A Chattanooga trial attorney has applied for the Tennessee Supreme Court vacancy that will be created this fall when Chief Justice William M. Barker retires.

John W. McClarty, who has practiced law for 32 years and concentrates primarily on civil litigation, said he applied to be a state supreme court justice in order to expand his experience at the appellate level.

“I think it’s a good opportunity to be of service,” Mr. McClarty added.

Mr. McClarty, 60, is a graduate of Howard High School and received his law degree in 1976 from Southern University School of Law in Baton Rouge, La.

He had brief experience as a judge in Hamilton County in 1990, when he served for nine months overseeing the delinquency docket of the juvenile court system. He also had previously run for a city judgeship in 1983.

Chief Justice Barker, who lives on Signal Mountain, announced his retirement earlier this year, which will take effect in September.

Judge Sharon G. Lee, who sits on the Tennessee Court of Appeals in Knoxville, is the only other person who has applied for the Supreme Court vacancy.

The deadline for applications is Friday, after which all applicants will be interviewed publicly by the state’s judicial selection commission Aug. 18 in Nashville.