Appointed Counsel Commission Members
Mark Mesler
Chairperson
Mark Mesler is an attorney at Rosenblum & Reisman, located in Memphis, Tennessee, where he primarily practices criminal defense law. He is a member of the Memphis Bar Association, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and the American Bar Association. Mr. Mesler earned his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration at the University of Florida and his law degree from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law.
Loretta Cravens
Vice Chairperson
Loretta Cravens is partner at Eldridge & Cravens, P.C. in Knoxville, Tennessee. She practices state and federal criminal defense, juvenile defense, and business and civil litigation. Ms. Cravens also serves as an adjunct professor at Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law. She is a Past President of the Knoxville Bar Association, Tennessee Lawyers’ Association for Women (TLAW), and the East Tennessee Lawyers’ Association for Women (ETLAW). She currently serves on the board of directors for the Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Federal Defender Services of East Tennessee, and TLAW. Ms. Cravens earned her undergraduate degree in political science from Tennessee Tech University and her J.D. from the University of Tennessee College of Law.
Lowe Finney
Commission Member
Lowe Finney is an attorney and mediator at Gearin Law Firm, PLLC, in Martin, Tennessee. He is a former member of the Tennessee Senate for the 25th district. Senator Finney served in the state senate from 2006 – 2014 as the Secretary and Treasurer of the Senate Democratic Caucus and the Vice-Chair of the Senate State and Local Government Committee. Senator Finney was also a member of the Environment, Conservation, and Tourism; Government Operations; and Joint Lottery Oversight Committees. Previously, he taught as an instructor at Lane College and Lambuth University in Jackson, Tennessee. Senator Finney earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Tennessee at Martin and his law degree from Saint Louis University School of Law.
Magistrate Judge Terre Fratesi
Commission Member
Judge Terre Fratesi is an attorney and mediator serving in Shelby County. From 2015 to 2024, she served as Magistrate Judge for the Juvenile Court of Memphis and Shelby County, Tennessee. Prior to that appointment, she was an attorney for the Office of the District Attorney General in Shelby County for 22 years. Licensed since 1989, Judge Fratesi earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Mississippi and her law degree at the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law.
David Grimmett
Commission Member
David Grimmett is board certified in child welfare law and has represented over 1,000 parents and children in juvenile matters throughout Tennessee. He has been appointed to represent clients at every level of the judicial system, from juvenile court magistrates to both the Tennessee Supreme Court and the United States Supreme Court. His testimony before the Tennessee General Assembly led the legislature to raise the rate for indigent defense counsel for the first time in over 20 years. He has also trained hundreds of attorneys and judges throughout Tennessee on juvenile law. He is the principal attorney at Grimmett Law Firm in Franklin, Tennessee.
Joshua Hedrick
Commission Member
Joshua Hedrick is a partner at Knox Defense in Knoxville, Tennessee, where he has practiced criminal defense law since 2006. He has argued cases before the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals and the Tennessee Supreme Court and defended clients against federal prosecutions in the Eastern District of Tennessee and in the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. He is a member of the Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys and the Knoxville Bar Association. Mr. Hedrick earned his undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and his law degree from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law.
Judge Lisa Rice
Commission Member
Judge Lisa Rice is the Criminal Court Judge of the 1st Judicial District, where she has served since 2014, presiding over Carter, Johnson, Unicoi, and Washington counties. Prior to her election as Judge, she served as a prosecutor for the District Attorney General’s Office and later worked in private practice as a defense attorney. She earned her undergraduate degree from East Tennessee State University and her law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law.
Judge Jim Todd
Commission Member
Judge Jim Todd is the Criminal Court Judge of Davidson County. Prior to his appointment, he served three years as the General Sessions Court Judge of Davidson County. He previously served as an Assistant District Attorney in the Davidson County District Attorney’s Office, and in 2003, he built a criminal defense practice in Nashville and has complex felony trial experience. Judge Todd has served on numerous boards focused on criminal justice reform and youth development. Judge Todd earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from Vanderbilt University and his law degree from Memphis State University Law School.
Emily Wright
Commission Member
Emily Wright is a partner at Wright & Wright, LLP, located in Livingston, Tennessee, serving clients in Pickett and surrounding counties in criminal defense and juvenile matters. Ms. Wright earned her law degree from the Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law in 2017. Since the outset of her practice, Ms. Wright’s work has been principally devoted to representing indigent clients. She has also contributed to legal education through teaching and presenting on trial advocacy and related topics, with a focus on improving access to justice in rural communities.