The TBA will host its 2026 Animal Law Forum on Oct. 9 at the Nashville Zoo. The program will feature updates on trends and developments in animal law while offering attendees opportunities to network and enjoy zoo activities. Breakfast, lunch and zoo admission are included with registration. Speakers include Nashville attorney Jessica Schultz, chair of the TBA’s Animal Law Section, and Dr. Robert Simpson of the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine. More information is available on the TBA website.

Save the date for this year's Elder Law Forum, the premier event for Tennessee senior-centric lawyers. Join speakers Amy Bryant, Barbara Moss, Beverly Sharpe, Jon Toy and Karl Warden on July 17 at the Nashville School of Law for sessions on conservatorships, fraud concerns, guardians ad litem, special needs trusts, ethics and more. For more information and to register, visit the TBA's website.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division's (YLD) Exploration CLEs received rave reviews last yearv— including, "it was the single greatest CLE I've ever been to," "insightful" and "very original idea." Now make plans to join colleagues for the fourth Exploration CLE at Long Hunter State Park in Nashville on Sept. 25. Take the day to experience the magnificence of one of Tennessee's state parks while earning three hours of CLE credit. The day will include lunch and a ranger-led hike. More information and speakers will be announced soon.

Save the date for this year's Elder Law Forum, the premier event for Tennessee senior-centric lawyers. Join speakers Amy Bryant, Barbara Moss, Beverly Sharpe and Jon Toy on July 17 at the Nashville School of Law for sessions on conservatorships, fraud concerns, guardians ad litem, special needs trusts, ethics and more. For more information and to register, visit the TBA's website.

The TBA will host its annual Real Estate Essentials program virtually on June 3 from noon to 3:15 p.m. CDT, offering an introductory overview of key topics in real estate law. The program will cover the fundamentals of commercial real estate in its first session, followed by a discussion of FIRPTA, FinCEN and cash reporting requirements. The course will feature presentations from Andy Maloney of Andy Maloney Law in Brentwood and Kirby Yost of Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel in Chattanooga. The program is designed for attorneys seeking a foundational understanding of real estate practice.

The TBA will offer a one-hour CLE webcast on June 24 focused on how lawyers can use artificial intelligence (AI) to become more efficient in their writing without compromising accuracy or professional judgment. Join Ryan Standil with Write To Excite as he demonstrates how AI can be used to revise drafts, find typos, monitor tone and identify faulty logic and ambiguities. Standil also will cover prompting techniques and guarding against AI shortcomings such as verbosity, desire to please and lack of human touch. Using AI to Accelerate Your Writing will run from noon to 1 p.m. CDT.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division (YLD) will host “Drug Court 101: What Every Non-Drug Court Lawyer Needs to Know About Tennessee’s Recovery Courts,” virtually on June 3 from noon to 1 p.m. CDT. The program will feature Judge Alexander McVeagh of the Hamilton County Circuit Court and Shannon Morgan of Hamilton County’s recovery courts, who will provide an overview of how recovery courts operate and how attorneys can better support clients involved in them. The session is designed to offer practical guidance for lawyers who may not regularly practice in drug court settings. For more information and to register, visit the TBA website.

The TBA will host a one-hour CLE program, “Beyond the Hype: Practical Applications of AI,” on May 19 from noon to 1 p.m. CDT via webcast. The program will provide attorneys with a foundational understanding of how artificial intelligence (AI) works and offer practical ways to incorporate it into their practice. The session will be led by John Haines, an East Tennessee attorney who focuses on divorce and family law and has a strong interest in using technology to improve efficiency and accessibility in legal practice. For more information and to register visit the TBA website.

The TBA’s Dispute Resolution Forum will return May 7 as a live virtual program from 9 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. CDT, featuring sessions designed for both attorneys and mediators. The forum will include discussions on technology tools to improve mediation efficiency, an arbitration panel and an ethics course covering Board of Professional Responsibility rules relevant to attorneys serving as negotiators and mediators. Speakers include Rebecca Ketchie of Herrin, McPeak & Associates in Johnson City; Larry Bridgesmith of Vanderbilt University in Nashville; and Stephen Shields of Jackson, Shields, Yeiser, Holt, Owen & Bryant in Memphis. For more information and to register visit the TBA website.

Programming at TBA’s 2026 Convention kicks off June 11 at 9 a.m. EDT with Catherine Sanders Reach, director of the North Carolina Bar Association’s Center for Practice Management. Every legal tech vendor has an AI pitch, but is your firm actually ready to buy? This session will cut through the hype with a problem-first approach to technology purchasing. Reach will cover how to audit current technology for gaps and redundancies, calculate real ROI on the tools already owned, and build a framework for evaluating new products. Reach has spent over two decades helping legal professionals integrate technology into their practices. She has been with the North Carolina Bar Association since 2018. She previously was director of the ABA’s Legal Technology Resource Center and director of law practice management and technology at the Chicago Bar Association. Check out all the CLE planned for Convention and register today!