Atlanta-based Gideon’s Promise will host a “Law Day Soiree” May 1 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Nashville offices of Frost Brown Todd. During the event, the group's president will discuss the state of the nation’s public defense system and share about the mission of the organization. Nashville Mayor Karl Dean also will be honored and select outtakes from an upcoming HBO documentary, Gideon’s Army, will be shown. The event is sponsored by Nashville Public Defender Dawn Deaner; Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz; Bell Tennent & Frogge; Bone McAllester Norton; Dodson, Parker, Behm & Capparella; and Frost Brown Todd, located in the Pinnacle at Symphony Place, 150 3rd Ave. S., Suite 1900, Nashville 37201. RSVP for the event by April 24 to Roshonda Carter. Learn more about Gideon’s Promise, formerly known as the Southern Public Defender Training Center, by watching this recent New York Times video about a young prosecutor who graduated from its program.

The Memphis Lawyers’ Chapter and University of Memphis Law Students’ Chapter of the Federalist Society will present “Current Proposals to Change the Electoral College System” on April 18 from 11:30 to 1 p.m. at the University of Memphis School of Law. The seminar will feature panelists John L. Ryder with Harris Shelton Hanover Walsh, James Bopp Jr. with The Bopp Law Firm, and associate Memphis law professor Steven J. Mulroy. Jon P. McCalla, chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee, will moderate the program. The event is free to the public and refreshments will be served. To attend, contact Greg Grisham at (901) 462-2616 or gregory.grisham@jacksonlewis.com.

The 14th Annual Red Shoe Party is a cocktail dinner event benefiting Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) chapter located in Nashville. The event will be held Saturday at the Pinnacle at Symphony Place at 7 p.m. and will feature a dance and auction. Jane Andrews, CASA executive director in Nashville, said the event is “a fun and exciting way to communicate the mission of CASA to a broad spectrum of the Nashville community who may not be aware that child abuse is a significant issue in our own city. It is an opportunity for people to make a difference in the lives of these child victims and give them hope for a safe, permanent home." Visit www.casa-nashville.org for tickets.

Memphis lawyers will be hosting a free legal advice clinic on Saturday at the Benjamin L. Hooks Library, 3030 Poplar Avenue. Organized by Memphis Area Legal Services and the Memphis Bar Association’s Access to Justice Committee, the clinic will run from 10 a.m. to noon, with attorneys and staff of Burch Porter & Johnson and the MBA Bankruptcy Section sponsoring the event.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division will hold a Wills for Heroes clinic in Franklin this Saturday and additional lawyer volunteers are needed to draft wills and other end-of-life documents for first responders and their families. The event, coordinated by Franklin City attorney Shauna Billingsley, will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Franklin Police Department, 900 Columbia Ave. Contact Billingsley at shauna.billingsley@franklintn.gov or (615) 550-6603 to get involved. Since 2008, the YLD has provided wills for more than 1,800 first responders in the state.

The Access to Justice Commission will hold a free legal clinic this Saturday at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library in Memphis from 10 a.m. to noon. The clinic is part of a program to provide free legal services every second Saturday of the month. The Memphis Bar Association, Memphis Area Legal Services, the Community Legal Center and other nonprofit organizations are jointly sponsoring the events, the Memphis Daily News reports.

The Student Bar Association at the University of Memphis School of Law is sponsoring its annual Race Judicata April 6 at 5 p.m. The race will take place at Mississippi River Park, located at 51 North Riverside Dr. The race is open to the public, and runners, walkers and strollers are welcome. There will be food and live music following the race, the proceeds from which benefit Memphis Area Legal Services. For more information, or to sign up as a sponsor visit the event webpage.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the son of the late presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, will be the graduation speaker for the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys Law School graduation on May 12. The ceremony will begin at 3 p.m. at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts. Kennedy is a professor of environmental law at Pace University School of Law and serves as co-director of the school’s Environmental Litigation Clinic. Among his other roles, he serves as senior attorney and advisor to several other environmental organizations. Read more in the Memphis Daily News.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee is hosting a bowling event for the legal profession, called "Lawyers for Littles," to raise money for the organization. The event will take place May 9 at 5:30 p.m. at Nashville’s Hillwood Strike and Spare. Lawyers, law firms, legal organizations and legal vendors are invited to form five-person teams to compete for the best bowling score, team name, costumes or bowling shirts and, most importantly, the most money raised. If you or your firm would like to form a team or play on a team with other lawyers, email Tom Shumate or call him at (615) 742-4800. Learn more about the event and register under the "Lawyers for Littles" group.

A reception honoring the service of Shelby County Probate Court Judge Robert S. Benham is planned for April 8 from 4-6 p.m. on the fourth floor of the University of Memphis School of Law. Benham is retiring this week after 16 years on the bench and 50 years of service to the legal profession. The event is being hosted by the Memphis estate planning and probate bar. Please RSVP to Steve McDaniel, Marjorie Baker or Rob Malin. Donations to offset the costs of the reception are welcome, with any excess funds going toward Judge Benham’s official portrait or to Memphis Area Legal Services.