The American Bar Association (ABA) House of Delegates (HOD) will meet in Chicago next week as part of the ABA’s 2024 Annual Meeting. The body consider more than three dozen policy matters, including experiential opportunities for law students, flexible work arrangements for lawyers and law firm policies requiring lawyers to take off one week a year with no expectation of checking in with the office. Other resolutions will focus on issues such as heightened judicial security, criminal justice, involuntary civil commitment, homelessness and global human rights. In addition, the HOD will hold a naturalization ceremony, feature a special panel discussion on how the legal profession is changing, and hear from Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

The Upper Cumberland Young Lawyers Association and Upper Cumberland Lawyers Association for Women will hold a school supply and backpack drive on Aug. 8 from 5-7 p.m. CDT at Red Silo Brewing Company, 118 W. 1st St., Cookeville 38501. All donated items will be given to the Department of Children’s Services to help children in the foster care system. Red Silo will provide a complimentary beverage to anyone who donates. Learn more about Packs for Pints on the event webpage or email Amber Vargas at avargas@las.org. View an event flyer.

Davidson County Juvenile Court Judge Sheila Calloway has been announced as the keynote speaker for the Nashville Conflict Resolution Center (NCRC) Mediation Matters Luncheon, set for Sept. 26 at 11:30 a.m. CDT. The event will take place at Hillwood Country Club, 6201 Hickory Valley Rd., Nashville 37205. A brief program recognizing Sara Figal, recently retired executive director of NCRC, and Kathy Alspaugh, courtroom clerk with Metro Government, will begin at noon. Read a press release from the organization.

The Tennessee Department of Revenue will host a free webinar on Aug. 27 at 9 a.m. CDT to discuss the Tennessee Retail Accountability Program. Department staff will provide detailed information about audits/assessments, wholesaler data and more. Learn more or register here. The webinar is one in a series of educational sessions held by the department each month.

The American Bar Association (ABA) Annual Meeting will take place in Chicago starting next week. Among the many events being planned is a Tennessee Reception hosted by the Tennessee Bar Association (TBA). The event will take place on Aug. 3 from 5:30-7 p.m. CDT at the Hyatt Regency Chicago, in the Crystal C Ballroom. The TBA regularly recognizes a distinguished Tennessee lawyer at these receptions, and this event will honor Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Holly M. Kirby. Justice Kirby has served on the court since 2014 and was named chief justice in 2023. Before joining the court, she made history as the first woman in the state to be named to the Tennessee Court of Appeals, where she served for almost 19 years. Any lawyers who will be attending the Annual Meeting are invited to join their colleagues for this reception. View the invitation.

The Memphis-based Community Legal Center (CLC) will host a ribbon cutting ceremony and reception commemorating the opening of its new office on July 25 from 4-6 p.m. CDT. The center recently relocated to Brinkley Plaza at 80 Monroe Ave., Ste. 415, Memphis 38103. The event will celebrate the CLC's 30-year history of providing quality, affordable legal services for Memphians in need. RSVP here or email austinb@clcmemphis.org with questions.

The next legal clinic for veterans in Knoxville will take place Aug. 14 from 12-1 p.m. EDT at the Knox County Public Defender's Community Law Office in Knoxville. This is a general advice clinic sponsored by the Knoxville Bar Association, KBA Barristers, Legal Aid of East Tennessee, Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law, the University of Tennessee College of Law, the Knox County Public Defender’s Community Law Office and the local Veterans Affairs office. Sign up to volunteer here.

The Knoxville Bar Association (KBA) will hold a free event with the Tennessee Innocence Project (TIP) tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. EDT. It will feature a conversation with Joyce Watkins, a TIP client, who became the first Black woman to be exonerated in Tennessee after spending 27 years in prison for a crime she did not commit. The event will be held at the Landing House, 1147 Sevier Ave., Knoxville 37920. Members of the public are invited to attend. To RSVP, complete this registration form.

The American Bar Association (ABA) 2024 Annual Meeting in Chicago will feature the group’s first-ever Democracy Summit on Aug. 2. The program will be led by former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson and former federal Judge J. Michael Luttig, co-chairs of the ABA Task Force for American Democracy. The task force will present its findings on the state of U.S. democracy as well as concrete steps for those in the legal profession to defend the rule of law in their local areas. Other elements of the meeting, which will run from July 31 through Aug. 6, include remarks by U.S. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, the second ranking official at the U.S. Department of Justice, awards presentations and programs on a range of legal topics. Get details in this release.

The University of Memphis Law Review is currently accepting articles proposals, speakers and panel participants for its annual symposium scheduled for Feb. 21, 2025. The symposium is titled "The Ripple Effect: Understanding the Impact of Controversial Court Decisions on the Public's Confidence in the Judiciary." More information on the call for papers and how to submit proposals may be found here.