An access to justice program exploring initiatives and issues challenging the legal community will come to the Baker Donelson Special Events Center in Nashville on March 31. Sponsored by the National Judicial College and the Tennessee Supreme Court and its Access to Justice Commission, the event will begin with a program featuring the Hon. Chad Schmucker, president of the National Judicial College; Justices Janice Holder and Connie Clark of the Tennessee Supreme Court; Penny White of the University of Tennessee College of Law; Senior Judge Don Ash; the Hon. Claudia Bonnyman of the Davidson County Chancery Court; the Hon. Phil Smith of the Davidson County Circuit Court; the Hon. Dan Eisenstein of the Davidson County General Sessions Court; George T. "Buck" Lewis, chair of the Access to Justice Commission; Martha Lafferty of the Disability Law & Advocacy Center of Tennessee; and Colin Calhoun of Sobel, Poss & Moore. A reception will follow the program. Space is limited, so RSVP by March 21 to reserve a spot.

The Tennessee Justice Center will host an Open House on March 27 to celebrate the remodeling of its offices. In January, a sprinkler pipe burst and flooded the center's basement offices. To thank local businesses and organizations for their generosity in donating gently used furniture, the TJC invites the public to stop by from 4 to 6 p.m. to enjoy food, bubbly and fun in the newly redone office.

Judicial selection and the role money plays in judicial elections will be the focus of a conference held at Vanderbilt Law School March 20-21. Titled “Justice at Risk: Research Opportunities and Policy Alternatives Regarding State Judicial Selection,” the conference will focus specifically on how the method of selecting state judges affects judicial decision making. It is jointly sponsored by the American Constitution Society, the American Judicature Society, and Vanderbilt Law.

The Memphis Bar Association will sponsor its Annual Memorial Service on May 2 at Calvary Episcopal Church. The memorial will honor 28 individuals within the Memphis legal community who have died. If you know a member who should be included or would like to write a memorial about any of the honorees, contact Mary Lynes at (901) 527-3573.

A new CNN Original series, Death Row Stories, will follow a different capital murder case each week and says it will "call into question the myriad of beliefs about the death penalty and the American justice system itself." The eight-week series is a collaboration with Academy Award-winning directors Alex Gibney and Robert Redford. Susan Sarandon, who portrayed Sister Helen Prejean in the movie Dead Man Walking, will narrate. The series debuts March 9. Watch this "Google Hangout" discussion about the show and the issue, hosted by CNN's Ashleigh Banfield and featuring lawyers and law professors on both sides of the issue.

The University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law Student Bar Association will host the annual “Race Judicata” on April 5. All proceeds benefit Memphis Area Legal Service, which provides free legal service to the elderly and low-income families. The race is open to the public. Runners and walkers are welcome. For more information or to register, visit www.racejudicatamemphis.org.

The Knoxville Bar Association’s Criminal Justice Section and TACDL have scheduled a judicial candidate forum March 27 from noon to 1 p.m. in the Small Assembly Room of the City County Building. Lawyers are invited to bring their lunch and hear from Scott Green and Leland L. Price, candidates for the Knoxville Criminal Court, Division III, and Patricia Hall Long and George T. Underwood Jr., candidates for General Sessions Court, Division II. Each candidate will be given time to talk about why they have chosen to run and will be available to answer questions. RSVP online.

The screening of the award-winning HBO documentary Gideon's Army, which was cancelled Monday because of icy weather in Nashville, has been rescheduled to March 20 at 7:30 p.m. Hosted by the Nashville Public Defender’s Office, it will be at the Carmike Bellevue 8 Cinema. The film, which premiered last year at the Sundance Film Festival, follows the stories of three young public defenders whose struggle against long hours, low pay and staggering caseloads causes them to challenge the assumptions of the current criminal justice system. Tickets are $12 and can be purchased online.

While “Sex Week” at many undergraduate institutions conjures up images of crazy co-eds, at the University of Tennessee College of Law, the event will have a more academic feel. This Friday at 2 p.m., faculty presenters Wendy Bach, Michael Higdon and Joy Radice will participate in a panel discussion on “The Right Kind of Wrong: Sex & the Law.” The event will focus on the legal treatment of gender, sex and sexuality, pondering issues such as the future of gay marriage, gender discrimination in the workplace and transgender rights. Faculty member Joan Heminway will moderate.

Lawyers and interested individuals are asked to save the date for the 3rd Annual Association for Women Attorneys (AWA) Foundation Golf Tournament at Mirimichi Golf Course in Millington May 30. The activities begin at 1 p.m. with a shotgun start. The entry fee of $150 includes scramble entry, lunch, drink tickets, prizes, a gift bag and a chance to win a new car from Lexus of Memphis. An environmental tour of Mirimichi is also available at 4:30 p.m. For more information and registration, please visit the AWA website for a flyer.