Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee & the Cumberlands will hold three legal clinics via phone this week. On Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., an Operation Stand Down Phone Clinic will be held for veterans in the Nashville area only. On Thursday (3 to 4:30 p.m.) and Saturday (8:30 to 11 a.m.) general phone clinics will be held. Those needing assistance may call 800-238-1443 to speak to an attorney during any of these times. Please contact Andrae Crismon or Kendra Cheek, 615-780-7131, for more information. See all phone clinic dates for April.

The TBA and the Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program will host a free online roundtable discussion on the impact the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine is having on personal well-being. Licensed therapist and TLAP mental health clinician Lindsey O’Connell will provide an overview of the human stress response system and how to modulate this survival instinct to improve mental resilience and reduce the harmful consequences of overwhelming stress. A loosely moderated roundtable discussion will follow and participants will have the chance to ask questions related to mental and professional well-being. The program will be held on the Zoom video conferencing platform on April 7 at 2 p.m. A link to the meeting will be sent following online registration.  

An investiture ceremony and reception for U.S. Magistrate Judge Cynthia Wyrick now will take place on Oct. 2 at 1:30 p.m. EDT at the James H. Quillen U.S. Courthouse, 220 West Depot Street, Greeneville. The ceremony originally had been scheduled to take place on April 17 but was rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Wyrick, a former TBA president, was named federal magistrate judge in September and serves the court’s Northeastern Division. View the invitation or RSVP online.

Legal Aid of Middle Tennessee will hold its monthly Belmont Free Legal Clinic over the phone this Saturday. Local attorneys will offer advice on issues ranging from family problems and unemployment to housing and government benefits. Those needing assistance should call 615-780-7131 on Saturday between the hours of 8:30 and 11 a.m. Email Kendra Cheek for more information.

The American Bar Association today cancelled its Equal Justice Conference, scheduled for May 6-9. It is exploring the possibility of rescheduling for a date later this year. The ABA asks that those already registered for the event hold off on requesting a refund until a decision on rescheduling is made, however, if that is not possible full refunds can be requested by emailing EJC@americanbar.org.

There are multiple legal clinics coming up to help those impacted by the March tornado. In Wilson County, virtual clinics will be held by phone on Thursday from 4 to 7 p.m. and on March 28 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Attorneys interested in volunteering should contact Sonya Wright or Tiffany Hagar. The North Nashville Legal Advice Clinic will go on as scheduled on Thursday from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center, 1035 14th Ave. North. Attorneys interested in volunteering their legal services in person or by phone, should contact Andrae Crismon.

The TBA today canceled the 2020 Leadership Conference that was scheduled to take place in Nashville on April 3-4. After monitoring recent developments related to COVID-19 from local, state and federal agencies, TBA leaders concluded that the safety of members and guests required cancellation of the conference. The Board of Governors and House of Delegates meetings will take place remotely via Zoom at their scheduled times. All other committee or section meetings will take place remotely and logistics will be confirmed by the appropriate TBA staff coordinator responsible for those meetings. The decision is disappointing; however, the TBA will provide additional information and training relevant to the conference electronically. Please follow TBA’s coverage of updates related to COVID-19 and its effect on our legal system through TBA’s Coronavirus Information Center. The most recent updates about specific TBA events are available here. 

Legal organizations across the state continue to evaluate whether to move forward with operations as well as with events scheduled to take place in the coming weeks. The TBA’s Pandemic Resource Center has updates today about the Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims, Davidson County courts, federal district courts, Lawyers' Association for Women Marion Griffin Chapter, Legal Aid clinics, Shelby County criminal courts, the Tennessee state capitol, U.S. Patent & Trademark Office and the U.S. Supreme Court. Updates about TBA events are available here.

The Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee & the Cumberlands will host a Veteran’s Legal Clinic next Tuesday in Clarksville. The event will run from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. at Operation Standown Clarksville, 400 Madison St., Clarksville 37040. For more information email Kendra Cheek or call at 615-780-7131. That afternoon, the group will hold a legal clinic in Oak Ridge. That event will run from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at its office at 575 Oak Ridge Turnpike, Oak Ridge 37830. Call 865-483-8454 with questions.

Lipscomb University’s Fred D. Gray Institute for Law, Justice & Society will host a free legal advice clinic tomorrow from 9 to 10 a.m. to offer free legal advice for those who have insurance and housing questions in the wake of last week's tornadoes. The clinic will take place at Schrader Lane Church of Christ, 1234 Schrader Lane, Nashville 37208. For more information or to volunteer contact Susan T. Jones.