• About
    • About Us
    • What We Cover
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Our Advertisers
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Send News
  • Subscribe

Oak Ridge Today

  • Home
  • Sign in
  • News
    • Business
    • Community
    • Education
    • Government
    • Health
    • Police and Fire
    • U.S. Department of Energy
    • Weather
  • Sports
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • Recreation
    • Rowing
    • Youth
  • Entertainment
    • Arts
    • Dancing
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Theater
  • Premium Content
  • Obituaries
  • Classifieds




Legal Aid Society Community Award honors Anderson County Juvenile Court

Posted at 9:58 am October 15, 2015
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Community Award and Anderson County Juvenile Court

Picture above from left to right are April Seiber (ACJC Lead Youth Services Officer), Sandy Slater (ACJC Youth Services Officer), Betsy Hunt (Judge Hunt’s wife), Judge Brian J. Hunt, Angie Perez (ACJC Judicial Assistant), Denise Casteel (ACJC Youth Services Officer), and Elizabeth Risner (ACJC Youth Services Officer). Not shown: Andrew Williams (ACJC Youth Services Officer) (Submitted photo)

 

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands’ Oak Ridge office honored Anderson County Juvenile Court Judge Brian J. Hunt and the staff of the Anderson County Juvenile Court with its inaugural Community Award at a reception on Tuesday, October 6, at CapitalMark Bank and Trust in Oak Ridge.

Legal Aid Society’s Community Award honors individuals and/or organizations in the community for their leadership and compassion in supporting the nonprofit law firm’s mission, a press release said.

More than 60 people, including Representative Kent Calfee, Anderson County District Attorney General Dave Clark, former Mayor David Bradshaw (who hosted the event as President of CapitalMark Bank and Trust in Oak Ridge), United Way of Anderson County Executive Director Naomi Asher, and Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson celebrated Judge Hunt and the Anderson County Juvenile Court, or ACJC, for partnering with Legal Aid Society to advance access to justice among our region’s youth.

Advertisement

“The Anderson County Juvenile Court pioneered the first-ever Guardian ad litem (GAL) project between a local juvenile court and Legal Aid Society,” said Janet Mynatt, managing attorney of Legal Aid Society’s Oak Ridge office. “With the court’s help, attorneys are able to identify and provide post-adjudication guardianship for children in the care of the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services (DCS)—some of our most vulnerable youth.”

The program now serves as a model for similar partnerships in the Oak Ridge office’s service area, including those in Campbell, Claiborne, and Scott counties.

“We are honored to receive Legal Aid Society’s first Oak Ridge Community Award. It is our hope this further highlights the need to support our community’s youth,” Hunt said. “Often, the children represented by Legal Aid Society attorneys have a high level of special education or health care needs. Our partnership with Legal Aid Society fills a gap that may otherwise leave a child in a very vulnerable position, lacking adequate representation to receive the services they need.“

Prior to being elected to the bench, Hunt had been a longtime advocate for children and a proponent of equal justice. When he was practicing with Hunt and Hunt Law Firm, both he and his father, attorney Leslie Hunt, provided pro bono legal services through Legal Aid Society to vulnerable families in Anderson County. They never turned down a request to volunteer their services to help a vulnerable family, especially in those cases where a child had special needs, the press release said.

Advertisement

“Fighting for our children does not fall on one agency or one sector of society alone. Rather, a community must band together to fiercely protect the wellbeing of its youth,” said Gary Housepian, Legal Aid Society’s executive director. “Partnerships with agencies like the ACJC are absolutely essential in this process, and we’re grateful for the ACJC’s role in helping to raise generations of happy, healthy and productive individuals.”

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands advocates for fairness and justice under the law. The nonprofit law firm offers free civil legal representation, educational programs, and advice to ensure people in its region are able to protect their livelihoods, their health, and their families. It serves 48 counties from offices in Clarksville, Columbia, Cookeville, Gallatin, Murfreesboro, Nashville, Oak Ridge, and Tullahoma. Legal Aid Society is funded in part by United Way. Learn more at www.las.org, or by following the firm on Facebook.

Copyright 2015 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Filed Under: Anderson County, Community, Front Page News, Government, Nonprofits, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County Juvenile Court, Anderson County Juvenile Court judge, Brian J. Hunt, CapitalMark Bank and Trust, Community Award, DCS, Gary Housepian, Guardian ad litem project, Hunt and Hunt Law Fire, Janet Mynatt, Legal Aid Society, Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands, Leslie Hunt, Tennessee Department of Children’s Services

Advertisements

 

Join the club!

If you appreciate our work, please consider subscribing. Besides helping us, your subscription will give you access to our premium content.

Most of our stories are free, brought to you by Oak Ridge Today with help from our members—advertisers, subscribers, and sponsors.

But some are premium content, available only to members. Those are in-depth, investigative, or exclusive stories that are available only on Oak Ridge Today. They generally require at least four hours to report, write, and publish.

You can subscribe for as little as $5 per month.

You can read more about your options here.

We currently offer five primary subscription options to readers, and they include benefits.

