The American Bar Association will hold a Town Hall Discussion “Advocating for Equality in the Next Generation-Disability Rights” at Vanderbilt University Law School on Jan. 25 at 3 p.m. in the Moore Room. The ABA Town Hall Series is designed to encourage dialogue among law students, young lawyers, experienced members of the bar, and others in the community about how the legal profession should address issues of inequality, intolerance and discrimination in the profession and in society. Paula Pearlman, executive director of the Disability Rights Legal Center will be the keynote speaker. Registration is free. RSVP by Jan. 23 to irr@americanbar.org

Lawyers and sitting judges are needed to preside over the Frederick Douglass Moot Court Competition and the Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial Competition, both of which are being held by the Southern Region of the National Black Law Students Association Jan. 30 to Feb. 3 in Nashville. Volunteers are needed for a variety of time slots. See the schedule and sign up online for the moot court competition or the mock trial competition. For additional information, contact the southern region at srblsa.mocktrial@nblsa.org.

Davidson County General Sessions Court Judge Angelita Dalton will be the featured speaker at Lane College’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. chapel convocation on Wednesday. A native of Nashville and an alumna of the Jackson college, Dalton was the first African American woman elected to a judgeship in Nashville. Lane College was founded in 1882 by individuals committed to making sure that newly freed slaves would be able to read and write. The event will take place at 11 a.m. in the J.F. Lane Health and Physical Education Building, the Jackson Sun reports.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) is accepting applications for its Citizen’s Academy, which is designed to develop better understanding and awareness of the agency in the community. It offers citizens a close look at the TBI’s work investigating crime scenes and cyber crime, tracking terrorism information and conducting forensics examinations. The program runs May 7-28 at the TBI headquarters in Nashville. Applicants must be at least 21 years old and be physically able to meet training and scheduling requirements. Those interested should fill out the application by Feb. 28.

The Association for Women Attorneys (AWA) will host its 33rd Annual Banquet and Silent Auction Jan. 17 at the Tower Center at Clark Tower, 5100 Poplar Ave., Memphis 38137. This year's event will honor U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Paulette J. Delk. Also at the event, Frances M. Riley, bankruptcy court law clerk, will take office as president of the organization. A cocktail hour with cash bar and silent auction will begin at 5:30 p.m. with dinner and program following at 6:45 p.m. Tickets are $60 for AWA members, $70 for nonmembers and $40 for law students. For more details and tickets, contact AWA Banquet Co-Chair Keating Lowery at keatingl@lawrencerussell.com or (901) 844-4438. Download an announcement about the meeting.

The Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services (TALS) executive director Erik Cole is leaving the organization at the end of January. Cole, who has served as executive director since 2005, is moving to the Nashville mayor’s office, where he will be working on creating new programs related to financial stability and empowerment for low-income Nashvillians.

The University of Memphis School of Law, in conjunction with the Russian Cultural Center of Memphis, will convene a workshop on private international law Jan. 13-14. During the first day of the program, participants will take part in cultural events at the Russian Cultural Center. The workshop will continue on Jan. 14 at the law school with a program on the prospects and challenges for Russian-American bilateral trade and cultural exchange following Russia’s entry into the World Trade Organization. See the full schedule or contact Ryan Jones by email or phone at (901) 678-4910.

The Chattanooga Chapter of the Federal Bar Association will hold its annual meeting Jan. 15 at noon at The Chattanoogan. The speaker will be University of South Carolina Emeritus Professor Dan T. Carter, a leading authority on race relations and American politics. Carter will focus his remarks on current trends in voting rights in the United States. The event is open to the public. Cost for admission is $30, which includes lunch. For questions or to reserve a seat, contact Katharine Gardner.

National student loan expert Heather Jarvis will speak to students at the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law as part of a comprehensive workshop for rising first and second year students. Jarvis has contributed to student debt relief policy for the House Education Committee and others in Congress, as well as advancing public service loan forgiveness. The event will be held next Tuesday at 9 p.m. in the law school’s Wade Auditorium.

The Judicial Nominating Commission will interview six attorneys who applied for the Chancery Court vacancy in the 8th Judicial District during a public meeting Jan. 18 at 9 a.m. at Woodlake Lodge, Golf & County Club in Tazewell. The vacancy was created by the death of the Hon. Billy Joe White. During the hearing, attorneys and members of the public may express their approval or objections to the candidates. Applicants are Elizabeth C. Asbury, James L. Cotton Jr., Kathy Parrott, Charles Patrick Sexton, Thomas Jackson Tabor Jr. and Andrew R. Tillman.