Among the many social events providing opportunities for convention attendees to connect and network with colleagues will be a reception hosted by the Tennessee Justice Center (TJC). The event, scheduled for Friday from 5:30-6:30 p.m. CDT, will honor the group’s 2025 Pro Bono Award Recipients and provide an opportunity to learn more about the incredible work and lasting impact of the individuals. It will take place at the Franklin Marriott Cool Springs in the Saddlebred/Highland Room. For more information about the event, please contact TJC Development Manager Aleena Robinson at arobinson@tnjustice.org. Learn more about the 2025 Annual Convention. Pre-registration has closed but full registration and individual tickets may be purchased on site from the TBA Registration Desk, which will be located in the hotel's conference center.

The Annual Trailblazer Banquet, celebrating leaders in civil rights, equality and justice, will take place June 19 at 5:30 p.m. CDT at the Walnut Street Church of Christ in Dickson. Hosted by the Clement Railroad Museum, the event will honor Misty Haynes, Julie Holt and Patty Walsh for their contributions to the community. The evening will include guest speakers, dinner and recognition of local advocates. Tickets are available at the museum, by phone at 615-446-0500 or online.

Registration is now open for the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services (TALS) Equal Justice University (EJU) conference. The annual event, co-sponsored by the TBA, is set for Aug. 27-29 at the Embassy Suites in Murfreesboro. This year’s conference will include more than 50 CLE sessions, inspiring keynote speakers and presentation of the Access to Justice Awards. Check out the full schedule. As a reminder, it is not too late to nominate colleagues for the three Access to Justice Awards presented at the conference. The nomination deadline is July 20.

The next legal clinic for veterans in Knoxville will take place June 11 from 12-2 p.m. EDT at the Knox County Public Defender's Community Law Office, 1101 Liberty St., Knoxville 37919. This is a general advice clinic sponsored by the Knoxville Bar Association, KBA Barristers, Legal Aid of East Tennessee, Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law, the University of Tennessee College of Law, the Knox County Public Defender’s Community Law Office and the local Veterans Affairs office. Attorneys and law students are needed. Sign up to volunteer here.

Events marking this year's Juneteenth celebration are being planned across the state this month. In Memphis, the 32nd Annual Memphis Juneteenth Festival will take place June 6 and 7 in Medical District Park while the 5th Annual Juneteenth Freedom Ride will occur on June 14. In Nashville, the Music City Freedom Fest will take place June 14 and 15 in Historic Hadley Park while the National African American Music Museum will celebrate with a block party at Assembly Food Hall's Sky Deck on June 19. The Tennessee State Museum also will offer Juneteenth programming on June 19, including a curator talk on antebellum and Civil War photography and an African American highlight tour of the galleries. Rounding out celebrations in Nashville will be Juneteenth 615 on June 19 with living history tours and fireworks at Fort Negley. In Chattanooga, the Juneteenth Unity Run and Walk and the Southside Juneteenth Jubilee at the Bethlehem Center will take place on June 14, while other events are planned throughout the month. In Knoxville, the Annual MLK Jr. Parade/March will take place in Chilhowee Park, followed by the Juneteenth Celebration in Dr. Walter Hardy Park on June 19.

The Napier-Looby Bar Association will host its second annual brunch, “A Southern Summer,” on June 22, at 2 p.m. CDT at Saint Elle in Nashville, 1420 Third Ave. S, Ste. 101, Nashville 37210. The keynote speaker for the event is Davidson County Criminal Court Judge Khadija L. Babb. To register for the event visit the group's website.

Celebrate Tennessee’s 229th birthday on May 31 with free, family-friendly activities Tennessee State Library & Archives (TSLA), the Tennessee State Museum and Bicentennial Mall State Park. The Tennessee State Museum will open at 10 a.m. CDT to the public and offer highlight tours, story time with reigning Miss Tennessee Carley Vogel, period games on the front lawn and a cupcake celebration. The TSLA will showcase Tennessee’s founding documents and new exhibits, and will host living history interpreters and indoor and outdoor activities, including a scavenger hunt. Tennessee’s three original constitutions also will be presented, displayed and guarded by the Tennessee Highway Patrol Honor Guard as part of the opening ceremony. Park rangers will offer free guided tours of Bicentennial Mall. Plan your visit.

This summer marks 100 years since the infamous Scopes Evolution Trial, formally "The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes," that took place in Dayton, north of Chattanooga in July 1925. The case was a challenge to the Butler Act, a law that made the teaching of human evolution in Tennessee schools illegal. Dubbed “the trial of the century” at the time, noted attorney Clarence Darrow represented Tennessee school teacher John Scopes while three-time presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan prosecution the case for Tennessee. Opening June 24, the Tennessee State Museum will present Eight Days in Dayton: 100 Years of the Scopes Trial, a temporary display featuring artifacts from the museum's collection related to the trial, including the table where town leaders sat in Robinson’s Drug Store when planning the trial, textbooks related to the case, and a significant collection of original press photographs the museum acquired in 2022.

The next free advice clinic for Black-owned small businesses and nonprofits is set for Nashville. This month's event will take place on June 18 instead of the usual date in honor of Juneteenth. The clinic, sponsored by the Arts & Business Council's Volunteer Lawyers & Professionals for the Arts and Bradley, provides assistance with business formation and corporate governance, review of contracts and guidance in navigating local ordinances and state regulations. Register by June 16 to participate. Attorneys should email vlpa@abcnashville.org to volunteer.

Just City will celebrate its 10th anniversary with "Stand Up with Just City," a special fundraising event featuring comedian Roy Wood Jr. on June 8 at the Minglewood Hall in Memphis. Wood, who is the host of CNN’s “Have I Got News For You” and a former correspondent on The Daily Show, will headline the evening, which also will include an appearance by state Rep. Justin J. Pearson, D-Memphis. The event marks a decade of the nonprofit’s work aimed at creating a more just and equitable criminal justice system. For more information on the event and to register, visit the organization's website.