The Unity Group of Chattanooga has announced the schedule of events for its 54th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Week with the theme of “Love for Humanity and Justice.” The local community organization will host presentations, a book drive, prayer breakfast, gospel music concert and parade to honor the legacy of King. See all events online at www.unitygroupchatt.com/events.

The Ballad Health Strong BRAIN Institute at East Tennessee State University (ETSU) will host internationally recognized trauma-informed trainer and coach Becky Haas as part of their Resilience Presentation Series. Haas will be presenting "Employing a Trauma-Informed Approach in Justice Systems" on Jan. 22 from 1-2 p.m. EST. Learn more about the ways justice professionals can implement a trauma-informed approach to their practice during this free webinar. Download a flyer for more information about the event. Registration is required.

The TBA Young Lawyers Division (YLD) and Tennessee Judicial Conference will hold a Bar and Bench reception on Jan. 18 at 5:30 p.m. CST in Memphis. The event is sponsored by and will take place at Morgan and Morgan, 80 Monroe Ave., Ste. 900, Memphis 38103. The reception will kick off a series of networking events across Tennessee, offering a unique opportunity for lawyers and members of the judiciary to interact in a casual atmosphere.

The TBA Law Tech Lunch & Learn Series will make its next stop in Memphis on March 15. The two-hour program will focus on artificial intelligence (AI) issues, including an introduction to AI and a discussion of how AI can be incorporated into law practice. A second session will feature Memphis attorney Greg Siskind discussing ethical considerations with AI. Registration and lunch will begin at 11:30 a.m. CST. The program will begin at noon. Can't make this one? The series travels to Nashville on Feb. 7.

The TBA will be closed Monday in observance of New Year’s Day. The office will reopen at 8 a.m. CST on Tuesday. Visit the TBA website to access CLE offerings for your year-end needs and contact information for individual staff members. Happy New Year!

The University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law will host "The New Voices in Criminal Law," a symposium presented by Professor Stephen Galoob, the law school’s visiting Herff Chair of Excellence, on April 19, 2024. The symposium will present cutting-edge research regarding criminal law and the criminal legal system. Panels will feature scholars presenting emerging research along with commentary by some of the leading criminal legal scholars in the world. Read the announcement for the full list of presenters and commentators.

Judge Tarik B. Sugarmon of the Juvenile Court of Memphis and Shelby County will serve as guest speaker for Dyersburg State Community College’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Luncheon at noon, Jan. 12, 2024, at Dyersburg State Community College inside the Learning Resource Center (LRC) Sells Family Lobby. The event will be co-hosted by the Dyersburg/Dyer County Chamber of Commerce. Tickets for the luncheon are $20 each and must be purchased in advance by Jan. 10 at the Dyersburg/Dyer County Chamber of Commerce or the DSCC One Stop located in the Student Center at the Dyersburg campus. For more information regarding the event, contact Edith Carlton at 731-286-3300 or carlton@dscc.edu.

The TBA will be closed Friday and Monday in observance of the Christmas holiday. We will reopen Tuesday at 8 a.m. CST. Online CLE programming will remain available throughout the holidays.

The YWCA of Nashville & Middle Tennessee will hold its next “Stand Against Injustice” event on Jan. 31, 2024. The “Redrawing Democracy” session will feature Dr. Sekou Franklin, author and professor at MTSU; Chicoya Smith Gallman, an attorney with the NAACP Tennessee Chapter’s Political Action Committee; and Tequila Johnson, founder and director of The Equity Alliance. The group will discuss gerrymandering, racism and voting rights in Tennessee. Register to attend.

The TBA’s next book club discussion event will take place on Jan. 24, 2024, with Preston Lauterbach, author of “Beale Street Dynasty: Sex, Song and the Struggle for the Soul of Memphis.” The event will take place virtually on Zoom. Register to attend. The book, selected by TBA President Jim Barry, centers on an ex-slave who becomes the south’s first Black millionaire in Prohibition-era Memphis. Lauterbach brings history and the realities of race relations to life in his works, which also include “The Chitlin’ Circuit” and “Bluff City.” He also has co-authored three memoirs on significant figures in Black music: American blues musician and song writer Robert Johnson; Memphis soul drummer Howard Grimes; and a soon-to-be released biography of the Blind Boys of Alabama.