Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 13 authorizes the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) to enter into contracts for representation by attorneys working on various types of cases, including representation of individuals unable to afford legal representation in cases in which he or she is facing contempt of court charges for failure to pay court-ordered child support in Title IV-D child support enforcement proceedings pursuant to Tenn. Code Ann. § 36-5-104.
The AOC seeks attorneys who are interested in contracting with the AOC to streamline performance of this service in Davidson County Juvenile Court. The contract arrangement establishes compensation based on cases. All licensed attorneys in good standing are invited to apply.
Please note that this contract service period will run from March 1, 2017 – June 30, 2018 as we are adjusting all contract service dates to align with the state’s fiscal year.
Judges will continue to have the discretion to appoint attorneys, but only attorneys who have submitted a completed contract and have received a fully executed contract back from the AOC will be eligible to receive and accept appointments for these cases. Attorneys seeking payment under the contract will simply submit an invoice to the AOC for each case, along with a copy of the order appointing him or her to that case.
The AOC's intent is to provide quality representation with a reasonable compensation rate to attorneys for the time spent on a case. The goal of these contract services is to efficiently and effectively manage taxpayer monies and the resources of the indigent fund.
To apply, please click here, complete and return the Agreement PDF form to the AOC via fax to Ceesha Lofton’s attention at 615-741-6285 or email it to Ceesha.Lofton@tncourts.gov.
For more information, or if you have questions, contact Assistant General Counsel Lacy Wilber at 615-741-2687 or via email at Lacy.Wilber@tncourts.gov.