The Tennessee Supreme Court’s five justices spread out across the state on Tuesday to kick off #HELP4TNDay as part of the court’s Access to Justice Initiative. Justice Sharon Lee, a graduate of UT Law, spoke in Knoxville at the College of Law.
Justice Lee was joined by Deb House from Legal Aid of Tennessee; Deborah Taylor Tate, Administrative Director of the Administrative Offices of the Courts; and attorneys Tony Seaton and Josh Hedrick, who are involved in pro bono work in the area. Other justices spoke in Memphis, Jackson, Nashville, and Chattanooga.
“Ensuring fair access to justice by providing legal advice to those Tennesseans who otherwise cannot afford legal representation in civil matters is the primary focus of this Initiative,” said Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Jeff Bivins. “We want to ensure all Tennesseans have equal access to legal representation. Through the civil legal clinics, the citizens of our state will have a convenient place to go to get answers to their legal questions.”
Licensed attorneys in Tennessee provided nearly $100 million in pro bono work last year alone to those citizens who could not afford legal representation. With more than 1.2 million indigent Tennesseans struggling with healthcare, family law issues, landlord/tenant, and debt issues, the need for quality legal information is assistance is incredibly important. East Tennesseans are encouraged to visit www.help4tn.org to learn more about Help4TNDay and where they find legal assistance.
More information:
TNCourts.gov: Tennessee Supreme Court Kicks Off #Help4TNDay
Knoxville News Sentinel: Need free legal help? Tennessee’s top court announces upcoming events
WBIR Channel 10: TN Supreme Court Justice visits UT law school