Pro Bono Project

PRO BONO SPOTLIGHT By: Mary Frances DeVoe

Legal Aid of East Tennessee, Chattanooga Office Pro Bono Attorney

Serving the Legal Community in Assisting Low-Income Persons To Navigate the Justice System

NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION 2.0

“New year, new you” the motto of every well-intentioned person as the clock strikes midnight on December 31. The new year often inspires new beginnings, new goals, new challenges, maybe even a new outlook. It makes sense, humans love a deadline, an important date, a marker of time past and time to come. Thus, the new year is the perfect excuse to start something: go to the gym more, lose weight, read more books, learn a new skill, spend less money, get organized, the list goes on and on. We have all stepped into one new year or another with one of these “resolutions” in mind, aiming to improve ourselves.

The first few days are easy, maybe (if you are particularly dedicated) even the first few weeks. However, soon February rolls around and suddenly it’s harder to go to the gym every day, you find yourself too tired to do anything other than mindlessly scroll through Facebook or stare at a television. Perhaps your poison is an expensive pair of shoes you really want or a trip to McDonalds. Either way, some desire or excuse comes along and makes your good intentions harder.

Personally, my new year’s resolution was to read thirty minutes a day- briefs, case files, and the news do not count. Seems simple enough, surely! A week in and I’d already failed at least once.

According to a 2015 study conducted by the University of Scranton, by the second week of February, 80% of new year’s resolutions have failed.1 In 2018, Strava, a social networking site for athletes, discovered that the second Saturday of January was the date most people reported failing their new year’s resolution.2

As I write this, the second Saturday of January has just passed. Given this article is appearing in the February issue of DICTA and probably arrived in your mailbox right around the second week of the month, it is safe to say my audience failed to keep their New Year’s resolution. Maybe time was your excuse, or exhaustion, a bad mood, perhaps even circumstances outside of your control. The point is, at one moment or another over the last month and a half we fell off the New Year’s resolution bandwagon.

It is no wonder our resolutions failed, more likely than not, the only motivation behind them was self-serving. So often our New Year’s resolutions are selfish, about bettering ourselves, usually in the form of diet and exercise. At the end of the day, it is easy to make an excuse not to follow through on our resolutions for self-improvement. Usually, those excuses come with ties to things outside of ourselves. If your excuse is not enough time: you’re likely choosing to prioritize your job, children, spouse, friends, church, etc. If your excuse is exhaustion, it probably means you’re giving your all at work, engaging with your co-workers, dedicating yourself to your practice. These excuses work because they favor community connection over solitary self-improvement.

I’m not pointing this out to shame you, in fact, I have a proposition for you. Let’s try again! It is February 2022; we are swiftly approaching our second year of a global pandemic. Thus, there are no more rules! No one can stop us from coming up with a New Year’s resolution approximately a month after the new year has started. This time, however, I think our resolutions should be less about improving ourselves and more about improving our community.

My recommendation is that your 2022 New Year’s resolution 2.0, starting when you read this article, be to take more pro bono cases. East Tennesseans need your help, they need your skill, they need your time, they need you! The pandemic has made it even harder than before for East Tennesseans to navigate a court/legal system that isn’t designed for those without representation. Pro bono work, volunteers, and attorneys are essential to providing legal assistance to the 13.6 percent Tennesseans who live in poverty3. Pro bono work is more than just several recommended hours of service or a good thing to do. Pro bono work is your duty to your profession and your community.

In 2020, our office helped 11,655 individuals and created $72.4 million in economic impact for East Tennessee4 5. That is a direct and provable affect on your community. I don’t know about you, but I am way more likely to maintain my New Year’s resolution if I see a $72.4 million result.

It might be too late for a “new year, new you” but it isn’t too late for 2022 New Year’s Resolution 2.0.

Here are just a few people who need you to make their case part of your 2022 New year’s Resolution 2.0 • Ms. T lives in Loudon County and would like to ensure that her family and future are protected as she ages. She would like assistance preparing as simple will, a health care power of attorney, and a financial power of attorney. 21-0272775. • Mr. C is a twenty-eight-year-old working father in Knox County.

His license has been suspended until 2026. Mr. C would like help getting a restricted license to that he will be able to commute to and from work. Mr. C has joint custody of his daughter and need to be able to do school pickup and drop off, as well as drive her to appointments when she is in his care. 21-0267085. • Ms. B is in Sevier County and needs help adopting her thirteenyear-old granddaughter O. Ms. B already has custody of O though

Sevier County Courts. Moreover, all parties, including O’s mother and father, agree to the adoption. If you are interested in helping any of the individuals above, email CTorney@laet.org or check out Pro Bono Matters on our website: www. laet.org.

Upcoming Clinic Opportunities

Legal Advice Clinic for Veterans: In person at the Public Defender’s Community Law Office at 1101 Liberty Street in Knoxville. Phone advice options available. • Wednesday February 9th Noon – 2pm • Wednesday March 9th Noon – 2pm • To sign up, please use the form on the KBA Website or email ctorney@laet.org.

Faith and Justice Clinic: In person at Cokesbury United Methodist Church 9919 Kingston Pike in Knoxville. Saturday February 12th 9 AM – Noon.

Debt Relief Clinic: In person at the Public Defender’s Community Law Office at 1101 Liberty Street in Knoxville. Saturday February 26th .

1 https://health.usnews.com/health-news/blogs/eat-run/articles/2015-12-29/why80-percent-of-new-years-resolutions-fail 2 https://nypost.com/2018/12/21/new-years-resolutions-last-exactly-this-long/ ³ https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/TN/IPE120220#IPE120220 4 https://www.laet.org/laet-annual-report-2020/ 5 https://www.laet.org/laet-annual-report-2020/