Basic

  • Basic monthly subscription ($5 per month)—access premium content
  • Basic annual subscription ($60 per year)—access premium content

Pro

  • Pro monthly subscription ($10 per month)—access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month
  • Pro annual subscription ($100 per year)—save $20 per year, access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month

Temporary

  • Temporary access ($3 per week for two weeks)

We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.

We also accept donations. You can donate here.

If you prefer to send a check for a subscription or donation, you may do so by mailing one to:

Oak Ridge Today
P.O. Box 6064
Oak Ridge, TN 37831

Thank you for your consideration and for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support.

Commenting Guidelines

We welcome comments, but we ask you to follow a few guidelines:

1) Please use your real name, including last name. Please also use a valid e-mail address.
2) Be civil. Don't insult others, attack their character, or get personal.
3) Stick to the issues.
4) No profanity.
5) Keep your comments to a reasonable length and to a reasonable number per article.

We reserve the right to remove any comments that violate these guidelines. Comments held for review, usually from those posting for the first time, may not post if they violate these guidelines. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Thank you also for reading Oak Ridge Today and for participating in the discussion.

More information is available here.

More Community News

AC Democratic Women to hear about income inequality Monday

Millicent Taylor, an adjunct professor at Pellissippi State Community College, will discuss income inequality as the guest speaker at the Monday, January 25, meeting of the Anderson County Democratic Women’s … [Read More...]

VITA Tax Center opens Feb. 9

The Oak Ridge Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA) is now in its fourth decade of helping community residents to complete and file tax returns. The 2021 VITA Tax Center will open on Tuesday, February 9, and it … [Read More...]

Police chief to speak to League of Women Voters on Tuesday

Robin Smith Oak Ridge Police Chief Robin Smith will speak to the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge on Tuesday. The meeting will be virtual, conducted online, because of COVID-19. It is scheduled to start at noon … [Read More...]

Martin Luther King Jr. celebration will feature ORHS principal

Garfield Adams A celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday morning will feature Garfield Adams, Oak Ridge High School principal. It's the 33rd Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Program, and it's … [Read More...]

Mason, an IDB member, community volunteer, dies of COVID complications

David Mason David Lane Mason, a member of the Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board and community volunteer, died of COVID-19 complications on Monday. He was 79. Mason was a former deputy director of environmental … [Read More...]

More Community

More Government News

Tower rebuilding complete, South Illinois re-opened overnight

The replacement of a large high-voltage transmission tower was completed Sunday, Jan. 24, 2021, and South Illinois Avenue re-opened to traffic at about midnight. (Photo courtesy Tennessee Valley Authority) The … [Read More...]

South Illinois Avenue to re-open by midnight

South Illinois Avenue is expected to re-open by midnight Sunday, Jan. 24, 2021, near the University of Tennessee Arboretum after being closed for more than two days because of a large high-voltage transmission tower that … [Read More...]

AC Democratic Women to hear about income inequality Monday

Millicent Taylor, an adjunct professor at Pellissippi State Community College, will discuss income inequality as the guest speaker at the Monday, January 25, meeting of the Anderson County Democratic Women’s … [Read More...]

Photos: TVA transmission tower repair

Crews replace the Tennessee Valley Authority's high-voltage steel lattice transmission tower knocked over in a crash at Union Valley Road and South Illinois Avenue on Friday, Jan. 22, 2021. (Photo courtesy City of Oak … [Read More...]

South Illinois could re-open Monday

Crews repair the damage to the Tennessee Valley Authority distribution system after a pickup truck crashed into a high-voltage steel lattice transmission tower, causing widespread power outages in Oak Ridge and the … [Read More...]

More Government

Recent Posts

  • NNSA has virtual job fair, including for Y-12
  • Tower rebuilding complete, South Illinois re-opened overnight
  • DOE photographer dies at 62
  • South Illinois Avenue to re-open by midnight
  • AC Democratic Women to hear about income inequality Monday
  • Photos: TVA transmission tower repair
  • South Illinois could re-open Monday
  • Crews repairing damage after crash knocks down power tower
  • Part of South Illinois Ave. remains closed
  • Power restored to Oak Ridge except for Arboretum

Recent Comments

  • Matt Bailey on Dodson also wants to serve as mayor pro tem
  • Mark Caldwell on Dodson also wants to serve as mayor pro tem
  • Matt Bailey on Dodson also wants to serve as mayor pro tem
  • Mark Caldwell on Dodson also wants to serve as mayor pro tem
  • Matt Bailey on Dodson also wants to serve as mayor pro tem
  • Tracy Powers on Planning Commission to consider Main Street apartments, plan revisions
  • johnhuotari on Four incumbents re-elected to Oak Ridge City Council
  • Levi D. Smith on Four incumbents re-elected to Oak Ridge City Council
  • samuel hopwood on Housing: Apartments proposed on former AMSE site
  • Matt Bailey on Robin Smith named Oak Ridge police chief

Search Oak Ridge Today

About Us

About Oak Ridge Today
What We Cover

How To

Advertise
Subscribe

Contact Us

Contact Oak Ridge Today

Copyright © 2021 Oak Ridge Today