Attorney J. Michael Clement has announced that he will be a candidate for Anderson County Juvenile Court judge in the 2014 election.
Clement opened his general law practice in Clinton 27 years ago, and he has represented clients in Juvenile Court since he first began practicing law. He is seeking the judgeship now held by Judge Brandon Fisher, who has announced that he will be a candidate for Anderson County chancellor.
Clement, who lives in Clinton, has experience on the bench as a special Juvenile Court judge and as a special General Sessions Court judge, appointed by judges to sit in those positions. He has served as a guardian ad litem in Juvenile Court.
“I bring a wealth of knowledge and a depth of feeling for the Juvenile Court system, having practiced in the system for 27 years,†Clement said. “I have done some of the most gratifying work of my career in Juvenile Court, and I have also had my heart broken in Juvenile Court. I have experienced the whole gamut of emotions.â€â€¨
Clement has attended the annual conferences on Connecting for Children’s Justice presented by the Tennessee Chapter of Children’s Advocacy Centers for the past three years, gaining deeper insight into the juvenile court system.
He has worked alongside advocates for CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of the Tennessee Heartland and views the organization as a “vitally important group†with a necessary role to perform in juvenile court.
“They are another set of eyes and another set of ears advocating for the child,” Clement said. “I don’t think you can have too many advocates.”
He has two children, Caleb and Rachel, both students in Oak Ridge schools.
Clement is a graduate of the Memphis State University College of Law, and he received his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Tennessee.
He served as city attorney for Clinton from 1999 to 2005. He has served as past president of the Anderson County Bar Association, past chairman of the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce, past president of the Anderson County Adult Literacy Council, and past president of Clinton Civitan. He served on the Foster Care Review Board and is a 1992 graduate of Leadership Anderson County.
Clement is a member of the First Baptist Church of Clinton, where he has served as a deacon. He helped start the Upward Basketball Program for youth and has coached basketball, refereed basketball, and umpired baseball. He helped organize the booster club for the Jefferson Middle School Lady Eagles volleyball team, and he served this year on the executive committee of the Oak Ridge High School Football Boosters. He has also been a volunteer at the Joint Replacement Center at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge.
Leave a Reply