Claudia Jack Award

The Claudia Jack Award honors an outstanding public defender or court-appointed private practitioner who has served the legal community and their clients in an exemplary fashion. It is named after the late Claudia Jack, a public defender and long-time champion of the poor and underprivileged.

Previous Award Recipients

Selection Process
A selection committee consisting of the following individuals will review applicants and send recommendations to the TBA Executive Committee for approval:

  • Vice President of Tennessee Bar Association or Designee
  • Speaker of House of Delegates or Designee
  • Chair of Access to Justice Committee or Designee
  • Chair of Criminal Law Section or Designee
  • Chair Juvenile & Children’s Law Section or Designee

Award Criteria
The criteria used for selecting the honoree will be left to the sound discretion of the selection committee. To ensure that all worthy nominees can be considered, this award is open to all actively practicing Tennessee attorneys, whether or not they are TBA members. In addition, the winner also will receive a free one-year TBA membership.  Additionally, nominee must have practiced in the local, state or federal public defender’s office for at least five years or have a private practice whose primary work has consisted of court appointed cases for minimum of five years. 

Award Presentation
The award will consist of a plaque presented during Lawyers Luncheon at the TBA Annual Meeting.

Additional Information
Please direct any questions to awards@tnbar.org

Nominations

Nominations for the 2025 award recipient will open in Spring 2025

• Nominations Open: TBD
• Nominations Close: TBD