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Faulk defends his law practice against political opponent’s accusations

Tennessee 4th Senatorial District GOP challenger Mike Faulk responded Thursday to charges that he made a living in the late 1980s and early 1990s keeping convicted criminals out of jail.

The accusations against the Church Hill attorney are detailed by an Austin, Texas-based Democratic opposition research company called Stanford Research (www.oppresearch.com).

The company put together its research on Faulk in a document titled “A Convict’s Best Friend.”

Tennessee Senate Democratic Caucus Press Secretary Mark Brown e-mailed the document to the Times-News.

Faulk, whose campaign took a hit last month when the Associated Press reported that he had an affair with a married Hawkins County teacher, is attempting to unseat independent state Sen. Mike Williams of Maynardville.

Williams is often viewed as the swing vote in the Tennessee Senate, which is otherwise evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans. There is no Democratic candidate in the 4th Senatorial District election.

“The independent senator is in such deep trouble with the folks here at home that he’s turned to the Nashville-based Democrat smear machine for help,” Faulk said in an e-mailed response. “This week’s attack comes from a state employee working for the state Democrat Senate Caucus. I can’t help but wonder if he was being paid by the state when he was working on this smear piece.”

Faulk’s current law practice is centered around suing drunk drivers.

However, the Stanford Research document alleges Faulk worked to reduce a child molester’s jail term; helped a client get a reduced sentence and probation for driving under the influence with a 16-month-old baby in his car; and “procured probation” for an eventual career criminal who had been arrested for having 35 marijuana plants on his property.

When lawyers run for public office they expect such attacks, Faulk said.

“Years ago, I defended everything from barking dogs to men charged with killing,” Faulk noted. “I won some of those cases and lost others in spite of my best efforts. I was hired on some of those cases. On others, the state of Tennessee appointed me to defend the accused. Either way, I always tried to give my best effort to doing my job.”

Over 27 years, Faulk said his law practice has varied.

“I’ve represented companies against unions, unions against companies, and employees against both,” he said. “I’ve represented people hurt on the job and companies sued for workers’ compensation. I’ve defended little towns and challenged others. When a veteran lost his job during the Gulf War I prosecuted to get his job back.

“I’ve represented widows and orphans, farmers and factory workers, congressmen and judges and just about everyone in between. ... I’m proud of my job and have great satisfaction from it. I’ve made a living, did some good, and served the administration of justice along the way.”

The 4th Senatorial District includes Hawkins, Hancock, Claiborne, Union, Grainger and Jefferson counties in East Tennessee.

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