David William Haines, Jr., who served as general counsel for the Administrative Office of the Courts from 2007 to 2015, passed away on January 16, 2021. The general counsel position at the AOC is a division director who provides trusted legal counsel related to court administration, rules, and policies to judges at all court levels as well as AOC staff. Over his eight years as general counsel, Haines provided education and training to trial court, general sessions, and juvenile judges through conferences and other educational opportunities. He also worked on several major initiatives, including indigent representation, jury selection process, judicial elections, the use of guardian ad litem representation in juvenile cases, employment law as well as building key relationships throughout state government.
Prior to joining the AOC, Haines served as the City of Clarksville’s first full-time attorney, a position he held for 14 years. Haines earned his undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University in 1979 and his law degree from Samford University Cumberland School of Law in 1982.