Legal Aid Society's 2022 Annual Report

2022 Annual Report

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Table of Contents A Message from Our Leadership.............................................................4-5 2022 at a Glance.......................................................................................6 Who We Are .............................................................................................7 Empowering Each Other.........................................................................8-9 Top Moments of 2022..............................................................................10-11 Charita’s Story.........................................................................................12-13 Jazzcelyn’s Story......................................................................................14-15 Anna’s Story.............................................................................................16-17 Campaign Committee..............................................................................18 Leadership Cabinet and Grants.............................................................19 Financial Results......................................................................................20-21 Board of Directors, Leadership, and Contact Information.................22

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DarKenya W. Waller Executive Director

Susan L. Kay Board of Directors President Legal Aid Society 4

F

or more than 55 years, we at Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands has striven to ensure equal access to justice by advancing the legal rights for many of the most vulnerable neighbors in our community.

During 2022, we challenged our organization to be more purposeful when engaging with our communities, the causes we champion, and the differences we could make when working together.

We have learned that there is no greater accomplishment than when passionate, determined, and energetic people unite to inspire positive change in their communities.

When reflecting on 2022, we often ask ourselves: Did Legal Aid Society intentionally aid the people who needed us most? How did we ensure domestic violence survivors obtained safety from their abusers? What resources did we provide to people facing eviction from their homes? Did neighbors trying to clear their criminal records get a second chance?

Here’s what we found. People calling Legal Aid Society needed more than legal representation, education, and resources. They desired compassion, a soft landing place, and advocates. Contacting Legal Aid Society meant facing some of life’s most challenging and humbling circumstances.

So, leading with empathy and compassion was imperative and ensured Middle Tennesseans gained access to resources through the partnerships we built in our communities. We received invaluable assistance from attorney volunteers, and other legal professionals when aiding clients through challenging legal issues. In addition, strategic partnerships allowed us to intentionally expand our reach to even more diverse communities.

We combined our efforts with partner organizations including Conexion Americas, the Hispanic Bar Association, YWCA of Nashville and Middle Tennessee, the American Job Center, Family Justice and Family Safety Centers, Metro Nashville Council, Metro Human Relations Commission, the Equity Alliance, and many more.

Through these collaborations, we’ve trained community partners about fair housing, SNAP benefits, orders of protection, knowing your rights and responsibilities as a tenant — and most importantly, we expanded our reach via the private bar.

This annual report celebrates the thriving relationships we created in 2022 that helped bridge the justice gap in our communities. Thank you to all of our funders, donors, staff, volunteers and community partners for supporting our critical efforts to advance the pillars of justice through the provision of civil legal aid.

Truthfully, 2022 showed us that we are indeed “stronger together.”

DarKenya W. Waller, Legal Aid Society Executive Director Susan L. Kay, Legal Aid Society Board President Legal Aid Society 5

THANK YOU!!!

In 2022

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WHO WE ARE The mission of Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands is to enforce, advance and defend the legal rights of low-income and vulnerable people in order to obtain for them the basic necessities of life. Legal Aid Society is committed to the principle that all citizens are due equal representation under the law.

WE SERVE 48 COUNTIES

In our service areas over 360,000 individuals live at or beneath the federal poverty line, resulting in one Legal Aid Society attorney for every 8,000 citizens who might need our services.

CASES PER PROGRAM AREA IN 2022 The chart below represents the types of legal cases our staff resolved in 2022.

8%

1%

30%

3%

26%

Consumer

Education

Family

Health

Housing

12%

10%

4%

Income Individual Miscellaneous Maintenance Rights

6% Employment

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EMPOWERING EACH OTHER In 2022, hundreds of Middle Tennesseans received help from our volunteer programs. It could not have happened without the behindthe-scenes work of student volunteers, private law firms, and strategic partnerships. With the assistance of these volunteers and partners, we maximized the number of legal services we could provide for clients whom we otherwise may have had to turn away.

We were able to add more free legal help and advice clinics into our program service areas to reach clients in rural communities, allowing us to expand our reach to more people.

Private law firms increased the scope of services we could provide by handling specific cases like divorces, powers of attorney, adoptions, conservatorships, name changes, and many more.

Student volunteers and strategic partnerships provided a deeper connection to community resources and helped with administrative efforts. By maximizing the time offered by volunteers to help us and our clients, we were able to assist each client more holistically. This strengthened our services and increased the stability of our typically underserved communities.

To everyone who volunteered in 2022, we want to say thank you.

