Statements
Mission
Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands' mission is to advance, defend and enforce the legal rights of low-income and vulnerable people in order to secure for them the basic necessities of life.
Background
Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands was founded in 1968 as Legal Services of Nashville by eight members of the Nashville Bar Association. It merged with Rural Legal Services of Tennessee and Legal Services of South Central Tennessee in 2001 and now provides services to low-income and elderly people in 48 counties through eight offices. Legal Aid Society has earned a national reputation for the excellence of its work. It has prompted reform of public institutions and has exerted a major influence on the development of Tennessee law. It is a national leader in community education, producing creative self-help legal advice products that have been used throughout the country. In 1996, changes in federal policy created new restrictions on the work that we could do while receiving Legal Services Corporation funds. We have since focused solely on individual cases and community education, and are no longer involved in class action lawsuits. We do not take criminal cases. Individual representation is provided free of charge in over 6,600 cases each year. The cases address civil legal problems that are critical to low-income and elderly people. The needs are prioritized and met through the following initiatives: protecting the elderly; protecting survivors of domestic violence; access to healthcare; access to appropriate education for children with disabilities; medical-legal collaboratives; preventing homelessness and financial crisis; prisoner re-entry; Tennessee Taxpayers Project; Volunteer Lawyers Program; and community education.
Impact
America was founded on the concept of equal justice for everyone..... it is confirmed in our pledge of allegiance and it is written above the doors of many courthouses, including the Supreme Court. However, there is a gap in our system. In civil cases, people who cannot afford legal representation usually must struggle alone against complicated government programs, individuals and entities in a position of power who are taking advantage of them, and violent family members. Legal Aid Society strives to fill that gap, helping to preserve that precious, cornerstone American value of justice for all. Legal Aid Society helps prevent homelessness; assists in protecting the elderly; gives survivors of domestic violence safety and independence through legal assistance; helps low-income individuals access healthcare and resolve other healthcare issues; and provides community education through free self-help materials on over 70 different legal topics, many available in Spanish.
Needs
Over 430,000 low-income and vulnerable people in our service area are eligible for Legal Aid's help. Each is struggling to make ends meet and experience an average of at least one civil legal problem every year. Legal Aid receives over 12,000 requests for assistance each year - far more than we can meet. Volunteering with Legal Aid increases our ability to meet those needs. One of the greatest needs is pro bono attorney volunteers. Other needs include support for community education programs, administrative volunteers and general operating support.
CEO Statement
Legal Aid Society provides free legal assistance to low-income people, seniors and survivors of domestic violence. Our 34 staff attorneys and more than 600 volunteer attorneys in 48 counties help low income and elderly people resolve civil legal problems that threaten their basic needs (e.g. access to health care, housing, income, and safety). There is no other organization like this in our area. Legal Aid Society strives to assure fairness for all in the justice system, regardless of how much money one has. We move people from simply surviving to living.
Board Chair Statement
Management & Governance: Approximately 42% of our funding comes from the Legal Services Corporation which requires the Board of Directors be composed two-thirds (2/3) of attorneys and 33% of people eligible for our services (low-income). The board must have an appropriate diversity mix and geographic representation from throughout our service area. Financials: The Board formally reviews the financials 4 times a year. The Executive Committee reviews the financials an additional 4 times a year. A budget draft is approved by the Executive Committee at last meeting of the year, and the Board adopts the annual budget in December each year for the following year. The Audit/Finance Committee meets with the auditor to discuss the audit before the board reviews it. An endowment fund was established at The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee several years ago. Thanks to a generous bequest from Herman O. Loewenstein in 2006, we also have a restricted endowment fund (for a consumer attorney) which is managed by Lee, Danner & Bass. Legal Aid Society has a general priority statement applied to all its programs: We will give priority to cases and matters in which we can help clients to preserve the home, obtain housing, maintain economic stability, prevent domestic violence, obtain health care, and/or support safety and well-being.We have developed 5 practice groups - Consumer, Family Law, Health/Income/Education, Housing, and Mortgage/Foreclosure - so our staff have support across our 8 offices and can gain expertise in certain areas of law. We also encourage our attorneys to be responsive to local needs. We recognize the challenges of making our services accessible to the new immigrant communities. We have several multi-lingual attorneys and staff. We subscribe to Language Line, an on-demand telephone translation service.
Service Categories |
|
| Primary Category: | Crime & Legal - Related - Legal Services |
| Secondary Category: | Human Services - Victims' Services |
| Tertiary Category: | - |
Areas Served
Legal Aid Society serves 48 counties in Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands, including all counties served by The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, as well as Anderson, Campbell, Claiborne, Grundy, Morgan, Roane, Scott, and Union counties.
| TN - Bedford |
| TN - Cannon |
| TN - Cheatham |
| TN - Clay |
| TN - Coffee |
| TN - Cumberland |
| TN - Davidson |
| TN - DeKalb |
| TN - Dickson |
| TN - Fentress |
| TN - Franklin |
| TN - Giles |
| TN - Hickman |
| TN - Houston |
| TN - Humphreys |
| TN - Jackson |
| TN - Lawrence |
| TN - Lewis |
| TN - Lincoln |
| TN - Macon |
| TN - Marshall |
| TN - Maury |
| TN - Montgomery |
| TN - Moore |
| TN - Overton |
| TN - Perry |
| TN - Pickett |
| TN - Putnam |
| TN - Robertson |
| TN - Rutherford |
| TN - Smith |
| TN - Stewart |
| TN - Sumner |
| TN - Trousdale |
| TN - Van Buren |
| TN - Warren |
| TN - Wayne |
| TN - White |
| TN - Williamson |
| TN - Wilson |
