Law Day art and essay entries for the 2013 competition are due April 12 to local contest coordinators. This year’s theme “Realizing the Dream: Equality for All” provides an opportunity for students to explore civil and human rights movements in America and the impact they have had in promoting the ideal of equality under the law. Students also are asked to consider what remains to be done to rectify injustice in society, including eliminating all forms of discrimination, putting an end to human trafficking and ending other violations of human rights. The art contest is open to all Tennessee students in K-8 grades. The essay contest is open to students in grades 9-12. Learn more about this year’s competition and rules for submitting entries.

Leading energy law and land use expert Hannah Wiseman will speak Thursday about fracking at Vanderbilt Law School. The talk is titled “Natural Gas Fracturing, Federalism Debates and the Regulatory Divide” and will explore the recent, rapid expansion of oil and gas development in the United Sates, driven large hydraulic fracturing and drilling in shale formations, and the legal issues that arise in its wake. The event is free and open to the public.

The Memphis Bar Association Veterans’ Committee, in conjunction with Memphis Area Legal Services, is starting a new monthly legal clinic to assist veterans with civil legal needs, including child support and visitation, landlord/tenant, employment and debtor/creditor issues. The first clinic will be held March 26 from noon until 2 p.m. at 1407 Union Ave., Suite 815. Anyone interested in volunteering for the clinic or helping plan for a future event should contact Anne Fritz at (901) 527-3575 or afritz@memphisbar.org.

The opening round of the 29th National Intercollegiate Tournament, sponsored by the American Mock Trial Association, will be held in Memphis at the Shelby County Courthouse March 22-24. The Rhodes College Mock Trial Team invites Tennessee lawyers to participate in the tournament as a judge for one or more of the four rounds of competition. An informational session for volunteers will be held one hour prior to each round. To sign up or to get more information contact Barbara Pohlmann at (901) 624-0309 or pohlmannb@rhodes.edu or Marcus Pohlmann at (901) 843-3843 or pohlmann@rhodes.edu.

Belmont University College of Law's Black Law Student Association will host a Street Law Symposium, March 23 at the Randall and Sadie Baskin Center on campus, from 10 a.m. to noon. The event, featuring four 30-minute sessions with presentations from the Metro Police Department and local attorneys, is free and open to the public. Download this flyer or contact blsa@pop.belmont.edu

Want to get better next year … or maybe a little more knowledgeable this year? The Tennessee Bar Association’s 2013 annual convention has programming to help you on both fronts. The just-released CLE schedule for this year’s event – June 12-15 in Nashville – is packed with strong sessions to help you thrive as a lawyer. From the innovative “Better Next Year” session in an un-conference format, to an analysis of “The Vanishing Lawyer” from author and George Washington University Law professor Thomas D. Morgan, there will be programs you don’t want to miss. See a full schedule now or go right to the registration page.

April 1 is the deadline for entering the TBA Environmental Law Section's Jon E. Hastings Memorial Award writing competition for law students. Entries may be submitted by law students enrolled in a Tennessee law school in 2012 or 2013. The competition is held in memory of one of the section’s outstanding founding members and has a cash prize pool of $1,200. This writing contest is a juried competition for the best legal writing on a topic of Tennessee or federal environmental law. Rules and announcement are available online. For more information contact Lynn Pointer.

Nashville area attorneys or law students interested in helping Magdalene House residents with legal issues can take part in an orientation session from 8 to 9 a.m. on Friday at Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis LLP. The volunteers will then work at a clinic from 4 to 7 p.m. on April 4 at Magdalene House, which is a residential program in Nashville for women who have survived prostitution, trafficking, addiction and life on the streets. The clinic is sponsored by the Belmont College of Law Legal Aid Society and the Tennessee Bar Association Access to Justice Committee. To learn more, contact Katie Blankenship or Emily Cole.

Nashville law firm Hall Booth Smith is hosting its third annual St. Patrick’s Day Celebration March 14, from 5 to 8 p.m. The event -- set for Rooster’s Texas Style BBQ and Steakhouse at 123 12th Ave. N. -- will bring together members of the legal community and benefit Hands On Nashville and Hospital Hospitality House. A $10 donation at the door is requested. Download a flyer for the event.

The University of Memphis Law Review’s annual symposium will be held March 22. The full-day event will look at the issue of human trafficking in the court system from an international, national, statewide and local perspective. Tennessee recently passed some of the strongest anti-trafficking laws in the country, which means these cases likely will arise more frequently in state courts. The symposium will feature speakers from state and local law enforcement, federal agencies and nonprofit organizations. Learn more or register online.