Lawyers across the country are participating in the National Celebration of Pro Bono, which runs Oct. 23-29. This year’s theme, Law in Everyday Life, focuses attention on the ways in which access to legal assistance affects historically excluded and low-income individuals. Also held during the week is ABA Giving Day on Oct. 27. Organized by the American Bar Association's Fund for Justice and Education, the effort raises support for ABA programs that help others through public service, policy initiatives and education programs.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division is partnering with the Tennessee Supreme Court Access to Justice Initiative, Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands, Legal Aid of East Tennessee, Belmont Law and others to offer a virtual debt relief clinic to Tennessee citizens. In celebration of Celebrate Pro Bono Month in October, the next clinic will be held on Oct. 8 from 9 to 11 a.m. CDT. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Charles Walker will begin the clinic with an overview about bankruptcy. Clinic clients then will be paired with volunteer attorneys in break-out Zoom rooms for counsel and advice about debt relief options, with referral for pro bono representation for those who qualify for chapter 7 bankruptcy. If you are able to serve on October 8 from 9 to 11 CDT, please sign up here. For questions, please contact Alix Rogers at Alexandra.rogers@belmont.edu.

As part of Domestic Violence Prevention Month and Celebrate Pro Bono Month, the Tennessee Access to Justice Commission and partners are offering a free CLE at noon CDT on Thursday. Family Law Basics for Domestic Violence Victims with Limited Means will be facilitated by Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee & the Cumberlands attorneys Aimee Luna and Rachel Moses. Topics will include filing and amending order of protection petitions, preparing the client for an adversarial hearing, pursuing violations, and contempt. The presentation also will include advocacy tips for representing clients with limited means in divorces, including filing under affidavit of indigency, constructive service by posting, reduced fee mediation, and mediation exceptions for victims of abuse. Register here.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division participated in two clinics this month as part of Celebrate Pro Bono Month. On Oct. 2, the YLD joined with Legal Aid of East Tennessee, Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee & the Cumberlands, Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services and the Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts to hold a debt relief clinic. Sixteen low income debtors met with 14 volunteer attorneys to get advice about debt issues and relief options. Ten had their cases taken on a pro bono basis. Then on Oct. 6, the YLD joined with Vanderbilt University Law School and the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services to host a TN Free Legal Answers Clinic. Volunteer attorneys met virtually with law students to answer 10 questions submitted on the TN Free Legal Answers website. Ten law students and seven attorneys volunteered their time.

For the second year, the American Bar Association is asking members to join its efforts to address significant issues that affect communities, the ABA Journal reports. ABA Giving Day, scheduled for Oct. 28, is a 24-hour initiative sponsored by the ABA Fund for Justice and Education. During the event, lawyers are encouraged to give to specific projects, including those that prevent housing insecurity, improve the child welfare system and obtain benefits for military families. ABA President Reginald Turner also challenged lawyers to spend 10 hours or more on pro bono projects by the end of the year. The inaugural ABA Giving Day raised $115,000 for eight programs in 2020. The giving event is held each year in conjunction with the week-long National Celebration of Pro Bono which begins Sunday.

The Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands will hold two clinics next week. A phone clinic will be held on Oct. 26 at 2 p.m. CDT to provide general advice. The first 15 callers will be accepted. On Oct. 27, LAS will hold a clinic specifically for veterans from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. CDT at Operation Stand Down, 1125 12th Ave. S. Nashville 37203. To volunteer for either of these clinics, contact Kendra Cheek, 615-780-7131. See all October clinics.

Legal Aid of East Tennessee (LAET) will hold its next weekly phone clinic to help those with questions about eviction actions on Oct. 26. The clinic will run from 2-5 p.m. EDT. Volunteer lawyers will provide advice only on topics such as repairs, security deposits and tenant rights. Those who are interested in providing direct legal representation for tenants in detainer court should contact LAET to be added to a list of available advocates. To volunteer for either opportunity contact Caitlin Torney, 865-251-4951.

The Memphis Bar Association will present its Access to Justice Committee awards during an Oct. 29 ceremony, from noon until 3 p.m. CDT. Speakers for the virtual program include: Constance Brown, Memphis Area Legal Services managing attorney; Linda Seely, Butler Snow pro bono counsel; Danielle Woods, MBA Access to Justice chair; Morgan B. Hanna, Children’s Project staff attorney & Welcome South pro bono coordinator; and Tina Lum Perrusquia, Community Legal Clinic pro se divorce clinic attorney and pro bono coordinator. The awards ceremony will immediately follow the program, titled “Pro Bono During the Pandemic.” Learn more and register here.

The state’s first Administer Justice Gospel Justice Center — a national non-profit that works with local churches to provide legal services for those in need — is being established in West Knoxville at Cokesbury United Methodist Church. The program is looking for attorneys to volunteer for four hours one Saturday a month. Administer Justice only handles civil issues and does not require a court appearance. Legal issues may range from landlord-tenant to applying for disability benefits. Malpractice insurance is provided. To learn more visit www.administerjustice.org. To volunteer contact Crystal Schrof.

A news item in Thursday’s issue of TBA Today included the wrong location for a Oct. 23 Faith and Justice Clinic in Knoxville. The clinic, sponsored by the Tennessee Supreme Court Access to Justice Commission, Knoxville Bar Association and its Access to Justice Committee, Legal Aid of East Tennessee and the University of Tennessee College of Law, will be held at Lennon-Seney United Methodist Church, 2084 Dandridge Ave., Knoxville 37915. Sign up here to volunteer.