One way to Avoid the Dismissal of your Appeal on Termination of Parental Rights

The termination of parental rights is devastating, but there is an opportunity to reverse it on appeal.  The law in Tennessee (Tennessee Code Annotated 36-1-124(d))  is that the Notice of Appeal must contain the signature of the appellant, and not his or her attorney. Simple, right? All you have to do is make sure that the client's name is on the timely filed Notice of Appeal in order to not mess this up. According to recent opinions, there is no recourse for the client's name not appearing on the Notice, and the Rules of Appellate Procedure don't provide any relief in this circumstance. See In Re: Catherine J, and In Re David P.

It's an easy thing to do to make sure that you're well on your way to an appeal that can be considered by the appellate court!