{"county":"shelby","description":"The Bartlett Municipal Court Judge presides over cases involving violations of City of Bartlett ordinances and has concurrent jurisdiction with the county's General Sessions Court over state-law misdemeanors that occur within Bartlett. The judge must be licensed to practice law in Tennessee and must have been a resident of the court's jurisdiction for at least one year and of the state for at least five. The position is elected to eight-year terms.","district":"bartlett","districtgroup":"municipality","id":135,"key":"bartlett_municipal_judge_div_1","lastchangeby":null,"name":"Tim Francavilla","next_election":"2018-11-08","notes":"145","officegroup":"bartlett_municipal_court","partisan":0,"party":"","qualities":"- Municipal-court judge: hears violations of city ordinances (traffic, code, animal-control, etc.) and, in some Tennessee cities, limited civil and small-claims jurisdiction by charter or interlocal agreement.\n- Judicial temperament: the willingness to listen, deliberate, and apply the law dispassionately to people whose lives are deeply affected by the outcome.\n- Impartiality and ethics under the Tennessee Rules of Judicial Conduct, including disqualification when conflicts arise.\n- Working knowledge of the substantive and procedural law applied in the assigned court (cited per court below) and the published precedent that controls.\n- Docket management \u2014 moving cases efficiently while honoring due process and the time pressures that fall on litigants and witnesses.\n- Clear written and oral explanation of rulings, so the parties and the public can follow the reasoning.","quantity":1,"source":null,"state":"TN","term_end":"2026-09-01","term_start":"2018-09-01","term_years":2,"terms":[{"current":1,"description":"","electiondate":"2018-08-06","name":"Tim Francavilla","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nTim Francavilla currently serves as a judge for Bartlett Municipal Court, Division 1 [1]. He was appointed to this position in February 2016 after being selected from among seven other applicants [1]. In addition to his judicial role, Francavilla operates the Francavilla Law Firm, where he practices criminal defense and family law [3]. His legal practice includes handling cases involving assault, domestic violence, drug offenses, DUI, theft, and personal injury [7].\n\nFrancavilla is a candidate in the 2026 election for his current judicial seat. He maintains an active campaign presence through social media platforms such as Facebook [2]. As of May 11, 2026, the outcome of this upcoming election remains unknown.\n\n## Background and education\n\nTim Francavilla is a criminal defense lawyer based in Memphis [3]. He operates the Francavilla Law Firm, which handles cases involving assault, domestic violence, drug crimes, DUI, theft, and family law [7]. The firm also provides legal services for personal injury matters [10].\n\n## Career\n\nTim Francavilla is a criminal defense lawyer who operates the Francavilla Law Firm in Memphis [3]. His legal practice focuses on defending clients against various charges, including assault, domestic violence, drug crimes, and driving under the influence offenses [6][8]. He also handles theft cases involving burglary, robbery, and shoplifting, as well as juvenile practice matters [4].\n\nIn addition to criminal defense work, Francavilla\u2019s firm offers services in family law and personal injury cases [9][10]. He is listed as an attorney at the Francavilla Law Firm on professional directories such as Hire a Lawyer [5].\n\n## Office history\n\nTim Francavilla served as a judge for the Bartlett Municipal Court. He was appointed to this position in February 2016 after being selected from among seven other applicants [1]. In this role, he presided over Division 1 of the city court [2].\n\nPrior to his judicial service, Francavilla practiced law as a criminal defense attorney. He operated the Francavilla Law Firm, where he specialized in defending clients against charges including assault, domestic violence, drug crimes, DUI, and theft [3][4][6][8]. His practice also encompassed family law and personal injury cases [9][10].\n\n## Business interests and wealth source\n\nTim Francavilla is an attorney who operates the Francavilla Law Firm, which he describes as a practice focused on criminal defense [3]. The firm\u2019s website lists his areas of expertise to include assault, domestic violence, drug crimes, DUI, theft, and burglary cases [4][6][8]. He also handles family law and personal injury matters through the same practice [5][9][10].\n\nFrancavilla self-describes as a criminal defense lawyer based in Memphis [7]. The firm maintains a physical presence and contact information for clients seeking legal representation in these specific defense areas [3]. There are no available sources detailing his family wealth source, ownership stakes in other businesses, or significant financial disclosure facts beyond his professional practice.\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Bartlett taps Tim Francavilla as city court judge](https://archive.commercialappeal.com/news/suburbs/bartlett/bartlett-taps-tim-francavilla-as-city-court-judge-2b5d18aa-1900-437b-e053-0100007f6ee0-368264701.html/)\n[2] [Judge Tim Francavilla | Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/p/Judge-Tim-Francavilla-100063644870500/)\n[3] [Criminal Defense Lawyer in Memphis | Francavilla Law Firm](https://www.francavillalawfirm.com/)\n[4] [Memphis Theft Defense Lawyer | Francavilla Law Firm](https://www.francavillalawfirm.com/criminal-defense/theft-cases/)\n[5] [Francavilla Law Firm - Attorney at Law | Hire a Lawyer](https://www.attorneyatlaw.com/firms/francavilla-law-firm)\n[6] [Memphis Assault Defense Lawyer | Francavilla Law Firm](https://www.francavillalawfirm.com/criminal-defense/assault/)\n[7] [Tim Francavilla | Defense Lawyers in Memphis](https://www.francavillalawfirm.com/staff-profiles/tim-francavilla/)\n[8] [Memphis Domestic Violence Defense Lawyer | Francavilla Law Firm](https://www.francavillalawfirm.com/criminal-defense/domestic-violence/)\n[9] [Memphis Family Lawyer | Francavilla Law Firm](https://www.francavillalawfirm.com/family-law/)\n[10] [Personal Injury Attorney in Memphis | Francavilla Law Firm](https://www.francavillalawfirm.com/personal-injury/)","firstname":"Tim","lastname":"Francavilla","token":"IKQeFLtHYv"},"term_end":"2026-09-01","term_start":"2018-09-01"}],"title":"Bartlett Municipal Judge Div 1","type":"judicial","url":null,"whenchanged":"2026-04-25 19:49:19"}