The Tennessee Supreme Court appointed University of Tennessee College of Law Director of Clinical Programs and Associate Professor of Law Joy Radice to serve as the next chair of the Access to Justice Commission. The Commission exists to provide collaborative leadership to create solutions and resources that address and eliminate barriers to justice for all.
“I am honored that the Court appointed me to serve as Chair to the Access to Justice Commission,” said Radice. “The Commission will continue its work to better understand the civil legal needs of vulnerable Tennesseans and develop programs and initiatives that address those needs.”
Prior to her appointment, Radice was a member of the Commission for two years. As a Commissioner, Radice worked to build a statewide expungement project with key stakeholders in the private bar and public interest. This project works to improve Tennessee’s expungement statute and increase resources for helping Tennesseans across the state remove/expunge eligible criminal charges from their records, affording them greater employment opportunities. She has helped launch a new statewide initiative to help individuals restore their right to vote after a felony conviction and trained more than 100 pro bono attorneys and law students. Radice also worked with legal aid lawyers to develop pro se materials that individuals can file in court on their own and served as leader on the Knoxville Bar Association’s Access to Justice committee.
The Access to Justice Commission was created by the Supreme Court in 2008 to develop a strategic plan for improving access to justice in Tennessee. Its mission is to provide collaborative leadership to create solutions and develop legal resources that address and eliminate barriers to justice for all.
The Commission identifies priorities and makes recommendations to the Supreme Court to launch new projects, educates the public, and increases opportunities for pro bono work, especially in rural areas. The Commission works closely with bar associations, legal aid providers, legal service organizations, non-profits, courts, faith-based organizations and community partners to carry out this mission.
Two College of Law alumni were also appointed to the Commission. Judge Dwight Stokes (’77), General Sessions Court judge in Sevier County, and McKenna Cox (’05), partner at Herndon, Coleman, Brading, & McKee, LLP, received an appointment and reappointment, respectively.