Jordan Stringer, Volunteer Lawyers Program Director

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Volunteer Spotlights Alan D. Hall, 2022 Pro Bono Attorney of the Year Alan D. Hall, a dedicated volunteer, made a significant impact in 2021 by donating over 150 pro bono hours to help more than 60 clients. His unwavering support during the pandemic, including phone clinics and extended representation cases, earned him the 2022 Pro Bono Attorney of the Year award.

K&L Gates, Pro Bono Leadership Award In 2022, we also recognized the exceptional pro bono legal services of K&L Gates as our Pro Bono Leadership Award recipient. K&L Gates has been a consistent fixture at our McHugh Legal Advice Clinic and our Nashville Public Library Legal Advice Clinic, and initiated a pro bono adoption project building expertise for the benefit of low-income middle Tennesseans.

2022 Pillar Firms Pillar firms are law firms that work with a specific legal matter, adopt a monthly clinic, commit to a certain number of cases, or a certain rural area on behalf of Legal Aid Society.

Baker Donelson Bass Berry & Sims (Will and Adoptions) Bradley (Conservatorship Project) Butler Snow Clark & Washington (Bankruptcy)

K&L Gates (Adoption Project) Nelson Mullins (Conservatorship Project) Ortale Kelly Polsinelli (legal clinics) Waller (Holland & Knight)

VLP 2022 Highlights

Pro bono attorneys provided over 2,000 hours of pro bono services, valued at approximately $440,000 in free legal services for clients.

The Volunteer Lawyers Program hosted 80 free legal clinics, helping an estimated 850 people connect with an attorney and free legal services.

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TOP MOMENTS OF 2022 1

Legal Aid Society Tax Attorney Mary Gillum and Andrew Keyso, chief of appeals for the IRS, gave a live, two-hour presentation to more than 400 IRS appeals officers as part of a training session. They spoke about how to effectively communicate with taxpayers who have filed appeals in the wake of failed IRS examinations. This training was the first of its kind and educated participants on the needs of taxpayers across the United States.

2

Legal Aid Society was awarded almost $2 million through the American Rescue Plan to start up an Eviction Right to Counsel (ERTC) program in Davidson County. ERTC is focused on helping tenants understand their rights as renters and offering legal advocacy for them. ERTC added 11 new positions to the housing staff in Legal Aid Society’s Nashville office. In only 4 short months in 2022, the ERTC program assisted 234 unique clients, totaling $444,546.60 in financial impact, and participated in 27 community outreach and education activities.

3

Legal Aid Society partnered with the Equity Alliance, Metro Human Relations Commission, Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, and Nashville Defenders to host a Know Your Rights training series. The attendees included 25 nonprofits and social service organizations.

4

Legal Aid Society secured long-term funding with the Department of Human Services (DHS) that will amount to approximately $8,200,000 over the next three years. This 2GEN funding is a renewable part of DHS’ long-term strategy to offer wrap around services, including legal services, to 2 generations of families.

5

Legal Aid Society’s Cookeville office partnered with U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Charles Walker to conduct its first virtual debt relief clinic in Middle Tennessee.

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6

Immigration Lead Attorney Chay Sengkhounmany, along with partners in the community, advocated that the Metropolitan Nashville District Attorney’s Office address the 2-year wait time to get a decision on whether the office would sign U visa certifications for victims of crime who were applying for a U visa. These certifications are required in the U visa application process. A few weeks after the meeting with District Attorney General Glenn Funk, his office hired a full-time staff person solely dedicated to the processing of U visa certification requests.

7

Legal Aid Society staff across all eight offices rallied around the Tullahoma office, which effectively represented tenants in a Tullahoma trailer park case against the tenants’ landlord to get the multiple residents’ water and electricity restored after the landlord failed to pay for the services.

8

Legal Aid Society, Belmont Law, and the Administrative Office of the Courts partnered with the Clarksville Montgomery County Clerk’s Office to host a citywide expungement clinic. During the clinic, staff, students, and attorney volunteers were able to expunge over 100 charges and waive over $10,000 in court costs.

9

Health and Benefits Attorney Allison Jones achieved a $2.3 million recovery in TennCare benefits for a family who had been denied coverage for their baby, who spent substantial time in the NICU.

10

Legal Aid Society secured a landmark victory in the Tennessee Court of Appeals supporting consumers who fall prey to foreclosure rescue scams.

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CHARITA'S STORY When you first meet Charita, it is difficult not to notice her passion, loyalty, and love for her community. She glows as she talks about her grandson and her job as a school aide.

Nevertheless, Charita, like many others, has had her share of struggles. When she first arrived at Legal Aid Society, Charita was being evicted from her home.

