The Nashville Bar Association’s annual member picnic, co-sponsored by the Metro Law Department, will take place Sept. 25 at the Walk of Fame Park. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. with dinner served at 7 p.m. The Walk of Fame Park is located downtown Nashville between the Country Music Hall of Fame, Hilton Hotel and Schermerhorn Symphony Center. RSVP online. 

The investiture ceremony installing Justice Holly Kirby as the newest member of the Tennessee Supreme Court will take place Sept. 19 from 10:15 to 11:15 a.m. in the historic courtroom of the University of Memphis School of Law. The school is located at One North Front St. Parking is available in Brinkley Plaza Parking Garage, 20 S. Front St., and Republic Parking Garage, 35 Monroe Ave. Seating in the courtroom, which is located on the third floor, is limited but overflow seating and live streaming will be provided in the Wade Auditorium and on the first floor. A reception following the ceremony will take place on the first floor. For questions, contact Laura Deakins, (901) 685-3951.

Tennessee CASA will hold its 2014 Annual Meeting Sept. 17 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at the Nashville Public Library. The event will feature brunch, a keynote address from Davidson County Juvenile Court Judge Sheila Calloway and presentation of awards that honor those making an impact for Tennessee’s abused and neglected children. Michael Leach with the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services will receive the the Champion for Children Award, while Tawny Spinelli with the Tennessee Children’s Cabinet at the state Department of Health will receive the Light of Hope Award. The library is located at 615 Church St. in Nashville. Free parking is available for up to 90 minutes in the library garage. Register online by Sept. 10.

The Knoxville Bar Association (KBA) and Barristers’ Annual Golf Tournament is scheduled for this Friday at Avalon Golf & Country Club. The entry fee of $100 per player includes green fees, cart, range balls, box lunch, commemorative gift, two drink tickets, prizes and a BBQ cookout. Tee times start at 11:30 a.m. with an official shotgun start at 1 p.m. Participants may sign up as individuals or teams, but each four-person team must include at least one lawyer. Contact Brad Craig at (865) 546-4646 or Adam Moore at (865) 521-5274 for more information.

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga will host the fourth annual Constitution Day public lecture Sept. 17 at 7:30 p.m. in the UTC Center Auditorium. In the lecture, “American Constitutional Politics in Perspective: Why Parchment Barriers are Insufficient,” Dr. Michael Federici will discuss why the underlying “Unwritten Constitution”—the attitudes about ethics and religion, human nature, the individual and the role of government in society— has and always will shape American constitutional theory, practice and our public and private lives. The Chattanoogan has more.

Wilson County CASA will welcome Chicago’s improv comedy powerhouse The Second City’s 55th Anniversary Tour on Oct. 10 at the Capitol Theatre in Lebanon. This event benefitting Wilson County CASA is the first of its kind in Wilson County and marks the troupe’s only Tennessee appearance in 2014. Tickets are $50, or upgrade to VIP for $25 more, and can be purchased at www.wilsoncountycasa.org or by calling 615-443-2002.

Nominations for TBA Public Service Awards are due by Friday. The annual awards recognize lawyers and law students who have shown exceptional commitment to increasing access to justice to individuals and communities. Caregories are: work performed by an attorney employed by an organization primarily involved in providing legal representation to the indigent, work performed by a private attorney and work performed by a law student volunteer. Nominations may be submitted via the TBA website or by email to Liz Todaro. Download a hard copy submission form to do so. Submissions should include a narrative of the individual’s accomplishments, the nominator’s reasons for selecting the individual and a description of how the nominee meets the award criteria. Awards are presented at the annual Public Service Awards Luncheon in January.

The Tennessee Justice Center will kick off a new year with a celebration this Thursday from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The group recently announced that 20 law firms have committed to help it serve more families across the state. The celebration will recognize these firms for “Raising the Bar.” All friends of TJC are invited. The event will be held in the offices of Bass, Berry & Sims, located on the 28th Floor of the Pinnacle at Symphony Place, 150 Third Ave. S., Nashville. Free drinks provided by the Patterson House. Learn more or RSVP online.

Vanessa Pettigrew Bryan, Public Defender for Tennessee’s 21st Judicial District, will be officially sworn in tomorrow in Centerville, the Williamson Herald reports. Retiring General Sessions Judge Sam Smith will administer the oath of office as his last official duty after a law career that spans more than 50 years. The attorneys on Bryan’s staff also will be sworn in at the ceremony, which takes place at 11 a.m. in the Hickman County Courthouse. A reception will follow. The 21st District includes Williamson, Hickman, Lewis and Perry Counties.

Austin Peay State University in Clarksville will host four documentaries on the history of civil rights in America during the month of September. The films, which will screen at 7 p.m. on Tuesday nights, are part of the National Endowment for the Humanities’ program “Created Equal: America’s Civil Rights Struggle.” The initiative is designed to encourage discussions of America’s civil rights history. With each film, the university will host a forum and discussion. The films are The Abolitionists, Sept. 9; The Loving Story, Sept. 16; Freedom Riders, Sept. 23; and Slavery by Another Name, Sept. 30. Learn more in Business & Heritage Clarksville.