2. Membership on the Panel is open to all attorneys in good standing who are
licensed to practice law in the State of Tennessee and admitted to practice before this Court.
Applications (see Attachment A to this Order) to become a member of the Panel should be
submitted by email to the Clerk of Court at
[email protected]. As a part of the
application process to join the panel, the attorney must certify by signing the application form
that the attorney has and agrees to maintain malpractice insurance that covers representation of
the litigants for which the Court’s appointment is made throughout the representation. Attorneys
will be asked to recertify malpractice coverage by December 1 of each year following their first
calendar year of membership on the panel. That recertification may be made by email to the
Clerk of Court at the email address listed above.
3. Parties who wish to have counsel appointed may file a motion in their case
seeking appointment of counsel and must submit the attached “Declaration of Need by Litigant”
(see Attachment B to this Order) along with their motion. The Court will consider the motion
and, if it is granted, the Court will enter an Order directing the Clerk to locate and obtain the
consent of counsel to be appointed in the case. Upon acceptance of the appointment by a Panel
member, the Court will enter an order in the case making the appointment.
4. If an attorney seeks to withdraw from a case once appointed, the standard to be
applied to the withdrawal will be identical to the standard applied in any other case, although due
regard for the circumstances of each case will be given.
5. Although the nature of the cases for which the Panel has been created might be
fee generating, a Panel appointee should not expect payment of fees or recovery of expenses
beyond what may be obtained by rule or statute, according to private agreement between the
appointee and client.
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6. In appropriate cases, expenses for the case may be reimbursed to counsel from the
Court’s Pro Bono Expense Fund in accordance with Volume 4, Chapter 6, of the Guide to
Judiciary Policy, which provides for use of the Fund as follows:
a. Reimbursement of pro bono counsel for out-of-pocket expenses, payment
of compensation to pro bono counsel, and payment of witness fees and
other expenses for indigent pro se civil litigants. In the event of an award
of attorney’s fees or costs to pro bono counsel in the course of such
litigation, the court may order return to the fund of any payments made
from the fund to counsel for fees and expenses in the amount equal to the
award. Guide to Judiciary Policy, Vol. 4, Ch. 6, §670.20(b)(6).
b. Funds associated with the Court’s attorney admission or pro bono expense
fund must not be used to supplement the salary of any judge or court
employee or to provide any personal benefit to a judge or court employee,
or to a member of his or her family. As a limited exception, a judge or
court employee, or his or her family member may receive a de minimis
personal benefit that is incidental to a proper expenditure of such funds.
Guide to Judiciary Policy, Vol. 4, Ch. 6, §670.30.20.
c. Funds associated with the Court’s attorney admission or pro bono expense
fund must not be used to pay for official or personal travel by a judge,
court employee, or any member of his or her family. As a limited
exception, such funds may be used to pay for local transportation for a
judge or court employee to attend bench/bar events. Guide to Judiciary
Policy, Vol. 4, Ch. 6, §670.30.30.
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It is the responsibility of counsel to maintain appropriate records and submit a request for
reimbursement. Counsel should submit the reimbursement request to the Clerk, who will either
approve the reimbursement or seek approval from the presiding judge or the Chief Judge, if
necessary. Upon approval, the reimbursement may be made to counsel.
In accordance with the Guide to Judiciary Policy, Vol. 4, Ch. 6, §670.50, the Court must
avoid the unreasonable accumulation of attorney admission funds. What constitutes an
unreasonable accumulation will vary depending on the Court’s historical practices and
anticipated needs. If the balance is determined to be excessive relative to the Court’s needs, the
Court may reduce or temporarily eliminate local fee collections until the balance aligns with
anticipated uses.
7. A copy of this Plan will be provided by the Clerk of Court to each member of the
panel and to any attorney requesting information about the panel.
FOR THE COURT, this 12th day of May, 2026.
s/ Sheryl H. Lipman
SHERYL H. LIPMAN
CHIEF UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE
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ATTACHMENT A
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
WESTERN DISTRICT OF TENNESSEE
APPLICATION TO JOIN CIVIL PRO BONO PANEL
Attorney’s Name BPR No.
Street Address City/State Zip Code
Office No. Mobile No. Email
Date Licensed to Practice Law Date Admitted to Practice in Federal Court
Types of Civil Cases Attorney is Willing to Accept by Appointment
☐ Employment Discrimination ☐ Prisoner Civil Rights
☐ Social Security ☐ Other Civil Rights
☐ Other (please specify)
☐ Check this box if the application is being submitted on behalf of a law firm
and the individual listed above is the firm’s primary contact.
Certification of Malpractice Insurance Coverage
By signing below, I certify that I am covered by malpractice insurance that covers my representation
of litigants for whom I accept appointment and that I will continue to carry coverage for the
duration of my representation and my membership on the Civil Appointments Panel.
Signature Date
Please Return This Form by Mail or Email
United States District Court
Western District of Tennessee
167 N. Main Street, Suite 242
Memphis, TN 38103
[email protected]
ATTACHMENT B
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
WESTERN DISTRICT OF TENNESSEE
DECLARATION OF NEED BY LITIGANT
(To be filed by litigant in support of a motion for appointment of counsel)
I, declare
Applicant Name
under penalty of perjury the following in support of my motion for appointment of counsel
by the Court:
1. My household income does not exceed 200% of the current
applicable Federal Poverty Guideline available at
https://aspe.hhs.gov/topics/poverty-economic-mobility/poverty-
guidelines;
2. I lack assets sufficient to afford legal representation in this case;
and
3. I will notify the court and my appointed counsel if my financial
condition materially changes before completion of this case.
Signature Date
