TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Liz Slagle Todaro on Sep 8, 2025

The Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services (TALS) presented its annual Access to Justice Awards to five legal community leaders from across the state at the Equal Justice University in Murfreesboro. Chay Sengkhounmany, lead immigration attorney at Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee & the Cumberlands (LAS), received the B. Riney Green Access to Justice Award for her commitment to promoting successful inter-program cooperation across the state. Scott County Family Justice Center Executive Director Christy Harness was recognized with the Janice M. Holder Access to Justice Award for her contributions to advancing the quality of justice statewide by ensuring the legal system is open and available to all. Finally, TALS recognized three attorneys as New Advocates of the Year. They are: Michael Davis, managing attorney of the Knoxville Eviction Prevention Program at Legal Aid of East Tennessee; Jake Old, who serves as West Tennessee Legal Services' Consumer Unit manager; and Patricia Sellers, a staff attorney with LAS. The new advocate award recognizes those who use their legal skills in active and creative ways that produce outstanding benefits for individual clients and the communities in which they live. Read more about the annual awards on the TALS' website