“I felt helpless. I felt lonely. I had butterflies in my stomach. I didn’t know what to do or where to go, but when I found out about Legal Aid Society, I knew everything would be OK,” said Charita.

Through Charita’s experience navigating the legal system, she has become a fierce advocate for those needing legal help.

“I reach out to people that didn’t know Legal Aid Society could help them.

Eventually, more people started reaching out to me and I was there for them, like Legal Aid Society was there for me,” said Charita.

HOUSING 1,422 legal issues related to housing were closed, resulting in resolutions for:

CONSUMER 452 legal cases related to consumer issues were resolved.

446 people experiencing homelessness

Consumer staff stopped 74 debt collection attempts.

361 tenants trying to find or keep their housing

Tax-related legal cases were resolved for 233 people.

Housing staff also delayed 186 evictions.

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JAZZCEYLN'S STORY Jazzcelyn is a mother, visionary, and former client of Legal Aid Society who was looking for a second chance after incarceration.

Like many people with past criminal records, Jazzcelyn found herself trying to reconnect with her family and get her life back on track.

Unfortunately, because of her past criminal record, she struggled to access basic necessities like housing and employment.

“I was unable to move into certain areas or qualify for certain jobs because I had this title of being a convicted felon. I began to wonder, how can I move forward and be great if my past continues to haunt me?” said Jazzcelyn.

Jazzcelyn felt that hope was lost. That’s when she was connected to Legal Aid Society by a local nonprofit. By reviewing her case, her attorney determined Jazzelyn’s case was eligible for expungement. Through her attorney’s assistance, Jazzcelyn’s past criminal record was completely cleared, allowing her to look toward a bright future.

“I want to start an organization focused on reentry and be able to speak to women in prison who are about to get out and offer services like this,” said Jazzcelyn.

REENTRY

EMPLOYMENT 429 legal issues related to employment law were closed, resulting in resolutions of:

Our Reentry team resolved expungement cases for 438 people and provided valuable legal resources at 24 outreach events throughout 2022.

115 unemployment compensation cases

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ANA'S STORY

When Ana talks about her children, her smile lights up the room. Soccer games, movie nights, and family outings fill their weekly calendar. “When we are together, our energy is magnetic,” said Ana. As a mother of three beautiful children, Ana never imagined that she would be in an abusive marriage and, due to the financial strain of separation, be forced to sell their home.

On top of the many personal issues she was facing, Ana found herself trying to understand the legal process alone.

“After separating from my ex-husband, I went to court alone. I had no legal representation, and I was trying to figure out how to get an Order of Protection,”said Ana. Through the support of her advocate, attorney, and family, Ana divorced her husband, got financially back on track, and provided a safe home for herself and her children.

“When I was granted the divorce and the dividing of my assets, it is hard to describe the feeling of being over that hump, because it was something that had been over me for a long time. Now I have the financial stability to support my daughters and to be able to take care of them like they deserve. I am so thankful for Legal Aid Society and all their help. I wish more people knew about them,” said Ana.

FAMILY 1,701 legal issues related to family law were closed, resulting in resolutions for: 1,249 survivors of domestic/dating violence 169 survivors of sexual abuse 118 survivors of stalking (this data includes immigration cases)

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HEALTH,BENEFITS,AND EDUCATION 920 legal cases related to Health, Benefits, and Education law were closed, resulting in: 278 SNAP cases

1,596 clients with disabilities served

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CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE

The supporters of Legal Aid Society have shown that there is a place for access to justice in our communities. In 2022, the Equal Justice Campaign Committee raised over $1 million to provide free legal help to people throughout Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands.

Our 2022 committee members were invaluable in the success of our campaign, and we are thankful for their service and belief in the mission of Legal Aid Society.

Frank Garrison Campaign Chair

Leigh Walton Campaign Chair

The challenges of the past couple of years have illustrated the continued need for Legal Aid Society’s advocacy for low-income and vulnerable residents in our communities. It was an honor for us to spearhead the 2022 Equal Justice Campaign and assist with filling the justice gap.

Ensuring Middle Tennesseans receive access to essential legal resources is vital to helping them overcome unfair circumstances and navigate the justice system. Thank you to all our dedicated committee members, Legal Aid Society staff, and the community members who ensured that the 2022 campaign was a success.

