Teams of pro bono attorneys, paralegals and law students in Nashville and Jackson, Mississippi, will compete in the 2nd Annual Capital City Pro Bono Challenge to see which city handles the most expungement cases at designated clinics. Four law firms with offices in both cities, Adams & Reese, Baker Donelson, Bradley and Butler Snow, are joining forces with volunteers from corporate legal departments, law schools and legal aid providers. The first Nashville clinic will be held Oct. 11 from 9 a.m. to noon CDT at 154 Rep. John Lewis Way, North. The event is hosted in partnership with Legal Aid Society of Nashville & Middle Tennessee, The Contributor and the Office of the Metro Nashville Criminal Court Clerk.

The Tennessee Supreme Court and the Access to Justice Commission are hosting a free CLE and pro bono recognition event Oct. 10 at Belmont School of Law. TBA and ATJ Committee Chair Linda Seely will present Tackling Difficult Pro Bono Questions. The session will take place from 4-5:15 p.m. CDT, immediately before the recognition ceremony. Participants are invited to stay for both events. The recognition event will start at 5:30 p.m. Members of the Tennessee Supreme Court will be on hand to honor pro bono recognition recipients. Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan L. Hecht will serve as the keynote speaker. Light refreshments will immediately follow the presentations. RSVPs are requested. 

The East Tennessee Lawyers Association for Women (ETLAW) is celebrating 40 years of advancement with a gala dinner event on Nov. 17 at the Cherokee Country Club in Knoxville. Knox County Circuit Court Judge Deborah Stevens will lead the festivities and programming, which will include remarks from former Supreme Court Justice Sharon Lee. View the invitation or purchase tickets.

The Nashville legal community welcomed newly installed Supreme Court Justice Dwight E. Tarwater with a reception last week at the Nashville School of Law. A native of Knoxville, Tarwater earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee, where he previously earned his undergraduate degree in political science. He has had a long career in private practice with the Knoxville firms of Egerton, McAfee, Armistead and Davis and Paine Tarwater Bickers LLP. He also served as general counsel to former Gov. Bill Haslam. The event was jointly sponsored by the Tennessee Bar Association, the Lawyers' Association for Women, the Nashville Bar Association and Nashville School of Law. See photos from the event.

Legal Aid of East Tennessee is co-hosting a Name Change Filing Party on Oct. 12 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. EDT at Edney Innovation Center in Chattanooga. The community event is presented in partnership with the Chattanooga Trans Liberation Collective where clients from the Virtual Pro Se Name Change Clinic can receive free notary and printing services, be matched with emotional support volunteers and apply for filing fee scholarships. All are welcome. For more information, email mdevoe@laet.org.

The Tennessee Bar Association has a new resource for test-takers who were not successful on the bar exam. Faith Watson, a YLD Board member and professor at the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law in Memphis, has pulled together the resources, which include strategies, tips for understanding the results and alternative careers that don't require a law license. If you know someone who did not pass the bar, this information is both helpful and encouraging.

Blackbaud software company has reached a settlement with Tennessee and 48 other states for its deficient data security practices and response to a 2020 ransomware event that exposed the personal information of millions of consumers across the United States. Blackbaud will pay $49.5 million to states as part of the settlement, with Tennessee receiving $882,312, according to a release from the Tennessee Attorney General's office.

A list of those who passed the July 2023 Tennessee bar exam is now available. Check the TBA’s website for the complete list of successful applicants. Those who meet all licensing requirements will be sworn in the first two weeks of November. Watch for more information about bar passage rates and statistics coming soon.

Justice Holly Kirby was formally sworn in as chief justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court at ceremonies at the Historic Supreme Court Chambers in the Tennessee State Capitol. Gov. Bill Lee administered the oath of office to Kirby, who then addressed those assembled. The full ceremony is available for viewing on the court YouTube channel.

A three-judge federal court panel has ruled the state of Alabama must use a new congressional district map for the 2024 elections to remedy Voting Rights Act violations found in the state's 2021 congressional map, News Channel 9 reports. The plan was created by a court-appointed special master after the panel rejected the state's 2023 congressional map passed by Republican lawmakers during a special legislative session.