Low cost legal services are critical to our justice system. Our current system is not equipped to deliver these services. In the Nashville area alone, six of seven people who qualify for free legal services are denied due to lack of capacity. Statistics regarding non-qualifying applications for free services on the basis of income level are not available in Middle Tennessee.
The dilemma is challenging: attorneys need to be paid for their time and expertise, and people need good lawyers. Most people, however, cannot pay a fee which would encourage an attorney to take the case. Nashville attorneys and firms provide excellent pro-bono services; however, the need greatly outweighs the capacity covered by pro-bono assistance. This scenario leads some people to serve as their own attorney, which often results in failure, or dropping the matter entirely. The consequences of failure or acquiescence include wrongful eviction, homelessness, predatory collection, repossessions, loss of child custody, and domestic abuse. How do we solve this problem? Our Tennessee Supreme Court has extended an invitation to our legal community to consider ways to conquer this issue.
Attorneys have been trained to identify the complexities, the fine print, and all the potential pitfalls in a scenario. While investigating the fine print has its place, with basic legal needs, the fine print is often the least important consideration. It is the complexity which is the potential enemy – because it prevents the delivery of legal advice. Attorneys rightly will not deliver legal advice if there is a legal issue that has not been investigated. The solution is to provide legal guidance that is systematized and does not require an attorney's personal time.
There is more to say on this subject; for now, simply know that we are building a system which delivers basic knowledge and guidance about several legal issues which are common concerns for Tennesseans. This system is in the process of being built. If you’d like to be a part of this effort, please contact me. If you find yourself with both money problems and legal problems, I hope this service will exist when you need it.