Privileged to be a Lawyer

PRIVILEGED TO BE A LAWYER By: Zachary Arnold

Legal Aid of East Tennessee

BRIDGING THE JUSTICE GAP

While many people are aware of the unfortunate reality that is poverty in our community – 13.1% of Knox County children live below the line – not many are aware of the legal challenges that can quickly exacerbate the problem. An otherwise financially secure family is often one unaddressed legal matter from losing their housing or their means of transportation or their income. And the loss of one of those can suddenly result in financial insecurity or even poverty due to a snowball effect.

Take for example an individual who relies on their vehicle to get to work each day. A single surprise medical expense leading to a missed car payment can result in repossession, and without good public transportation, they have no way to get to their job – not to mention other important places. Now lacking the ability to earn income, they can no longer pay their rent either and they soon receive an eviction notice and a detainer warrant and are facing homelessness. This constant threat of one financial issue derailing their entire life is the unfortunate reality for thousands of our neighbors in this community.

But now, think of all the potential legal issues involved in the scenario above. Maybe the creditor did not give proper notice regarding the sale of the repossessed vehicle or perhaps there was a surplus after the sale which they did not return to the debtor. Maybe the landlord did not give enough notice for the eviction or would have been willing to negotiate an agreement allowing them to stay. The law provides these types of protections for debtors and tenants, but so often these rights are not enforced because no one is there to raise them. On any given day in court, there is one thing that is certain: every financial institution and real estate group will have an attorney and nearly every debtor and tenant will not.

I am very privileged that I get to be part of the reason I used the word “nearly” above. My colleagues and I at Legal Aid of East Tennessee have the fortune of being able to make a career out of representing those who otherwise would not have access to an attorney. In my time at Legal Aid, I have assisted or advised on over 1500 individual legal issues. These include obtaining orders of protection and divorces for victims of domestic violence, enforcing fair housing rights in the face of discrimination, protecting debtors from garnishment, stopping the repossession of vehicles, and keeping families in their homes. Each one of these results directly made someone else’s life better, and knowing that each day I will get the chance to help someone else is, in my opinion, the greatest privilege in my career.

The opportunity to use your skills and your knowledge to help in this way is available to everyone reading this, as well. Legal Aid is always seeking pro bono attorneys to help us meet the need for our services, whether that be direct representation of clients or just attending clinics and providing advice. Not only do these opportunities provide the chance to help out our neighbors and our community, but they also allow attorneys to learn and practice new areas of the law that they otherwise may have never been exposed to. For anyone interested in our corner of the legal profession, I would direct you to our pro bono manager Caitlin Torney’s monthly article in this same publication. Finally, I would like to thank all my colleagues and coworkers at Legal Aid of East Tennessee, all of the attorneys who take pro bono cases for our organization and attend our clinics, all the support staff for those attorneys who make it possible for them to assist us, and all the law students and other volunteers who give their time to us. This excellent group of people ensures daily that access to high quality legal assistance is not only for those who can afford it and ensures that I am able to continue to work for an organization that has such an immense impact on our community. Knowing that your skill and your knowledge is being used to get someone out of a tough situation or simply make someone else’s life better is the ultimate privilege of this profession.

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