April Savoy Corporate Co-Chair

Kevin Sharp Small Firm Co-Chair

Scott Tift Small Firm Co-Chair

Bob Fisher Community Co-Chair

Lisa Quigley Community Co-Chair

Tom Marshall Oak Ridge Co-Chair

Chase Cole Large Firms Co-Chairs

Lynda Jones Judge Co-Chair

Wally Dietz Government Co-Chair

David Jones Government Co-Chair

Margaret Dodson Large Firm Co-Chair

Katie Klinghard Clarksville Co-Chair

Reggie Hill Corporate Co-Chair

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LEADERSHIP CABINET The 2022 Leadership Cabinet was composed of law firms or in-house legal departments (within Legal Aid Society’s service area) who contributed at least $400 per attorney within their firm to Legal Aid Society. In 2022 alone, the Leadership Cabinet raised $400,900 for Legal Aid Society! Established in 1995 and supported by 20 of Nashville’s most prestigious law firms, the Leadership Cabinet is a vital and foundational funding source.

Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz PC

John C. McLemore

Bass, Berry & Sims PLC

Leader Law

Berry & Tudor PC Bradley Arant Boult Cummings

Lieff, Cabraser, Heimann & Bernstein LLP

Burr & Forman LLP

Lewis Thomason PC

Butler Snow LLP

Littler Mendelson PC

Cornelius & Collins LLP

Nashville Electric Service

Dodson, Parker, Behm & Capparella PC

Ortale Kelley

Gullett Sanford Robinson & Martin PLLC

Pepper Law PLC

Hagan Jenkins Law Group PLLC

Polsinelli PC

Hale and Hale PLC HMC Civil Rights Law PLLC

Sherrard Roe Voigt & Harbison PLC

Holton & Mayberry PC

Smith-Wright Law PLLC

Holland and Knight LLP

Spencer Fane LLP

Kinnard Law

Swafford Law Firm PLLC Taylor, Pigue, Marchetti & Blair PLLC Waldron, Fann & Parsley Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis LLP Wiseman Ashworth Trauger

GRANTS

Legal Aid Society was awarded numerous grants in 2021, providing us the opportunity to continue our work in supporting our local communities.

HUD Fair Housing Private Enforcement Initiative

Equal Justice Works

Men of Valor

DHS Family Centered Legal Solutions

Hays Family Foundation

Tennessee Department of Health

Regions Foundation

Administrative Office of the Courts – Parent Education and Mediation Fund

American College of Bankruptcy

DHS (Department of Human Services) Families First

LSC (Legal Services Corporation) Rural Summer Legal Intern

Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee

HCA Foundation

Greater Nashville Regional Council

United Way of Sumner County

South Central Tennessee Development District

United Way of Franklin County United Way of Anderson County

Tennessee Bar Foundation – Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Account (IOLTA)

United Way of Greater Clarksville

Nashville Bar Foundation

United Way of Rutherford/Cannon Counties

Metro Nashville-Davidson County Direct Appropriation

Frist Foundation

United Way of Greater Nashville

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FINANCIAL RESULTS

The financial results for Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands, fiscal year ending December 31, 2022, were reviewed externally by KraftCPA PLLC. To find a copy of Legal Aid Society Form 990 and the 2022 audit, scan the QR code below or got to our website at https://las.org/who-we-are/financial-information/.

Funding Sources

2022

Campaigns Investment Income State Funding United Way Legal Service Corporations Federal Funding Local Government Foundation Funding Other Grants

$875,000 $170,000 $3,456,014 $137,700 $4,103,874 $140,000 $327,400 $122,620 $44,000

Total Revenue Budget

$9,376,608

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Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands 1321 Murfreesboro Pike, Suite 400 Nashville, TN 3721

Board of Directors

Susan Kay, President Walter H. Stubbs, 1st Vice President David A. Weil, 2nd Vice President Katie Bell Klinghard, 3rd Vice President Adrie Mae Rhodes, Secretary Mozianio S. Reliford III, Treasurer James L. Weatherly Jr., Executive Committee Member at Large J. Andrew Goddard, Immediate Past President Charita Bennett Hon. Judge Michael W. Binkley John T. Blankenship

Traci Brooks Cynthia Cheatam Sharon Crane Diane Davis Cameron Hoffmeyer Tessa N. Lawson Rebecca Kopp Erin Polly Palmer Misty M. Phy Hon. Sal W. Varsalona

Legal Aid Society Leadership Managing Attorneys Amelia Luna Iska Hoole J. Kevin Fowler Janet Mynatt Jordan Stringer Marla Williams Patricia A. Jones Shelby Dodson

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Executive Leadership DarKenya W. Waller Derria Ford Paul Swiney Zachary Oswald Director of Advocacy David Kozlowski

Practice Group Leads Allison Jones Amelia Luna William Bush Marla Williams Zachary Oswald Sub-Practice Group Leads Chay Sengkhounmany Mary Gillum Patricia A. Jones