TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Liz Slagle Todaro on Jan 16, 2024

The Tennessee legislature is back in session, and lawmakers are focused on your issues. The Tennessee Supreme Court recently announced its intention to ask the governor and General Assembly to increase compensation for court-appointed attorneys in the juvenile and criminal courts. Court-appointed attorneys, who represent the indigent, including children, are grossly underpaid in Tennessee. Because of this, fewer and fewer attorneys can afford to take cases representing the indigent, resulting in a crisis in our legal system. It’s time for Tennessee attorneys to convey to their elected legislators how serious this problem is and the toll it is taking on the entire judicial system. Learn more from the TBA Government Affairs team and then reach out to your legislators and ask them to support increased funding for indigent representation (find your Tennessee legislators here). Also, please respond to this survey and join TBA’s Grassroots Advocacy efforts to receive action alerts as relevant policy issues arise, including indigent representation. Finally, please sign up to join us for TBA Day on the Hill on March 20.