Whitney H. Raque, Attorney at Law

07/14/2026

Now Hiring: Front Desk Receptionist / Legal Assistant

We’re looking for a friendly, dependable, and organized person to join our law firm! This is a great opportunity for someone interested in gaining experience in the legal field. No legal experience is required—we’re happy to train the right person.

Responsibilities include:

* Greeting clients and creating a welcoming environment
* Answering and directing phone calls
* Scheduling appointments and managing attorney calendars
* Opening new client files and assisting with client intake
* Preparing, organizing, scanning, and filing legal documents
* Reviewing discovery
* Managing incoming and outgoing mail
* Maintaining an organized and professional reception area and conference rooms
* Assisting attorneys and staff with general administrative tasks
* Other office duties as needed

We’re looking for someone who is:

* Friendly and professional
* Organized with strong attention to detail
* Dependable and punctual
* Comfortable using computers and learning new software
* Eager to learn and work in a fast-paced environment

This is an entry-level position with entry-level pay, making it an excellent opportunity for someone looking to gain valuable experience in the legal profession.

To apply, please send your resume and a brief introduction explaining why you’d be a great fit.

[email protected]

06/18/2026

Our office will be closed on Friday, June 19, in observance of Juneteenth. We will resume normal business hours on Monday.

06/05/2026

If you find yourself being a putative father, keep in mind your rights could be terminated based on the following:

Initiation of termination of parental or guardianship rights may be based upon any of the grounds listed in this subsection (g). The parental rights of a person who is not a legal parent at the time of the filing of a petition to terminate parental rights of such person, or if no such petition is filed, then at the time of the filing of a petition to adopt a child, is the putative father of the child, may also be terminated based upon any one (1) or more of the following additional grounds:
(i) The person has failed, without good cause or excuse, to make reasonable and consistent payments for the support of the child in accordance with the child support guidelines promulgated by the department pursuant to § 36-5-101;
(ii) The person has failed to seek reasonable visitation with the child, and if visitation has been granted, has failed to visit altogether, or has engaged in only token visitation, as defined in § 36-1-102;
(iii) The person has failed to manifest an ability and willingness to assume legal and physical custody of the child;
(iv) Placing custody of the child in the person's legal and physical custody would pose a risk of substantial harm to the physical or psychological welfare of the child; or
(v) The person has failed to file a petition to establish paternity of the child within thirty (30) days after notice of alleged paternity, or as required in § 36-2-318(j), or after making a claim of paternity pursuant to § 36-1-117(c)(2);

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06/04/2026

Tennessee law is wild sometimes. Have you heard of a Putative Father's Registry? Well save me a future headache..

Had a one-night stand? Register.
Got ghosted by your girlfriend and suspect she might be pregnant? Register.
Have no idea whether a child was ever born but don't want to lose potential parental rights? Believe it or not... register.

The Putative Father Registry: because Tennessee doesn't recognize "I thought she'd text me."

Why is it important? So you can receive advance notice that your biological child is about to be adopted by someone.

For Alleged or Putative Fathers Are you trying to establish your paternity of a child in Tennessee, or receive advance notification if your biological child is ever to be adopted by someone else? Are you an attorney who needs to clear the putative father registry? This page offers answers and links....

05/20/2026

Free summer meals for kids are back! ☀️

MCS Feeding Sites begin Monday, June 1, offering free food for all children 18 and under. Please note: school-based locations will be closed June 29–July 3.

This year, we’re excited to partner with our Communications & Family Engagement team to bring even more to our community. MERV (Mobile Educational Resource Van) is joining CHOW (Combatting Hunger on Wheels) and CHEWY (Cultivating Healthy Eating with Youth) and will be out weekly, and all three mobile food vehicles will feature fun, themed activities for kids.

Come eat, learn, and have some fun with us this summer!

02/27/2026

I’ve built my practice around serving local families, so being able to support our schools feels full circle.

