News, More in Tenn. need lawyer but can't afford one. (Knoxville: school, college)

[JD59]

Christopher Ghee stood before the bench in General Sessions Court, focusing on the hands of the sign language interpreter who was relaying the judge's instructions to him.

His shoulders slumped as the message came clear. He had wasted the entire morning. He needed to go to Williamson County, chase paperwork through a separate court system and then, maybe, return to Nashville and plead his case again.

More in Tenn. need lawyer but can't afford one | www.tennessean.com | The Tennessean

[LovnTN]

I recently went to civil court to file a claim against someone that owes me over four thousand dollars. The main thing is you have to do all your research prior to filing the paperwork and make sure you read every single line of the paperwork instructions. I also verified that I had the right court, and in the right jurisdiction. I also did research on the internet about how to handle myself in the courtroom and to get an idea of what to expect. Luckily the judge was laid back and said that since most of the cases were being presented without an attorney then the standard strict courtroom procedure wouldn't be followed to the letter; which helped everyone relax. My case went through without a hitch, I received a judgment in my favor; however the other person gets two years to make monthly payments to me and I felt that was ridiculous! Also the court clerk said "It's one thing to get the judgment, it's another to make them pay!" I will probably end up turning it over to a collection agency.

I am glad I didn't waste the money on an attorney for a simple cut and dried case which I probably will never collect on, however if it had been complex I would have hired an attorney.

[JoeCartpath]

Just be aware that a collection agency will probably keep 40-50% of what they collect as a fee - and they may not be able to do any more than you've already done...it's not as if they can scare the deadbeat by threatening to sue him!

I'm assuming the judge set that repayment plan. If the deadbeat misses a payment, check with the court clerk....if he doesn't keep to the plan you should be able to issue a garnishment or attachment...

[mbmouse]

Here are some points in that article that stood out to me:

"The situation pushed the Tennessee Bar Association and the Tennessee Supreme Court to issue a statewide call last month for more attorneys and law firms to commit to pro bono work. About 35 law firms statewide have drawn up pro bono policies for their offices in response."

Pro bono= free to the client for the lawyers time and work, client still has to cover court costs in most cases, so this is a good effort on the part of the TN court system and kudos to those lawyers.

However:

"There are 75 legal aid attorneys in Tennessee, operating on a budget of $3.3 million to try to help low-income families navigate the civil court system".

If my math is right after a long day, that is 44k per year salary per attorney.
Is this their only work load or do they take other cases at a per hour basis?

I am sorry, but lawyers are one of the most over paid (those not in legal aid) professions there is, I believe that is why they have such a bad rep.


I think this is an easy fix, here is my solution. Every lawyer who applies for a license in the state of TN must take on 5 legal aid clients a year to be able to renew their license the following year. Lets face it, some of these cases can be wrapped up in less than a week and the paralegal does the majority of the work.
Look through the yellow pages of any phone book in any county in TN, there are BUNCHES of them. This could clear up those heavy dockets in less than 2 years time and everyone would get representation.

[LovnTN]

Originally Posted by JoeCartpath

Just be aware that a collection agency will probably keep 40-50% of what they collect as a fee - and they may not be able to do any more than you've already done...it's not as if they can scare the deadbeat by threatening to sue him!

I'm assuming the judge set that repayment plan. If the deadbeat misses a payment, check with the court clerk....if he doesn't keep to the plan you should be able to issue a garnishment or attachment...

The repayment plan states that if the deadbeat misses one payment then it becomes payable in full immediately. I have no doubt this person will skip, he didn't pay me for over six months so why should he start now? As for the collection agency I will gladly give up the balance just to make this persons life miserable (it is a VERY long story). This person hired me for a job, agreed to the terms and chose to act as he was doing me a favor by paying me a quarter of the agreed amount. Every time I asked for payment for my invoices there was excuse after excuse. When we went to court this person actually admitted that he fully agree to the amount owed, however said he had numerous "accounting" errors that caused me to not get paid.

[knoxgarden]

UT's school of law provides help through its cllinics.
College of Law | Advocacy Clinic
The Knoxville Bar Association also provides excellent info on where to get help
Knoxville Bar Association Knoxville Tennessee
The bar association has or had an "angel tree" that was put up in the City County building between Thanksgiving and Christmas. People who were in need of pro bono work could state their case on paper angels and put them on the tree. Lawyers could then choose the cases they wanted to help pro bono. I haven't been in that area around the holidays for a couple of years so don't know if they still do it.
There is help available, but you've got to be persistent in looking for it.

[BST]

There are also pre-paid legal plans. It's a monthly subscription that gives you basic attorney services (letters, filings etc), unlimited Q&A with a lawyer, and even courtroom representation. My legal provider costs me less than my cellphone each month.