The Federal Bar Association is hosting its next installment of “The FCA Today” — which examines the False Claims Act practice — on Nov. 4 at 11 a.m. CDT. The session, offered virtually, will focus on the Middle District of Tennessee and include U.S. District Judge Eli J. Richardson, W. Michael Hamilton with Provost Umphrey Law Firm, and Christopher Sabis with Sherrard Roe Voigt & Harbison. R. Scott Oswald, chair of the Federal Bar Association’s Qui Tam Section, will moderate. The event is free but registration is required. Contact Daniel Hamilton at dhamilton@fedbar.org with any questions.

One of Nashville’s largest law firms will be leaving its downtown headquarters and moving to the city’s new 18-acre development known as Nashville Yards. The firm will occupy about 180,000 square feet in the top eight floors of the development’s first multi-tenant tower, the Nashville Post reports. Developers broke ground on the 35-story building last month, which will sit adjacent to the new Grand Hyatt Nashville and two towers leased by Amazon.com.

West Tennessee Legal Services (WTLS) and the Administrative Office of the Courts are partnering to provide training and volunteer opportunities as part of Celebrate Pro Bono Month. An estate planning training will be held virtually Oct. 12 at noon CDT. Nashville attorney Jeff Mobley from Howard Mobley Hayes & Gontarek will present an overview of wills and estate planning, a pro bono area in increasingly high demand. WTLS will also host an estate planning clinic and needs volunteer attorneys to remotely review documents with clients on Oct. 21 and 22. For more information or to volunteer contact Andy Cole.

A retirement celebration for former 10th Judicial District Circuit Court Judge Larry H. Puckett will be held on Oct. 14 at the Cleveland Country Club. Puckett retired in June after nearly 24 years serving the people of Bradley, McMinn, Monroe and Polk Counties. Tickets for dinner and cocktails are available for $15 per person. RSVP to jevans@loganthompsonlaw.com.

In a lengthy report on the Rutherford County juvenile justice system, Nashville Public Radio and ProPublica say that the county has “a staggering history of jailing children” and employs an illegal filtering system for determining which children go to jail. The report detailed that the statewide average for juvenile cases resulting in jail time is 5%, while it is 48% in Rutherford County. The reporting also found an “ugly and unsettling culture” surrounding the juvenile justice system. After reviewing countless documents and interviewing those who would talk to them, the reporters concluded that “officials flouted the law by wrongfully arresting and jailing children." The new reporting follows news this summer that the county agreed to pay up to $11 million to settle a class-action lawsuit over its policies for arresting and detaining children.

A new ABA ethics opinion clarifies obligations for language access in lawyer-client relationships, the ABA Journal reports. Under Formal Opinion 500, attorneys must take affirmative steps to ensure that they can communicate effectively with clients with limited English proficiency or with those with noncognitive physical disabilities such as a hearing or speech impairment. This may require the lawyer to engage an interpreter, translator or other assistive or language-translation technology. The opinion also calls on lawyers to be cognizant of “social and cultural differences that can affect a client’s understanding of legal advice, legal concepts, and other aspects of the representation.”

The Arts & Business Council's Volunteer Lawyers and Professionals for the Arts are joining the law firm of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings in providing free legal services for Black-owned small businesses and nonprofits at a clinic on Oct. 21. Issues to be covered include questions about business formation, corporate governance, contract review and navigating local ordinances and state regulations. Eligible businesses may receive up to one hour of assistance. Companies may sign up online. To volunteer, email vlpa@abcnashville.org.

Judge Julia Smith Gibbons of the U.S. 6th Court of Appeals has received the 39th annual Edward J. Devitt Distinguished Service to Justice Award, the highest honor given to a federal judge. The award was announced yesterday by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch. Gibbons, who was the first female trial judge in Tennessee, was recognized for her 30-year judicial career and role as a “trailblazer and role model in the legal profession.”

Gibbons was first appointed to the Shelby County Circuit Court in 1981. In 1983, she became the youngest district court judge in the country when she was appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee. She was nominated for the appeals court in 2001. A dinner and ceremony to honor Gibbons will be held early next year. Read more about her career and reflections from colleagues in a profile from the Administrative Office of the Courts.

People with jobs that qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program can now get credits from previously ineligible loan plans, the U.S. Department of Education announced this week. Under the new guidelines, loans such as the Federal Family Education Loan Program and the Perkins Loan Program are now eligible for forgiveness, the ABA Journal reports. Private loans and Parent PLUS, however, still will not qualify for the program. The department also waived restrictions on the type of payment plan borrowers have. Those wanting to make changes must apply by Oct. 31, 2022. Finally, the department announced it will review denied applications following allegations that loan forgiveness has been denied to those who qualify. An article in Reuters suggests that as many as 550,000 student loan borrowers, including many public interest lawyers, will benefit from these changes. The American Bar Association, which has been at the forefront of efforts to revamp the loan forgiveness program, applauded this week's changes but also called on Congress to consider additional actions.

The Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands will hold three clinics next week. On Tuesday, the group will hold a phone clinic at 2 p.m. CDT to provide general advice. The first 15 callers will be accepted. On Wednesday, LAS will hold a clinic specifically for veterans from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. CDT at Operation Stand Down, 1125 12th Ave. S. Nashville 37203. On Thursday, a general advice clinic will be held from 3 to 4:30 p.m. CDT at Greenhouse Ministries, 309 S. Spring St., Murfreesboro 37130. To volunteer for any of these clinics, contact Kendra Cheek, 615-780-7131. See all October clinics.