“When You Become 18 in Tennessee: A Survival Guide For Young Adults,” a project initiated by the CBA Auxiliary in 1996, is dedicated to the memory of Flo Summitt.
The “18” booklet was originally developed in 1993 by the California Law Advocates of the Foundation of the State Bar of California. In 1996, with the vision and dedication of Summitt, it became the project of the CBA Auxiliary. However, in 2011, the Auxiliary dissolved, and it’s now a permanent project of the Chattanooga Bar Association.
The booklet hadn’t been updated since 2009, and we wanted to make it even bigger and offer more legal issues for young adults. With the help of Lee Davis and Connor Alexander, we’ve doubled the size of the booklet – we now have a 74-page booklet for all seniors in Hamilton County. Lee Davis, of Davis & Hoss, is currently treasurer of the CBA Board of Governors. He’s been practicing law since 1986, and has served as a prosecutor, special judge, adjunct professor of criminal and constitutional law, and private attorney. Connor Alexander, of Knoxville, Tenn., attended Vanderbilt University where he graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in history and political science. Connor earned his law degree from Emory University School of Law. While there, he served on the editorial board of the Emory International Law Review. He currently resides in Atlanta where he is a member of the Georgia Bar.
The goal of this booklet is to help young adults understand some of their rights, and help them to avoid problems. They now have the right to make many important decisions, but with these decisions comes new responsibilities and consequences. The “18” booklet is an information guide that summarizes many legal issues for young adults.
A special thank you goes to Senator Bob Corker, Senator Lamar Alexander, Governor Bill Haslam, Hamilton County Mayor Jim Coppinger, and City of Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke for their contributions to this booklet.
Most of all, we thank Coppinger and County Commissioners Fred Skillern, Jim Fields, Marty Haynes, Warren Mackey, Greg Beck, Joe Graham, Larry Henry, Tim Boyd, and Chester Bankston for their support of this booklet and for the generous contribution of the cost of printing a copy for every 2014 senior in Hamilton County.
I’d also like to thank the CBA Young Lawyers Division Board members and Judge Rob Philyaw, Judge Jeffrey Atherton, and Judge Kevin Wilson for taking their time to make presentations to the students in the schools.
Finally, I’d like to also thank Judge Christie Sell for going with me to make presentations to GPS and Baylor seniors. I hope that it was as successful for all the schools as it was for Judge Sell and me. Judging by the comments I heard from teachers, the students were actually reading the booklet throughout the day of the presentation. I’ve had many calls from parents wanting a copy of the booklet, so I can say this version is a success. Thank you to everyone involved!
We’ll be printing the booklet on an annual basis for updates in the law. If you’d like to be a part of the project by becoming a sponsor next year, or making presentations to the schools, please let me know. We hope you’re as proud of this project as we are!