Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands

Description

The Legal Aid Society was founded in 1968 to provide free legal representation in civil matters to low income people. It has 8 offices (Clarksville, Columbia, Cookeville, Gallatin, Murfreesboro, Nashville, Oak Ridge and Tullahoma) covering 48 counties in Tennessee. The services provided address critical issues such as safety, housing, financial stability, and access to healthcare.

The Legal Aid Society staff attorneys have an average of 14 years experience practicing law, and many are recognized as national leaders in their fields. In addition to excellent legal services, the Legal Aid Society also is nationally recognized for providing high quality self-help legal advice materials. Currently over 80 different educational materials are available; most can be read and downloaded for free on our website ( www.las.org). The materials are written a a fifth grade level so that more than 80% of Tennesseans can understand them. Many also are available in Spanish.

The Legal Aid Society provides assistance through legal representation by staff (attorneys and advocates) as well as pro bono attorneys (over 800 in 2010). Unfortunately because of a lack of resources, we still must turn away 3 people for every 1 we serve.