TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Liz Slagle Todaro on Jan 26, 2024

TBA President Jim Barry recently sent a letter to Gov. Bill Lee, Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, House Speaker Cameron Sexton and members of the Tennessee General Assembly, urging support for the Tennessee Supreme Court's request to increase funding for court-appointed attorneys representing the indigent. The TBA's letter points to the "significant impact" indigent representation has on the judicial system, and commits to giving this issue its full support in discussions with the General Assembly: "This situation has resulted in a crisis in our legal system, and especially in the juvenile courts. Nearly half of all cases requiring court-appointed attorneys are in juvenile court and involve families and children, such as adoptions, dependency and neglect allegations, reports of child abuse, proceedings to terminate parental rights, and a vast number of cases in which the interests of a child or other vulnerable person are protected by a guardian ad litem." Read the full text of the letter. Learn more about funding for indigent representation and how Tennessee lawyers can join these efforts from TBA's Government Affairs team.