Radice selected to lead UT Legal Clinic

The University of Tennessee College of Law welcomes a new but familiar face as the director of clinical programs.

Joy Radice, a recently tenured associate professor at the College of Law, began as director of the UT Legal Clinic effective July 1. She succeeds Interim Director Penny White, who has led the clinic since 2015.

In her role, Radice will oversee nine clinics that operate through the UT Legal Clinic – which is the oldest continuously-operating legal clinic of its kind in the United States. White will continue to serve as professor and director of the Center for Advocacy and Dispute Resolution.

Radice is a 2003 Harvard Law School graduate and a 1997 Princeton University undergraduate. She began work with the UT College of Law in 2012 teaching in the Legal Clinic’s advocacy clinic and working with students in criminal, housing, and juvenile courts. Her areas of expertise and scholarship focus on criminal law, criminal procedure, prisoner reentry, and expanding civil legal services to fill the access to justice gap.

“We’ve been privileged to enjoy such strong leadership for the Legal Clinic throughout its 71-year history at the College of Law,” Dean Melanie Wilson said. “Penny White’s expertise and dedication have raised the standard, and her commitment is undeniable. We so value her contributions to the clinic and to our college.

“Likewise, Professor Radice’s expertise guiding the clinic’s expungement work has been invaluable. Joy is a thought leader in matters related to access to justice. Her lauded scholarship, her desire to transform student learning, and the experience she already has in guiding our clinical students will allow for very smooth transition of responsibility.”

“I am certain the Legal Clinic will continue to serve our community well under her guidance,” Wilson said.

Since coming to the University of Tennessee, Radice has headed the UT Legal Clinic’s expungement effort – providing free and needed services in Knoxville and East Tennessee rural communities. Her expungement work has also led to legislative reform and directly influenced her scholarship.

Through her involvement with a statewide group that helped reform Tennessee juvenile expungement law, Radice was influenced to write “The Juvenile Record Myth,” an article published in the Georgetown Law Journal. The article critiques the juvenile confidentiality, sealing and expungement provisions in all 50 states.

Additional scholarship by Radice has been published in the Emory Law Journal, Colorado Law Review, North Carolina Law Review, and Columbia Journal of Race and Law.

Radice said as the Legal Clinic’s new director, she’ll look for ways to enhance the clinical opportunities for students “so that they are ready to hit the ground running in their legal practice.”

She also aims to provide more training to expand students’ pro bono experiences, engage students in contributing to legislative reform, and create opportunities to make legal services more accessible to those who often must go without representation.

“We have a vision for expanding the clinic’s reach to more underserved communities in East Tennessee,” Radice said. “By examining our success and engaging more faculty and alumni in our mission, we can duplicate our mobile legal clinic model in other areas of legal practice. And while serving more people, we can provide students with an invaluable learning experience.”

Between 45 and 60 law students work each semester with the Legal Clinic for either one, three, four or six hours of course credit.