Yolanda Echols Mitchell
Age: 53
Occupation: Attorney practicing law in Hamilton County for 20 years. Former Hamilton County Assistant District Attorney of 10 years; 10 years as a self-employed attorney practicing in the Hamilton County Criminal, General Sessions, Juvenile, Chancery and Circuit Courts.
Residence: Ooltewah
Years Live in Hamilton County: 50
Family: Married, widow
Education: Graduate of Brainerd High School; Undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Previous public office experience: Hamilton County Magistrate Judge, 2007-2011; former Chief Magistrate Judge.
Church or civic involvement: Member of New Covenant Fellowship Church; Southeast Tennessee Legal Association for Women; Chattanooga Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers; Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth; Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc.
What is the biggest challenge facing the office you are seeking and how would you address it?
I believe the biggest challenge as Juvenile Court Judge would be to overcome the present methodical system of dealing with cases. This is necessary in order to achieve more positive outcomes for the children and families that appear before the juvenile court. Understanding that the underlying issues that bring children and families into the juvenile court system are different for each family, I would address the problem by increasing the focus on the family unit as a whole from the outset and developing methods of identifying the underlying issues on a case by case basis in order to effectively tackle the problems specific to each child and their family. The time and effort must be focused on the individual. All problems cannot be resolved by using the same methods in every case.
Why should the voters choose you?
I will bring a diverse perspective and vast experience in dealing with the issues of juvenile court to the bench. During my 20 years of legal practice, I have worked as a prosecutor, a defense attorney and a magistrate judge.
I served as an assistant district attorney for 10 years prosecuting criminal cases from the smallest of misdemeanors to the highest of felonies. I served as the Child Abuse Prosecutor for Hamilton County for four years specifically prosecuting cases of neglect and physical and sexual abuse of children. As an attorney in private practice for the past 10 years, I have represented both children and adults in juvenile court on issues of abuse and neglect, and custody and delinquency. I have an in depth knowledge of the issues that are prevalent in cases in the juvenile court and a vast amount of experience in dealing with and resolving these issues.