hard issues in our country’s past. The “Cultivating our Capacity to Respond: Sensory Awareness and Anti-Racism” workshop will explore the basics of sensory awareness, how to quiet sensations, and how to move into action. She will be joined by Jarvis Masters, who teaches mindfulness while serving on death row at San Quentin Prison. Proceeds from the workshop will benefit the Equal Justice Initiative, which is committed to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment, challenging racial and economic injustice, and protecting human rights.

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings and Mid-South Immigration Advocates are offering a free virtual program on the topic of “Domestic Violence in Civil Litigation” on Oct. 27 from 9 a.m. to noon CDT. The program will focus on orders of protection, domestic violence divorce considerations and ethics in domestic violence civil litigation, with the goal of equipping lawyers to provide quality pro bono service. The program will be led by Elizabeth R. McClellan, an experienced domestic and sexual violence litigator and appellate practitioner who has successfully appealed and made new law in the area of orders of protection. Please register by 5 p.m. CDT on Oct. 26 to receive the Zoom link. 

The YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee will host “Stand Against Racism: Domestic Violence in a Time of Crisis” on Oct. 29 from noon to 1 p.m. The event is virtual and free for all those who register. Panelists will address the parallel and intersecting traumas of domestic violence and racism with a focus on the need for domestic violence prevention and intervention strategies to address the effects of racism. View a flyer for the event.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division and Knoxville Bar Association, in partnership with the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services, the University of Tennessee College of Law and the Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law, will host a virtual Debt Relief Legal Advice Clinic for pre-screened individuals on Nov. 7. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Suzanne H. Bauknight will begin the clinic with an overview about debt issues, the bankruptcy system and reasons for and against seeking bankruptcy protection. After the overview, clients will be paired with volunteer attorneys in virtual break-out rooms to confidentially discuss debt relief options. The clinic is open to residents of Anderson, Blount, Campbell, Claiborne, Grainger, Jefferson, Knox, Loudon, Monroe, Morgan, Roane, Scott, Sevier and Union counties. Those seeking advice must register and qualify in advance by emailing their name and phone number to yldclinics@tnbar.org no later than Oct. 23. Law students will follow up with prospective clients to determine eligibility. For more information, contact YLD board member Alix Rogers.

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee & the Cumberlands will hold three phone clinics next 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 Tuesday from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Saturday from 8:30 to 11:30 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. See all clinics for the month.

The Knoxville Bar Association is hosting a virtual legal advice clinic for victims of domestic violence this month. Intake of clients will take place between Oct. 19 and 21 and Oct. 24. Participants will be matched with an attorney who will talk with clients during an assigned three-hour time slot on Oct. 27 or Oct. 28. Each appointment will last no more than 20 minutes. Volunteers are needed in a range of specialties, including family law. Sign up here to help.

This month, Tennessee lawyers are joining colleagues across the country to increase the meaningful access to justice and commitment to pro bono work. Now in its 12th year, Tennessee’s statewide Celebrate Pro Bono Month brings together legal services providers with bar associations, law schools, law firms and individual volunteers to offer free services to those unable to afford a lawyer. The month of October is an opportunity to focus attention on the significant need for pro bono services as well as a time to celebrate the outstanding work of those in the legal community who volunteer their services throughout the year. Events, including virtual and remote opportunities to volunteer, will be promoted in TBA Today, via social media and on the TBA website. If you have information on an event, please share it with TBA.

Today is the last day to register to vote for the November election, the secretary of state’s office reports. Voters can register online tonight until 11:59 p.m. CDT. Early voting will begin on Oct. 14 and run through Oct. 29 on every day of the week except Sunday. The last day to request an absentee ballot is Oct. 27. For more information about voting in Tennessee visit GoVoteTN.com or call the Division of Elections at 877-850-4959.

Knoxville area legal organizations will hold a veterans’ legal advice clinic next Wednesday from noon to 2 p.m. EDT. Those seeking advice should preregister by calling 865-637-0484. Lawyers who would like to volunteer can sign up online. The Knoxville Veterans Clinic is a joint project of the Knoxville Bar Association and its Barristers, Young Lawyers Division and Access to Justice Committee; Legal Aid of East Tennessee; Knox County Public Defender’s Community Law Office; the University of Tennessee College of Law; Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law; and the local Veterans Affairs office. Legal advice is provided on issues such as family law, landlord/tenant, bankruptcy, criminal defense, consumer protection, contract disputes, child support and personal injury.

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee & the Cumberlands will hold four phone clinics next 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 Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 to 6 p.m.; Thursday from 3 to 4:30 p.m.; and Saturday from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. All times in central time. LAS is looking for volunteers to help answer legal questions during these clinics. To volunteer contact Andrae Crismon or Kendra Cheek or call 615-780-7131.