Memphis Area Legal Services (MALS) will hold a Thursday afternoon Courthouse Advice & Counsel Clinic this week starting at 1 p.m. CDT at the Shelby County Courthouse, 140 Adams St., Room 134. Volunteer lawyers are needed to help clients navigating the court system. This clinic is held the first and third Thursdays of the month. For more information or to sign up to help call 901-523-8822 or fill out this Google form.

The Arts & Business Council's Volunteer Lawyers and Professionals for the Arts is joining the law firm of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings to provide free legal services for nonprofits and Black-owned small businesses in Nashville this Friday. Advice will cover business formation, corporate governance, contracts and navigating local ordinances and state regulations. Eligible entities may receive up to one hour of assistance. Clients should sign up online. Attorneys should email vlpa@abcnashville.org to volunteer.

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 this Thursday from 4:30-6 p.m. CDT at 501 Commerce St. at Fifth & Broadway in Nashville, and is sponsored by Polsinelli and K&L Gates. Find more information and RSVP here. 

The Memphis Bar Association YLD is seeking volunteer attorneys to participate in Legal Lines with WREG on Oct. 24 from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. CDT. Volunteers will be answering phones and must be able to stay for the entire event. Register for the event or email constance.brown@memphistn.gov for more information.

Attorney and law student volunteers are needed for a Rights Restoration Project being planned by the Tennessee Supreme Court’s Access to Justice Commission (ATJ). The commission will provide a virtual training on Oct. 20 from 1-2:30 p.m. CDT focused on the rights restoration process, available forms and resources, and recent changes in the law. The training is free but registration is required. After completing the training, lawyers will be matched with a law student and a client. Cases will be worked throughout the month of November. Those who would like more information before signing up for the training may watch a recording of an informational meeting about the project (use passcode 8UW#%GnU) and follow along with this slide deck.

The NAACP Sumner County Branch and the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands will hold an expungement clinic on Oct. 21 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. CDT at the Gallaton Shalom Zone, 600 Small St., Gallatin 37066. Registration is required.

The Tennessee Supreme Court and its Access to Justice Commission held a pro bono recognition event Tuesday night at Belmont University College of Law. It was the first in-person recognition event since the pandemic, and honored lawyers for their pro bono work in 2020, 2021 and 2022. The Pro Bono Recognition Program honors lawyers and law students who provide at least 50 hours of pro bono service during the year as an "Attorney for Justice" or "Law Student for Justice." In 2021, the court also added the category "Mediator for Justice" to increase the number of mediators providing pro bono services. At this year's event, Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Holly Kirby and Justices Jeffrey Bivins and Sarah Campbell were on hand to thank lawyers for their contributions. Belmont College of Law Dean Alberto Gonzales welcomed honorees to the law school, Tennessee Access to Justice Commission Chair and TBA Board member John Farringer congratulated honorees, and Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan L. Hecht gave keynote remarks. See photos from the event.

Legal Aid of East Tennessee (LAET) will hold a child support clinic on Oct. 19 from 2:30-4:30 p.m. EDT at the Hamilton County Juvenile Court. The in-person event will provide advice to those seeking to secure child support. Pre-registration for clients is encouraged. Attorney volunteers are needed. Those interested in helping should email Mary Frances Devoe at mdevoe@laet.org. View a flyer for the event.

The Memphis Bar Association will hold its Second Saturday Legal Clinic on Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon CDT at the Benjamin Hooks Central Library, 3030 Poplar Ave., Memphis 38111.  Volunteers should arrive by 9:30 a.m. for instructions. Sign up here to volunteer.

Legal Aid of East Tennessee, in partnership with Legal Aid of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands, the TBA Young Lawyers Division, the Tennessee Supreme Court's Justice for All Initiative and Belmont University College of Law, will hold a Virtual Debt Relief Clinic on Oct. 28 from 9-11 a.m. EDT. (This is a correction from previous announcements that shared an incorrect date.) Those in need of legal advice about debt relief should call 423-794-2496 to register. A link to join the Zoom clinic will be sent following registration. Attorneys who would like to volunteer for the clinic should email Kendra Cheek.