In this episode, host Joe Byrd explains a specific process that must occur before any proposed expert or investigator begins to work. A process that involves both the trial court and the Administrative Office of the Courts. Joe also give...

The guardian ad litem (GAL) in Tennessee plays a crucial role in family court, acting as a voice for the child. As a legal representative of the child, they meet the child where they are in a case and advocate for the child's best interests and...

In this episode of Tennessee Court Talk, Samantha Fisher leads Chief Justice Holly Kirby, Justice Sarah Campbell, Justice Dwight Tarwater and Justice Mary Wagner  down memory lane. The discussion focuses on traditions the justices had duri...

Attorneys are permitted to bill for travel time and expenses, and there are specific guidelines under Rule 13 that determine what is and is not compensable regarding  travel time and reimbursable expenses. In this quick episode, host Joe B...

With election season in full swing, Tennessee voters had the chance to vote on the retention of an appellate court judge and a Supreme Court Justice in August 2024. Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Matthew Wilson was one of those judge...

In this episode, Chancellor Jim Ripley and Judge Carter Moore of Tennessee's fourth judicial district sit down with host and Communications Director, Samantha Fisher to discuss the moments leading up to the storm striking East Tennessee. Judge ...

By day, Knox County Clerk Mike Hammond files, maintains, records, and preserves the records of the Knox County Criminal, General Sessions – Criminal, and Fourth Circuit Courts.  However, there is a lot to know about this interesting man th...

Section 6 of Rule 13 states that "counsel will be held to a high degree of care in keeping of contemporaneous time records, and that failure to provide sufficient specificity…may constitute grounds for denial of the claim for compensation or re...

Medical debt is an unwelcome burden with lasting repercussions for many Tennesseans each year. The Hamilton County General Sessions Court is at the forefront of a pilot program that began in 2021 that gives those with unpaid medical bills to Er...

A step back from our normal style of episode to bring our audience a complete audio version of Judge Mary Wagner's investiture to the Tennessee Supreme Court. Justice Wagner received a warm welcome to the appellate bench as family, friends, col...

On this episode, the newest member of the Tennessee Supreme Court, Mary Wagner sits down with host Nick Morgan to discuss her transition from the trial bench to the appellate bench. Justice Wagner also discusses growing up in a family of lawyer...

This episode covers the new amendments to Rule 13, including redactions that are no longer required, policies relating to mistrials, and deadlines for the 180 day rule. Host Joe Byrd explains the changes you will see moving forward, in a podcas...

Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Roger Page is a man of two careers. After 25 years of service to the Tennessee judiciary, he is hanging up his robe for a life of travel and home improvement. On this episode of Tennessee Court Talk, Justice Page...

Understanding what happens in a courtroom can be difficult. Even more so when English is a litigant’s second language. There are services in Tennessee to ensure that every litigant has the access to understand their day in court. In this episod...

Attorneys, investigators, and experts are not only entitled to a reasonable fee, but they are also entitled to be reimbursed for their reasonable and necessary expenses. Section 4 of Tennessee Supreme Court, Rule 13 gives guidelines for what is...

Baseball is full of surprises. You never know when you walk into a ballpark if you might see a perfect game, a runner caught in a pickle, a measuring-tape home run…or an historic legal precedent! On August 20th, 1955, Earl Averill, Jr of the Na...

In this very short episode, host Joe Byrd explains the compensation rate increase for indigent attorneys in Tennessee, and how it has been implemented as of July 1st of 2024. There has also been an increase in the cap, based on hours worked. Th...

The simple explanation of the role of an appellate court judge is to determine whether or not the law was applied correctly in the trial court. However, everyone in an appellate courtroom is human and judges strive to understand the situations ...

In this episode of Appointed Counsel,  host Joe Byrd speaks with Lisa Angel, Court Reporter Manager for the AOC, as they discuss the importance of court reporters, the processes of invoicing, and exactly how attorneys should work with cour...

There are many members of a court staff that make a courtroom work efficiently and effectively.  In Tennessee, circuit court judges may have three to four county courtrooms to manage with different staff members in each courtroom. In this ...

In this episode of Tennessee Court Talk, AOC Communications Director Samantha Fisher discusses misconceptions in the courtroom with Tennessee Senior Judge, Don Ash.  Find out why Judge Ash considers presiding over court a lot like umpiring...

Almost half of all claims that come into the AOC are related to Juvenile Court. In this episode, host Joe Byrd welcomes Stacy Lynch, Director of the Court Improvement Program, who has a lifetime of experience with Juvenile Courts. Here, Sta...

Appellate courts can be a mystery. In this episode of Tennessee Court Talk, judges of the Tennessee Court of Appeals and Court of Criminal Appeals pull back the curtain. Judges Jill Ayers, Frank Clement, Tom Greenholtz, and Steve Stafford explo...

Technology is changing at a rapid pace, and judicial systems here in Tennessee and around the U.S. are finding innovative ways to keep up, from positive uses of AI, to civic education, to improved access to justice, data access, and more. In th...

This episode of Appointed Counsel deals with how to get paid when a case in General Sessions court is bound over to the grand jury.   As an attorney appointed to represent a defendant in one of these cases, one may question whethe...