A ceremony and reception will be held Saturday, July 8, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the 2nd Saturday Legal Aid Clinic, or 2SLAC, serving the Memphis community.
The event will be from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library, 3030 Poplar Ave.
Retired Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Janice M. Holder and current Justice Holly M. Kirby will both speak. Proclamations from Gov. Bill Haslam, U.S. Rep. David Kustoff, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland and Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell will also be a presenter.
Since 2007, the Memphis Bar Association’s Access to Justice Committee and Memphis Area Legal Services Inc. have collaborated with other organizations to provide free legal assistance to anyone in need of it. As titled, the clinic is held the second Saturday of every month at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library.
An average of 80 to 100 people are served at each clinic, 10,000 since its inception. A variety of legal issues are handled, such as advanced directives, family law, landlord-tenant, bankruptcy and more.
2SLAC also serves a wide spectrum of clients as well; no one seeking legal help is turned away.
“It is the noblest endeavor of the Memphis Bar Association,” said attorney David Cook. “I don’t know of anything like it anywhere in the country. It is the best-kept secret in the community.”
Along with the ATJ committee and MALS, law firms and other organizations sponsor the monthly clinic and encourage their attorneys to serve, but anyone in the legal community is welcome to volunteer.
Several longtime and recurring volunteers include Cook, Bob Green, Ben Sissman, Bruce Ralston, Art Quinn, Carl Seely and Sam Blaiss.
