Tenn. Code Ann. § 23-2-101

This is the official text of Tenn. Code Ann. § 23-2-101, part of Tennessee’s Code Ann — part of the compiled statutory law of Tennessee, published by the state as "Code Ann." Browse the sections below, each linked to its official government source.

Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.

Counsel assigned to paupers

Official statutory text

At the return term of the process, the court may appoint counsel for the plaintiff in actions prosecuted in the manner prescribed for paupers, and also for the defendant, if the defendant makes an oath that, owing to the defendant's poverty, the defendant cannot employ counsel. Code 1858, § 3980 (deriv. Acts 1821, ch. 22, § 3; 1857-1858, ch. 58); Shan., § 5792; mod. Code 1932, § 9983; T.C.A. (orig. ed.), § 29-201.
At the return term of the process, the court may appoint counsel for the plaintiff in actions prosecuted in the manner prescribed for paupers, and also for the defendant, if the defendant makes an oath that, owing to the defendant's poverty, the defendant cannot employ counsel.
Code 1858, § 3980 (deriv. Acts 1821, ch. 22, § 3; 1857-1858, ch. 58); Shan., § 5792; mod. Code 1932, § 9983; T.C.A. (orig. ed.), § 29-201.

Status: in_force

Need a lawyer in Tennessee?

Find a Tennessee lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the Open US Law dataset (Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine (Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.