Pro Bono Project

PRO BONO SPOTLIGHT By: Caitlin Torney

Pro Bono Project Attorney for Legal Aid of East Tennessee

Serving the Legal Community in Assisting Low-Income Persons To Navigate the Justice System

NEW FACES AT LEGAL AID OF EAST TENNESSEE

We are excited to announce three wonderful new staff attorneys and a new law clerk have recently joined Legal Aid of East Tennessee in Knoxville. Jackson Cain, Darrell Winfree, and Chelsea Hatcher have come to us from a variety of different backgrounds but all three share a dedication to providing civil justice for those who need it most. Jackson Cain joined us in the Spring as our TSLA (Tennessee Senior Law Alliance) Staff Attorney, Darrell Winfree will be our attorney out of LAET’s Maryville office, and Chelsea Hatcher is the new attorney at the Knoxville Family Justice Center. Jackson Cain joined Legal Aid of East Tennessee back in March to helm our TSLA program out of Knoxville. A 2020 graduate of Belmont University College of Law, Jackson has taken over a large part of the Elder Law practice for Knoxville and the surrounding counties helping seniors in East Tennessee with a wide range of legal concerns including consumer issues, estate planning, probate assistance, and family law. Recently Jackson became certified to help veterans with benefits issues and will be expanding his practice to include advocating for East Tennessee veterans. Darrell Winfree will be the new attorney out of our Maryville office serving Blount, Loudon, and Sevier Counties. A 2018 graduate from the University of Tennessee College of Law, Darrell worked for ETHRA (East Tennessee Human Resources Agency) prior to joining Legal Aid in July. Darrell’s background with ETHRA has provided him with a wealth of experience serving rural East Tennessee residents and we are excited for him to use those skills to help our clients confront a diverse range of legal issues. Chelsea Hatcher is taking over for Robert Downs at the Knoxville Family Justice Center where she will be primarily handling Orders of Protection and domestic violence-related divorces. Chelsea is a graduate of Wake Forest University School of Law in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and practiced with a small firm in Knoxville prior to joining Legal Aid in July. Robert Downs will be moving to the main Knoxville Office to serve as Deputy Director of Advocacy and Litigation and will continue to represent clients across a multitude of practice areas. Last, but certainly not least, I am excited to introduce Mac Hazlerig who is our new Pro Bono Law Clerk. Mac is a recent political science major graduate from Union University currently in his 2L year at University of Tennessee College of Law. He will take over for Clint Wren and you can look forward to getting emails about case placement and case status reviews from Mac in the coming year. If you have any questions or concerns about a case you are handling for the Pro Bono Project or are interested in taking a case in a particular legal area, please feel free to reach out to Mac directly at mhazlerig@laet.org

Fall Pro Bono Opportunities:

There are many clinics planned for the coming months and I hope you will decide to volunteer. In light of continued COVID concerns, we have endeavored to offer a wide array of volunteer options that include zoom and phone clinics. Although we still plan to conduct some in person clinics if conditions are amendable, we will endeavor to make safety a priority and institute mask and social distancing polices whenever possible. As always, I encourage you to check out a list of available cases we are actively trying to place by visiting “Pro Bono Matters” on our website at: www.laet.org. Feel free to reach out to me directly with questions, concerns, or ideas at ctorney@laet.org or (865) 251-4951.

Legal Advice Clinic for Veterans: In person at the Public Defender’s Community Law Office at 1101 Liberty Street in Knoxville. Phone advice options available. • Wednesday September 8th (Noon – 2:00 PM) • Wednesday October 13th (Noon – 2:00 PM) • Wednesday November 10th (Noon -2:00 PM)  To Sign up, please use the form on the KBA Website or email ctorney@laet.org.

Debt Relief Clinics: We have two upcoming clinics to help area residents explore debt relief options and Chapter 7 Bankruptcy. Both clinics are held in conjunction with the KBA, TALS, the Federal Bar Association, and the TBA Young Lawyer’s Division.

• Saturday October 2nd (9:00am – Noon): This clinic will be entirely virtual and open to qualifying residents across the Eastern District of

Tennessee. Clients and attorneys may log-in via zoom or call in by phone.

• Saturday November 6th (9:00am – Noon): In person at the Public Defender’s Community Law Office at 1101 Liberty Street in Knoxville.  To Sign up, please email ctorney@laet.org.

Phone Advice Clinic for Domestic Violence Victims: October is Domestic Violence Victim Awareness Month as well as Pro Bono Month. Legal Aid of East Tennessee will be partnering with area victim’s service providers to hold a phone advice clinic for domestic violence survivors. Although we welcome volunteers from all legal practice areas, we are especially eager for family law attorneys to volunteer to provide advice on divorce, custody, and juvenile court issues.

• Thursday October 14th (Noon- 2:00pm): Phone clinic. Clients will be assigned 30 minute appointment times and matched with an attorney. Attorneys may sign up to make multiple calls across the 2-hour clinic or restrict their participation to fit their schedule.  To Sign up, please email ctorney@laet.org.

Fall Faith and Justice Clinic: Keep an eye out for a firm date for an inperson Faith and Justice Clinic to be held at the Lennon Seney United Methodist Church in Knoxville sometime in the early fall. The clinic will be held in person on a Saturday morning in September or October and COVID precautions will be observed.