Our kids deserve strong schools and strong communities. Proud to do my small part. ❤️

02/26/2026

Every case stays with me — especially the hard ones.

A while back, I represented someone charged with a truly serious offense. The kind of case that keeps you up at night, constantly debating the evidence and how it would play out, and reminds you exactly why this work matters. A week before trial, we had a crossroads: take it to a jury or resolve it. I believed in trying the case based on the proof and experts we had. But he was staring down the reality of 15–25 years if things went sideways.

Sometimes courage looks like fighting. Sometimes it looks like choosing certainty.

He chose the guarantee.

Today, he walked back into my office — free. A second chance in his hands. He didn’t come to talk about the past. He came to say thank you.

Moments like that ground me. This job isn’t about headlines or perfect outcomes. It’s about standing beside people when the stakes are everything, helping them navigate impossible decisions, and believing that a life is more than its worst chapter.

I’m grateful he trusted me then. And grateful he gets a future now.

Second chances matter.

02/11/2026

Are holidays required in a parenting plan? If you have a trial, then yes!

In the case of Boatman v. Odziana, 2025 WL 2814800,(Tenn.Ct.App., 2025), the Court ordered a week-on/week-off parenting plan and as for holidays stated “The summer schedule and any school breaks shall follow this day-to-day schedule. No special exceptions will be made for the various religious holidays, i.e., the day-to-day schedule will apply and the chips will fall where they may.”

Tennessee Code Annotated section 36-6-402(5), which defines terms related to parenting plans, provides as follows:
[T]he residential schedule must designate a primary residential parent when the child is scheduled to reside with one (1) parent more than fifty percent (50%) of the time; in addition, the residential schedule must designate in which parent's home each minor child shall reside on given days of the year, including provisions for holidays, birthdays of family members, vacations, and other special occasions, consistent with the criteria of this part;

Thus, a parenting plan must include provisions for holidays. COA determined that the trial court erred by failing to follow the statutory requirement of designating parenting time for holidays.

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02/11/2026

I've had an influx of cases where joint or sole decision making is an issue. So I thought I would post the statute to help those out:

§ 36-6-407. Allocation of parenting responsibilities, TN ST § 36-6-407
the court shall consider the following criteria in allocating decision-making authority:

(1) The existence of a limitation under § 36-6-406;

(2) The history of participation of each parent in decision making in each of the following areas: physical care, emotional stability, intellectual and moral development, health, education, extracurricular activities, and religion; and whether each parent attended a court-ordered parent education seminar;

(3) Whether the parents have demonstrated the ability and desire to cooperate with one another in decision making regarding the child in each of the following areas: physical care, emotional stability, intellectual and moral development, health, education, extracurricular activities, and religion; and

(4) The parents' geographic proximity to one another, to the extent that it affects their ability to make timely mutual decisions.

________________________________________________________

In a relatively recent opinion from COA, the Mother had sole decision making and the trial court flipped it and gave Father the sole authority on educational decisions and medical.

The Court stated “so that he can choose the children's schools” and on non-emergency medical decisions, the trial court cited “Mother going against Father's wishes and getting [kid 2] the COVID shot without even discussing the matter with Father, lying to [kid 2] about it, and then telling [kid 1] about it, which caused [kid 1] to threaten suicide.” Throughout its decision, the court noted the high degree of family dysfunction and conflict exhibited by Mother and Father and found Mother to be particularly at fault in failing to act in the children's best interest.

Boatman v. Odziana, 2025 WL 2814800, at *18 (Tenn.Ct.App., 2025)

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02/07/2026

January wrapped up with two Termination of Parental Rights trials successfully defended.
Two families. Two outcomes where parents kept their rights.

TPR cases are some of the most serious matters a court can hear—there is no reset button if you lose. These cases require strategy, evidence, credibility, and knowing when to fight back hard.

If a termination of parental rights petition has been filed against you, do not wait and hope it works itself out. It won’t.
Let’s talk early, honestly, and with a plan.

📞 Call the office to schedule a consultation.