Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee & the Cumberlands is hosting a Pro Bono Appreciation Happy Hour to thank and recognize its volunteers. The event is on on Oct. 19 from 4:30-6 p.m. CDT at 501 Commerce Street at Fifth & Broadway in Nashville, and is sponsored by Polsinelli and K&L Gates. Find more information and RSVP here. 

Each year the Memphis Bar Association’s Access to Justice Committee recognizes those in the Memphis legal community who show a commitment to pro bono service and the pursuit of access to justice for all. The committee is accepting nominations through Oct. 6 for the Access to Justice 2023 Pro Bono Awards. Award recipients will be announced at the MBA’s 2023 Pro Bono Awards Ceremony on Nov. 8 at a reception hosted by Butler Snow. Submit a nomination via this form. 

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump rallied students at Tennessee State University on Tuesday, urging them to encourage Tennessee lawmakers to allocate $2.1 billion in funds that should have been provided to the school but weren't, the Tennessean reports. Crump, who has provided legal services to several Black families whose loved ones have been killed by police, told students they had been cheated out of better opportunities that the additional money would have brought to the campus. He also threatened legal action if the funding is not restored. The funding shortage was spelled out in a letter from the Biden administration to Gov. Bill Lee last month. Tennessee was one of 16 states accused of underfunding its historically Black land-grant universities by billions of dollars over the last 30 years.

This year's Hot Topics in Real Estate will take place virtually on Nov. 10, allowing you to learn from the comfort of your home or office. The program, produced in cooperation with the Tennessee Land Title Association, is a staple for Tennessee dirt lawyers, designed to keep you on the cutting edge of developments in your practice. This year's program starts at 9 a.m. CST and provides 1 hour of dual credit and 4.75 hours of general credit.

The TBA offers a member advantage relationship with SoFi, one of the largest providers of student, home and personal loans. Members seeking to consolidate and refinance student loans can save thousands of dollars thanks to SoFi’s flexible terms, low rates and no fees. TBA members also will receive an exclusive rate discount! Don't have student loans? SoFi can help you reach your financial goals with other solutions, including mortgages and personal loans. Get started today at SoFi.com/TBA.

The Tennessee Supreme Court and the Access to Justice Commission are hosting the first in-person pro bono recognition event since 2019. All who received recognition as Attorneys for Justice and Law Students for Justice for 2020 through 2023 are invited to this celebration. The event will take place on Oct. 10 at 5:30 p.m. CDT at the Belmont College of Law. 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 for this celebration. Light refreshments will immediately follow the presentations. RSVPs are requested. 

Memphis Area Legal Services (MALS) will hold three legal clinics in October. The “Attorney of the Day Clinic” will take place Oct. 5 and 19 from 1-3 p.m. CST at the Shelby County Courthouse, 140 Adams Ave., Room 134, Memphis 38103. The monthly clinic at the Benjamin Hooks Library will take place Oct. 14 beginning at 10 a.m. The library is located at 3030 Poplar Ave., Memphis 38111. For both clinics, clients will be served on a first come, first served basis. For questions or to volunteer contact Heather Staggs or Walter Casey.

Legal Aid of East Tennessee will host a free virtual clinic on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. EDT to assist adults seeking to change their names. Clients are pre-registered and will be paired with volunteer attorneys and law students to draft petitions and get advice on how to prepare for a name change hearing. LAET is partnering with the TBA Young Lawyers Division, Belmont School of Law and Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands to hold this event. Attorneys interested in volunteering should email mdevoe@laet.org.

Three of the five former Memphis police officers charged with the beating, and later death, of Tyre Nichols will not be tried separately as they had requested, the Commercial Appeal reports. Shelby County Criminal Court Judge James Jones Jr. ruled Monday that the attorneys did not "show how any antagonism between co-defendants necessitates a separate trial, nor has he shown how he will be hindered in presenting his defense at a joint trial."

State Rep. Justin Jones, D-Nashville, is suing House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, and others, claiming they violated his free speech rights by expelling and disciplining him for speaking without permission in favor of gun reform, the Daily Memphian reports. Jones is asking the U.S. District Court for Middle Tennessee to issue an injunction preventing Sexton from censoring him and from passing similar rules packages in the future.