A free legal clinic will be held in Morristown on Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m. The event, sponsored by Hamblen Legal Link, will take place at 1125 W. First North St., Ste. A. For details contact Dale Darby by email or by phone at (423) 307-6198 See all events planned for Celebrate Pro Bono Month

Join former football coach Bill Courtney for breakfast tomorrow beginning at 8 a.m. and stay for pro bono training. The training session, presented as part of Celebrate Pro Bono Month, will focus on handling debt collection, pro se divorce forms and employment issues at legal clinics. The Memphis Bar Association, Memphis Area Legal Services, Community Legal Center and University of Memphis School of Law host the event in the Ball Reading Room of the law school. Contact Linda Seely or Callie Caldwell for details. 

An education and outreach program will be offered for seniors at noon Wednesday in Pikeville. The event will be sponsored by the Legal Aid Society of East Tennessee. For details, contact Charlie McDaniel. See all the events planned for Celebrate Pro Bono Month

Today kicks off Celebrate Pro Bono Month in Tennessee. In its fourth year, the initiative brings together bar associations, law schools, law firms, legal services providers and individual lawyers to offer free services to those unable to afford a lawyer. This year, more than 300 volunteers -- including lawyers, law students, paralegals and language interpreters -- are expected to participate in dozens of events and activities across the state. Here is what's on tap for Tuesday:

• Legal Aid of East Tennessee hosts a Seniors Education and Outreach Program at noon at 535 Chestnut St., in Chattanooga. Contact Charlie McDaniel for more information.

• The Nashville Pro Bono Program and lawyers from Waller will staff an Assisted Pro Se Divorce Clinic at the Nashville office of the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee & the Cumberlands. Clients should arrive at 4:30 p.m. for the clinic that runs 5 to 7 p.m. For more information, contact Lucinda Smith.

• The Nashville Bar Association hosts its monthly Dial-A-Lawyer program, where volunteer lawyers answer questions from anyone calling (615) 242-9272 from 6 to 8 p.m. For more information contact Wendy Cozby.

• The Nashville Pro Bono Program, with lawyers from Community Health Systems and the Williamson County Bar Assocation, will provide advice/counsel and referral to people with low incomes at the Williamson County Public Library, 1314 Columbia Ave., Franklin. Clients should arrive at 5:30 p.m. for the event that runs from 6 to 7:30 p.m. For more information, contact Lucinda Smith.

See more than 50 events planned for the month here.

Tennessee lawyers will offer free legal services to those unable to afford a lawyer throughout the month of October as part of the national Celebrate Pro Bono initiative. Activities will include legal advice clinics, education programs, public presentations and other events. The initiative kicks off with four legal clinics on Oct. 2, with more than 40 events planned across the state during the month. Last year more than 350 volunteers assisted more than 1,100 clients. "Though the legal community generously donates pro bono services year-round, this special focus is designed to ensure that those in our communities who need free legal help know where to find it,” TBA President Jackie Dixon said.

Knoxville lawyers will gather Thursday, July 26, at the Square Room on Market Square for Celebrate Pro Bono! The festivities will begin at 5:30 p.m. with a dinner buffet. Tickets are $25 per person ($15 for law students) and may be ordered online, by fax to (865) 525-1162 or by mail to Legal Aid of East Tennessee, 502 S. Gay Street, Suite 404, Knoxville 37902. Tennessee Supreme Court Justices Sharon G. Lee and Gary R. Wade will serve as the masters of ceremonies. The evening also will feature a silent auction, and will wrap up with a presentation of the Knoxville Bar Association's Pro Bono Awards and awards for those who have performed extraordinary service to low-income clients through the Pro Bono Project. Learn more about the event

Bar associations and legal organizations across the country will hold pro bono clinics and events as part of the national Celebrate Pro Bono effort this fall. The official Celebrate Pro Bono week will be Oct. 21–27, but Tennessee lawyers will hold events all month long. If you are interested in organizing an event in your area contact TBA Access to Justice Coordinator Sarah Hayman or call (615) 383-7421.

Law firms from across Tennessee interviewed more than 60 law students in October during the Tennessee Bar Association’s Diversity Job Fair at the Tennessee Bar Center. Just in its first year, the Job Fair drew students from 21 law schools, ranging from those in Tennessee to historically black institutions as far away as Texas, Louisiana and Michigan.

Campaign puts focus on pro bono needs, contributions

Tennessee lawyers will offer free legal services to those unable to afford a lawyer throughout the month of October as part of the national Celebrate Pro Bono initiative. More than 40 events — including legal advice clinics, CLE training and public education programs -- are planned across the state during the month. Gov.

Public education

Tennessee judges and attorneys have partnered to create a new program for educating students, community groups and business organizations about the legal system. The Tennessee Judicial Conference (TJC) and Tennessee Bar Association (TBA) developed the GAVELS program, which stands for Gaining Access to Valuable Education about the Legal System, to fill the growing knowledge gap about the legal system and the important role it plays in our government.