The Knoxville Bar Association (KBA) will hold its Spring Memorial Service on May 15 to honor 13 lawyers who recently died. The group says that due to the number of passages, some recently passed members will be honored at a separate ceremony in November. The spring event will take place at 3 p.m. EDT in the Supreme Court courtroom at the Tennessee Supreme Court building, 505 Main St., 2nd Floor, Knoxville 37902. The Chattanooga Bar Association (CBA) recently held its annual memorial service as well. Judge Alex McVeagh presided over the event. Read more about those honored.

Effective July 1, lawyers will have to comply with new redaction rules for filings in Tennessee’s appellate courts. The TBA Appellate Practice Section will host a free webinar on the new rules and how they will significantly change the process for writing and filing briefs with the Tennessee Court of Appeals, Court of Criminal Appeals and Supreme Court. Appellate practitioners Jacob Vanzin, Ben Raybin and William Gill will explore the rules and offer a primer on how to comply with the new requirements. One hour of general CLE credit is available for a $50 processing fee. Learn more and register here.

Tennessee state Rep. G.A. Hardaway, D-Memphis, who died April 24 at the age of 71, will lie in state at the Tennessee State Capitol on April 30. Colleagues and the public are invited to visit the capitol to pay their respects. According to the Commercial Appeal, a celebration of life service also will be held at a date to be determined. That event will take place in Memphis at the Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church, 70 N Bellevue Blvd. Memphis 38104. Hardaway had served in the Tennessee House since 2007.

The Tennessee Department of Revenue will host a free webinar on sales tax exemptions on April 28 at 9 a.m. CDT. Participants will hear an overview of Tennessee’s sales tax exemptions and how they apply to businesses across the state. The session also will break down common exemption categories, documentation requirements, and compliance best practices. Each business webinar, offered quarterly, covers topics such as tax registration, sales and use tax, business tax, franchise and excise taxes and how to get help from the department and other relevant state agencies. Register for the webinar here. 

The University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law and the Herff Chair of Excellence will host the 2026 Herff Conference on May 15 at the law school. This year’s theme, "Countervailing Power — Antimonopoly for Workers," will focus on the rise of antitrust litigation in the labor market, including looking at the underlying laws and the proof elements for a violation. The keynote address will be given by former Federal Trade Commission Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya. Lunch and a reception are included in the free program. Learn more online.

The Tennessee Alliance for Black Lawyers (TABL) and the TBA Young Lawyers Division's (YLD) Diversity Committee will hold a networking mixer next week on April 30. The free event will run from 5:30-7:30 p.m. CDT at Burch Porter & Johnson, 130 N. Court Ave., Memphis 38103. Special thanks to the law firm for sponsoring this event. All are welcome but an RSVP is required by April 23. See a flyer for more information.

Make plans now to join colleagues from across the state at the TBA’s 2026 Annual Convention, set for June 10-13, at the Crowne Plaza Downtown Knoxville. In addition to compelling CLE programs and leadership meetings, multiple social and networking events will provide opportunities to connect with colleagues. The convention gets underway Wednesday and will feature a welcome reception that evening. Thursday will begin with the Public Service Breakfast and University of Tennessee Winston College of Law Breakfast, continue with interactive Lunch & Learn sessions, and wrap up with a reception at the Knoxville Smokies minor league baseball stadium. Friday will feature a breakfast buffet and the annual Lawyers Luncheon, which will include a look back at TBA President Heidi Barcus’ year in office and the swearing in of new president Charlotte Knight Griffin. See the full schedule. All events are included with full convention registration.

West Tennessee Legal Services (WTLS) and the Jackson-Madison County Bar Association will host their annual Law Day Celebration on May 1 beginning at 11:30 a.m. CDT. The event will take place at St. Luke’s Church in Jackson and will feature Joel Ebert and Erik Schelzig, authors of “Welcome to Capitol Hill: Fifty Years of Scandal in Tennessee Politics.” The pair will talk about their book, with a focus on West Tennessee government scandals, specifically those involving Gov. Ray Blanton and Operation Tennessee Waltz. Tickets are $35 for members of the Jackson-Madison County Bar Association, $50 for attorneys who are not members of the association and $25 for non-attorneys. Learn more about the event and purchase tickets online.

In addition to compelling CLE, social events and networking opportunities, the 2026 TBA Annual Convention will include meetings of TBA's governing bodies. On Wednesday, the House of Delegates will meet in the afternoon. On Thursday, the TBA Access to Justice Committee will meet to make plans for the upcoming bar year. On Friday, the TBA Board of Governors and its executive committee will meet for its summer meeting, while the Tennessee Legal Community Foundation (TLCF) and TBA Member Insurance Solutions (TBAMS) will hold their respective board meetings. Also on Friday, the Young Lawyers Division will hold its annual membership meeting and Long Range Planning Committee meeting. Governance activities will wrap up with past YLD presidents participating in a gavel pass and champagne toast to honor incoming president Jennifer Sneed-Perry. On Saturday, the YLD Board's executive committee will meet, while all board members will participate in committee breakouts and the summer board meeting. Check out the full convention schedule.

Law Day, nationally recognized on May 1, will be celebrated at events across the state in the coming weeks. Belmont College of Law Dean Alberto Gonzalez will speak at the Nashville Bar Association's event on April 23 and at the Knoxville Bar Association's program on April 29. The Memphis Bar Association will host a barbecue on May 1, and the Chattanooga Bar Association has planned a luncheon for May 6, featuring keynote speaker Jean Becker, former chief of staff to former President George H. W. Bush. Finally, West Tennessee Legal Services (WTLS) and the Jackson-Madison County Bar Association will host their annual Law Day Celebration on May 1 with Joel Ebert and Erik Schelzig, authors of "Welcome to Capitol Hill: Fifty Years of Scandal in Tennessee Politics." The 2026 Law Day theme is “The Rule of Law and the American Dream.” The rule of law — the idea that no person is above the law — is what ensures the rights of the people to live their lives as freely as possible and to pursue their dreams, according to national event planners.