Equal Justice University 2025

You’ve heard there’s two sides to a story and somewhere in the middle of the truth. But really how do you get closer to the truth when everybody lies? Do you want to know the truth? Are you putting away your personal biases? Are you afraid to ask uncomfortable questions? Are you uncomfortable asking hard and personal questions? How do you identify when somebody is being deceptive? How do you elicit information from a person who has information they want to conceal? This course will teach you how to identify deceptive behavior, how to elicit versus interrogate and how to improve the interview.

Learning Objectives:

1. Elicitation vs Interrogation 
2. Listening, Restarting, and Perception vs Perspective
3.     Indicators of Deception 

Project management is a vital skill in legal services work, showing up in everything from implementing strategic plans to engaging donors, planning events, organizing clinics, and meeting grant deliverables. This session is intended for beginner and mid-level leaders of projects to help provide tools and best practices to ensure the development and implementation of successful projects and programs to serve clients.

Learning Objectives:

1. Attendees will learn the 5 phases of project management and how they can be applied to their everyday management. 
2. Attendees will be familiar with some of the best practices for effective project management based on professional studies and experience in legal services settings. 
3. Attendees will understand how project management tools can support successful projects by identifying key features to look for—such as task tracking, timelines, collaboration, and visibility—regardless of the specific platform used. 

Many abusers misuse the court system to maintain power and control over their form or current partners. Tennessee is one of the few states that has a law specifically aimed at stopping a former romantic partner from filing vexatious litigation against an ex. Despite this law, misuse of the legal system by perpetrators remains relatively common and the stress incurred from this experience can drain victims' finances, cause them to miss work, pull them away from their families, and force them to navigate the complex legal system, often on their own. This training will explore how these systems can be leveraged against victims and what professionals can do to mitigate the harm.

Learning Objectives:

1. Discuss the definition of litigation abuse and common tactics seen in these cases.
2. Review/study TCA 29-41-101.
3. Present best practices to mitigate the harm.

This session will explore how First Amendment rights—particularly freedom of speech, petition, and association—intersect with a wide range of legal practice areas. We have, for example, seen First Amendment issues arise in the immigration enforcement context and selective targeting of individuals based on their underlying speech rights. Some instances of criminal law also raise concerns about free expression. In the professional sphere, rights of association and expression can be implicated when attorneys undertake controversial representation or speak out on matters of public concern. This session will offer attendees the opportunity to learn about First Amendment rights that may apply to their practice areas and share their experiences—highlighting real-world examples and offering practical tools for client advocacy. The panel will be interactive, including real-world hypotheticals, discussion, and resource sharing.

Learning Objective:
First Amendment framework/tools that can be used across practice areas.

This session will provide attorneys and paralegals with essential guidance on the ethical and practical considerations in supervising non-attorneys in legal practice. Participants will explore Tennessee's Rules of Professional Conduct, ethical obligations, and best practices to ensure compliance and effective delegation while maintaining professional responsibility.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify best practices for maintaining ethical integrity while delegating legal tasks. 
2. Discuss potential risks and liabilities associated with improper supervision. 
3. Explore real-world case studies illustrating both successful and problematic supervision scenarios.