News Archives

Voter Restoration Project Provides Transformational Outcomes

January 31, 2025 10:52 am

Individuals with felony convictions who try to reenter society face multiple challenges in getting their rights of citizenship restored. In most states, a person’s right to vote is forfeited with a felony conviction, and the process of restoring that right differs dramatically from state to state.

Advocacy Clinic Students Unravel the Complexities of Life-Sentence Cases for Youth

January 31, 2025 10:34 am

Fifteen minutes–that was how long one man’s parole hearing lasted in 2023. The man, sentenced to a life term of imprisonment at age 15, is considered one of Tennessee’s “juvenile lifers.” The hearing was the first time he was eligible for release after close to three decades in prison.

Beyond the Deal: Lessons in Advocacy and Empathy in Transactional Practice

January 31, 2025 9:48 am

In the fall semester’s waning moments, the University of Tennessee College of Law’s Transactional Law Clinic received a rather unusual request. The caller was in possession of stolen property and hoped the Legal Clinic could represent them.

$2 Million Pledge from Tennessee Law Firm Supports Scholarships at Tennessee Law

January 31, 2025 9:01 am

Another $2 million pledge was made on behalf of Summers, Rufolo & Rodgers, P.C., a Chattanooga-based law firm, to support students at the University of Tennessee College of Law. The gift will support the Summers, Rufolo, and Rodgers Scholarship Endowment, the Douglas A. Blaze Leadership Scholarship, and the John K. Morgan Trial Advocacy Endowment.

Legal Clinic Faculty Highlights

January 30, 2025 2:27 pm

Eric Amarante, associate professor of law, was awarded the 2024 John Reginald Hill Faculty Scholar Award. He was also part of the legal team that helped the Highlander Research and Education Center regain control of the site of the original Highlander Folk School.

Wills Clinic: Responding in Times of Crisis

January 27, 2025 4:34 pm

While much of Knoxville was gearing up for a football gameday on a Saturday in October, third-year Chloe Lyons and her supervising attorney, Miranda Goodwin (’20), met with their clients, a married couple, to sign their powers of attorney.

Navigating New Terrain: The Copyright Claims Board

January 27, 2025 4:09 pm

This fall, third-year students Danny Mendoza and Cade Williams were the first College of Law Legal Clinic students at the University of Tennessee to take cases before the Copyright Claims Board (CCB), helping clients resolve disputes over copyright infringement claims.

Stephen Ross Johnson (’02) Relaunches Wrongful Convictions Clinic

January 27, 2025 3:36 pm

This past spring, Stephen Ross Johnson, ( ’02), stepped back into the classroom. He was on a mission to reestablish the University of Tennessee College of Law Legal Clinic’s commitment to bringing justice to those who have been wrongfully convicted.

Student Spotlight: Meet Public Interest Law Clerk Max Williams

January 27, 2025 3:25 pm

Max Williams, a third-year student, is a jack of all trades. Prior to attending the University of Tennessee College of Law, he received a bachelor’s degree in music and theater and a bachelor’s degree in math. He has directed large scale theatrical and musical productions.

Faculty Spotlight: Sherley Cruz

January 27, 2025 3:14 pm

At the University of Tennessee College of Law’s 2024 honors’ banquet, Sherley Cruz, assistant professor of law, was awarded the Tom & Elizabeth Fox Faculty Award for Service to the Bench & Bar. This award recognizes a faculty member for significant contributions to the work of national and local bar associations and the judiciary.