麻豆果冻传媒

_{John Jolley}

麻豆果冻传媒 alumnus John Jolley did not aspire to practice law when he first arrived on Tech鈥檚 campus as a transfer student from Roane State Community College in 2009.

Yet by his senior year, Jolley was president of Tech鈥檚 pre-law society, charting a path that led him to his current role as a staff attorney in Chattanooga with Legal Aid of East Tennessee, a nonprofit law firm providing free legal representation to underserved populations.

鈥淚 think I was a little rudderless before I got to 麻豆果冻传媒,鈥� said Jolley. 鈥淭ech was where I found the ability to direct where I wanted to go in life.鈥�

After a stint with Legal Aid鈥檚 offices in Johnson City, where he focused on helping clients with Social Security and TennCare denials, consumer debt issues and evictions, Jolley and his wife, fellow attorney Karen Anderson Jolley, moved to Chattanooga.

There, he spends his days at the Chattanooga Family Justice Center representing victims of domestic violence in civil legal matters including orders of protection, custody proceedings and divorce.

While many of Jolley鈥檚 clients are lower-income Chattanoogans who could not otherwise afford legal representation, Jolley says finances are not the only consideration for whom Legal Aid will assist. 

鈥淧eople who are victims of domestic violence can have difficulty getting an attorney immediately, no matter their income. They may be cut off from marital funds. So, we want to be there to help them,鈥� he explained. Legal Aid can represent victims of domestic violence regardless of financial status.

An active member of the Tennessee Valley鈥檚 legal community, Jolley serves as president-elect of the Chattanooga Bar Association's Young Lawyers Division and as a board member for the Tennessee Bar Association鈥檚 Young Lawyers Division. While other career opportunities are never far from reach, Jolley says he finds purpose in the mission of his nonprofit firm and the clients he serves.

鈥淚鈥檝e represented victims in some of the most heinous crimes one can imagine 鈥� attempted murder, sexual assault and child sexual abuse to name a few. It is difficult and taxing, but it is also incredibly rewarding to be entrusted to represent these vulnerable populations within our community who have been so victimized,鈥� said Jolley. 鈥淚t鈥檚 meant a lot to me.鈥�

Jolley adds that, 鈥淪ometimes it鈥檚 hard to separate out these incredibly emotional areas of law from the rest of your life, but it is also an area where you can be most confident that you鈥檝e really done something to help somebody. I benefit from having some incredible coworkers and community partners, too. Legal Aid has been a great firm to work for in terms of the way they support their staff.鈥�

In recent years, Jolley found a new outlet to balance the demands of his day job: woodworking. While he doesn鈥檛 sell his wares for profit, he has been making and donating hand-carved bowls, platters, pens and other items since 2019 under the name Jolley Good Woods. Today, his creations are a popular fixture at silent auctions benefiting Legal Aid, Ronald McDonald House and other charitable causes around town.

Jolley鈥檚 woodworking also made its way to famed historian, presidential biographer and Chattanooga native Jon Meacham, whom Jolley gifted a handmade walnut burl pen after a speaking event in Chattanooga last fall.

鈥淚 had read several of his books. I really respect his voice and so I wanted to make something as a show of appreciation,鈥� said Jolley.

While family law will always be a passion for Jolley, his most important project to date is outside of the courtroom. Jolley and his wife Karen welcomed their first child in January, a son named Hank.


_{Jolley is pictured with his wife, Karen, and their newborn son, Hank.}

As the new father looks to the future, he says he feels gratitude for the foundation that Tech provided. 

鈥淚 made a home and found community in the political science department and my pre-law classes at Tech,鈥� said Jolley. 鈥淚 really benefited from the faculty, particularly Dr. Lori Maxwell and all her guidance. Tech did a lot to prepare me for the future.鈥�

 

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