Mission | Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands

Mission Statement

Legal Aid Society's mission is to enforce, advance and defend the legal rights of low-income and vulnerable families in order to obtain for them the basic necessities of life. Legal Aid helps bring stability for those in need.

Impact Statement

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.

Significant accomplishments for the year ending December 31, 2008:

Obtained $1,075,243 in federal income tax benefits for low-income families, elderly, domestic violence victims, and immigrants.
Provided advocacy enabling low-income families to receive over $969,582 in insurance benefits and medical services.
Won positive outcomes in 97% of client cases.
Staff attorneys handled 5,669 cases. Volunteer and contract attorneys, through the Nashville Pro Bono Program and other local pro bono programs, handled an additional 1,240 cases.
The Medical Legal Partnership for Children (MLPC) with the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital and Vanderbilt continued producing critical benefits in its second year. MLPC addresses legal problems that affect medical outcomes of children receiving treatment from the hospital. The partnership is the first of its kind in Tennessee, and is based on more than 80 similar successful projects in the United States. During 2008, the hospital referred more than 100 patients to the MLPC.
Expanded service to domestic violence vicitms through new funding. Under these grants, LAS conducts a comprehensive assessment of the victims’ legal needs and provides holistic services that are more likely to help victims become stable and independent of their abuser.

Goals for the year beginning January 1, 2009:

In order to retain a strong, experienced work force, LAS is implementing a salary plan to improve staff salaries and reduce disparity between it and other public sector employers.
LAS will provide high-quality training for its attorneys employed less than four years so they can continue the legacy of leadership and advocacy offered by its more experienced attorneys.
LAS staff will provide information on the legal needs of the poor by serving on advisory committees to the Access to Justice Commission, created by the Tennessee Supreme Court in 2009.

Background Statement

The 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 has since expanded and consolidated with other organizations to help low-income 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.

Individual representation is provided free of charge to over 7,000 people each year. The cases address civil legal problems that are critical to low-income people. The needs are prioritized and met through the following initiatives: protecting the elderly; protecting victims of domestic violence; representing children from violent homes; representing traumatic brain injury victims; access to healthcare; access to appropriate education for disabled children; medical-legal collaborative; preventing homelessness and financial crisis; Tennessee Taxpayers Project; Pro Bono Program; and community education. |

Geographic Area Served

Legal Aid Society serves 48 counties in Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands, including all counties served by the Community Foundation of Middle Tennesse, as well as: Anderson, Campbell, Claiborne, Grundy, Morgan, Roane, Scott, and Union Counties.

Needs Statement

The need is tremendous. There are approximately 300,000 low-income people in our service area who are eligible for help, each experiencing an average of one civil legal problem every year. We receive approximately 35,000 requests for assistance each year. Due to limited resources, we are only able to open about one case for every four requests. The most pressing needs are: (1) general operating support; (2) pro bono attorney volunteers; and (3) support for the community education program.

CEO Statement

The Legal Aid Society provides free legal assistance to low-income and elderly people and victims of domestic violence. Our 28 staff attorneys and more than 500 volunteer attorneys help vulnerable people solve 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. Without the Legal Aid Society, low-income people would have nowhere else to turn.

Board Chair Statement

Management & Governance: More than 40% of our funding comes from the Legal Services Corporation which requires the Board of Directors be composed 60% 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. In order to compensate for the grantor-imposed limitations on board membership we also have a Community Advisory Council (CAC) made up of 28 leaders in Nashville who support our mission but are not lawyers or eligible to be clients. The CAC meets twice annually.

Financials: The Board reviews the financials bi-monthly. The Executive Committee reviews the financials on alternate months. A budget draft is approved by the Executive Committee at its November meeting; the Board adopts the annual budget in December each year. The Audit/Finance Committee meets with the auditor to discuss the audit before the board reviews it. The Board selects the Chair of the annual fundraising campaign about 2 years in advance. An endowment fund was established at The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee several years ago with a minimum allocation. Thanks to a generous bequest from Herman O. Loewenstein, we also have an endowment fund which is managed by Lee, Danner & Bass. Programs:

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 assist in preserving the home, obtaining housing, maintaining economic stability, preventing domestic violence, obtaining health care, and/or encouraging family stability.” Even so, there are differences in the types of cases handled and community education conducted in the eight offices. These differences result from local issues and our abilities to address them. We encourage our lawyers to be responsive to local needs. Some of our lawyers specialize in one or two fields of the law (e.g., family law, social security, consumer law) and are a resource to those in other offices unfamiliar with a particular field. 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.