CHANGES AT COMMUNITY LEGAL CENTER By DIANA M. COMES, ESQ.
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s I write this, it's 8:00 in the morning and quiet in the Community Legal Center's office on Adams Ave. Soon, our space will be filled with attorneys, clients, and other staff. Phones will be ringing, clients will be consulting with attorneys and paralegals, and attorneys will be attending court over Zoom. The office will come alive with the busy work of helping our community solve their legal problems. But for now, it's quiet, and I have some time to reflect. Today marks 100 days since I joined the Community Legal Center as its Executive Director, having left my position as a partner with Butler Snow LLP in June 2021. Things look very different for the CLC than they did back in the spring of 2009, when I was a law student volunteer answering phones and handling intake. We've moved out of a corner of the MIFA building into our own beautiful, light-filled space Downtown, we've more than doubled our staff, and we've entered into formed dozens of successful new partnerships and programs. The credit for this incredible transformation goes to our previous Executive Director, Anne Mathes, who led this organization for 6 six years, followed by the capable leadership of Interim Executive Director Jerri Green. I'm indebted to all of their work. When friends and colleagues ask me how my new gig is going, I tell them I love it. My days are full of meetings with community partners and stakeholders, brainstorming with our staff on new initiatives, and seeking and reporting on grants to keep our office humming. I get to support an incredible group of people, all of whom care deeply about the work we do for working families and individuals in Memphis. Every day is a privilege. 24
Like other law firms, we have overcome our share of obstacles during the global pandemic. We now consult with clients remotely, conduct necessary in-person meetings in masks, and Zoom into some courts while waiting for them to re-open in person. But our staff have never wavered in their commitment to delivering access to justice for all. As of this writing, in 2021 alone, we have fielded 3,680 calls for help and assisted helped 1,346 individuals. Our Civil and Pro Se attorneys have helped 59 clients obtain divorces in that time and are also kept busy with clients who face eviction, landlord disputes, and housing scams. Our Elder Law attorney has accepted 18 referrals from the Coordinated Response to Elder Abuse coalition, helping those families protect and remove their loved ones from abusive situations. Our Immigrant Justice Program has seen a dramatic uptick in need, as refugees (including some coming from Afghanistan that we expect to arrive soon) seek our assistance and sponsors of unaccompanied minors are fingerprinted. In fact, the demand for fingerprinting sponsors is so great that we recently added a staffer to provide this service on nights and weekends. I'm also very lucky to have an incredible board of directors and leadership team. In July, we added four
