Over 150 local lawyers, judges, and law students gathered on July 26, 2012, for the annual Pro Bono Celebration hosted by Legal Aid of East Tennessee to recognize members of the legal community who provided significant free legal services to low-income clients during the past year.
Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Sharon G. Lee presented the “Law Firm of the Year Award” to Paine, Tarwater & Bickers; the “Lawyer of the Year Award” to Rachel P. Hurt, of the law firm of Arnett, Draper & Hagood; and the “Law Student of the Year Award” to Crista M. Cuccaro, a student at the University of Tennessee College of Law.
Knoxville Bar Association President J. William Coley also presented awards to 21 lawyers on behalf of the Knoxville Bar Association, which recognizes attorneys who donate at least 25 hours of service to low-income clients through Legal Aid’s Pro Bono Project. Lawyers receiving these awards included, Ali Abdelati, Jaylek Ahn, Cecilia T. Allen, Edwin A. Anderson, Lauren Bennett, William J. Carver, Stephanie D. Coleman, E. Catherine Cox, Loretta G. Cravens, Gary T. Dupler, Donald J. Farinato, Debra L. Fulton, David Gall, J. Scott Griswold, Daniel C. Headrick, Kenneth A. Miller, J. Myers Morton, William A. Mynatt, Jr., Carrie S. O’Rear, T. Lynn Tarpy, and Taylor A. Williams.
Hurt was law clerk for Chief Justice Cornelia A. Cark and Griswold was a law clerk for former Chief Justice William M. Barker.
In the past year, over 750 lawyers and over 120 law students contributed their services to Pro Bono Project clients who live in the 26-county area served by Legal Aid of East Tennessee.
