I received a letter last week from Mr. Charles W. Bone, principle of Bone McAllester Norton, PLLC, and 2010 Chair for the Campaign for Equal Justice. This letter includes some surprising information about our Legal Aid Society in Middle Tennessee and the challenges it faces. In the Nashville office, there are nine attorneys who provide services free of charge to over 2,000 clients each year. That is a powerful figure, and evidence of the hard work that the Nashville office is doing.
A surprising statistic, however, also came along with the letter. There are 95,000 people in Davidson County who are living below the poverty line. There is an age-old correlation with poverty and an increased need for legal services. Legal Aid estimates that these people are likely to have at least one legal problem per year - a problem which will go without redress without better legal support. In addition to the normal burden on Legal Aid, they experienced an 83% increase in requests for assistance just over the last year.
The Nashville Pro Bono Program also supplements the number of people who can receive service. Over 500 attorneys donate their time to help another 1,500 clients per year. So that's a capacity of 3,500 clients per year that Nashville area legal services can provide for people who cannot afford paid legal assistance. While admirable, such support pales in comparison to the estimated needs of 95,000 in Davidson County alone.
That amount cannot be covered by asking for more donated time or increasing Legal Aid staff - unless major resources exist to supplement the Legal Aid workforce that has gone untapped. That's why our resources must shift toward a scalable program, which requires less time for each staff member.
It's information like this that makes the work we are trying to do all the more critical. If we can generate a program that is easy to use and shows people how to protect themselves, it would lessen the burden on our society by a staggering percentage. We'll keep it up, and if you can help move us forward, give us a call.
