Legal Aid of East Tennessee receives $395,000 for pro bono initiative
Contact
Kathryn Fanlund
Communications and Social Media Manager
(202) 295-1520
WASHINGTON—The Legal Services Corporation (LSC) is awarding $395,614 to Legal Aid of East Tennessee (LAET). The LSC Pro Bono Innovation Fund (PBIF) grant will enable the nonprofit legal services organization to expand efforts to engage volunteers in assisting low-income Tennesseans with their civil legal problems.
LAET will use the grant to expand its pro bono expungement and reentry program to help more low-income Tennesseans clear their criminal records and overcome barriers to employment, housing and economic stability.
The project will add dedicated staff, improve volunteer training and adopt document automation technology to prepare cases more efficiently so pro bono attorneys can focus on legal analysis and representation. LAET will continue partnering with workforce programs, reentry organizations and law school clinics to increase access across its 26-county service area while allowing clients to seek help on an ongoing basis.
The initiative will increase expungement services, strengthen volunteer engagement and create a sustainable model that can better serve both urban and rural communities.
“We are grateful Congress recognizes the importance of investing in pro bono legal services and the critical role volunteer attorneys play in ensuring access to justice,” said Debra House, Esq., Executive Director of LAET. “From veterans facing legal challenges to survivors of domestic abuse seeking safety and stability, the need for civil legal assistance across East Tennessee far exceeds the resources available to meet it. This investment will help us harness the generosity and expertise of volunteer attorneys to reach more individuals and families, strengthen our communities, and ensure justice is not determined simply by someone's ability to afford an attorney.”
With limited capacity and resources, legal services organizations nationwide depend upon volunteers to expand the reach of legal assistance in their local communities. Low-income Americans do not receive any or enough legal help with 92% of their civil legal problems.
“When your home, health or family is in jeopardy, access to legal help should not depend upon your ability to pay for it,” said Ron Flagg, President of LSC. “Pro bono services amplify the impact that legal services organizations are able to have across the country for low-income Americans seeking justice.”
Since the PBIF grant program began in 2014, LSC has awarded 200 grants totaling more than $55 million. Funding for the PBIF program is included in LSC’s congressional appropriation.
More information about the Pro Bono Innovation Fund is available here.