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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
Legal Aid of East Tennessee is honored to present the 2021 Pro Bono Award Winners:
Pro Bono Student of the Year: Nathan Wallace
A graduate of East Tennessee State University in Johnson City with a bachelors in Criminal Justice and Criminology, Nathan Wallace is a 3L at Lincoln Memorial Duncan School of Law and active member of the Tennessee Army National Guard. Nathan clerked for Legal Aid of East Tennessee this summer and fall. As a summer law clerk, Nathan’s enthusiasm for access to justice manifested itself in his commitment to our clients and his willingness to go above and beyond to help support our program. At one point this summer, he even drove to a satellite office in Chattanooga to support our Family Justice Center Team with a heavy caseload. When the summer ended Nathan stayed on at Legal Aid to head a law student staffed project to gather information for a statewide data collection effort. He continues to serve Legal Aid clients by volunteering with the will signing program and helping at the Veterans Clinic. We are excited for Nathan to continue his work with us in the Spring of 2022 when he will take over as Pro Bono Project Law Clerk. I expect many of you will get to know him better through his work staffing cases and the Forging Justice event. When not working, Nathan enjoys cooking, drink mixing, and maintaining a flower garden of indigenous plants.
Pro Bono Attorney of the Year: J. Spencer Fair
It is our pleasure to recognize J. Spencer Fair as 2021 Pro Bono Attorney of the Year Award for his role as founder and coordinating attorney for the Monthly Veterans Legal Advice Clinic. Since 2016, Spencer has been the leader of this essential joint clinic with the Knoxville Barristers, the Young Lawyers Division of the Knoxville Bar Association (KBA), KBA/Barristers Access to Justice Committees, Legal Aid of East Tennessee, Knox County Public Defender’s Community Law Office, the University of Tennessee College of Law, Lincoln Memorial University- Duncan School of Law, and the local VA office. Spencer helms the outreach efforts to spread the word to eligible veterans and diligently attends the monthly clinics.
Pro Bono Community Partner of the Year: YWCA Knoxville and the Tennessee Valley
The YWCA Knoxville and the Tennessee Valley is a fixture in the Knoxville area, serving women and their families across our region of East Tennessee since 1899. They have a long-standing commitment to improving the lives of women and girls and enhancing the community. In its current incarnation, YWCA Knoxville and the Tennessee Valley offers a wide range of services from advocacy for victims of domestic violence, to housing, and afterschool care. The YWCA and Legal Aid of East Tennessee have long worked together to help address the legal needs of survivors of domestic violence through a referral program Since 2020, LAET and the YWCA have partnered to hold a General Legal Advice Clinic for Victims of Domestic Violence during Domestic Violence Victim Awareness month in October With the help of multilingual victim advocates, we have served seventeen clients through these clinics and look forward to continuing this tradition in years to come.
Pro Bono Law Firm of the Year: Sobieski, Messer & Elledge
The law firm of Sobieski, Messer & Elledge is a great supporter of Legal Aid of East Tennessee and an important partner of the Pro Bono Project. We are excited to highlight the commitment of smaller local firms who give so much time to assist residents. In the past three years alone, attorneys at Sobieski, Messer & Elledge has taken thirteen family law cases for pro bono representation and as a firm has been a steadfast financial supporter of our efforts. Moreover, firm attorney Caitlin Elledge has generously provided feedback on how to refine our conservatorship placement program. We are so pleased to recognize Sobieski, Messer, & Elledge as our 2021 Forging Justice Pro Bono Firm of the Year.
Donald F. Paine Memorial Pro Bono Hall of Fame: Judge Gary Wade
It is an honor to invite former Chief Justice Gary Wade to join the ranks of the Donald F. Paine Memorial Pro Bono Hall of Fame in recognition of his dedication to the citizens of Tennessee and his longstanding support of Legal Aid of East Tennessee. Justice Wade is the embodiment of public service in Tennessee and has been a pillar in East Tennessee for over 50 years. Born and raised in Sevierville, Justice Wade has always had a special place in his heart for access to justice in East Tennessee. After earning his law degree at the University of Tennessee he went on to public service as Mayor of his hometown Sevierville and later city attorney for Pigeon Forge. He was subsequently appointed to the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals where he remained through many reelections until his appointment to the Tennessee Supreme Court. Justice Wade was retained by the voters of Tennessee in two subsequent elections, later serving as Chief Justice. Although he retired from the bench in 2015, he continued to be a presence in the legal community as Dean of Lincoln Memorial University’s Duncan School of Law. His career, as well as a list of awards and associations, which are far too long to list, are clear evidence of his commitment to access to justice. He has been an essential and staunch supporter of LAET and it is because of his advocacy and support that Legal Aid of East Tennessee currently resides adjacent to Lincoln Memorial Duncan School of Law.
