Abused and neglected children, disabled and rural attorneys, high school students and substance-addicted mothers are among thousands of Tennesseans who will benefit from $1.2 million awarded to organizations across the state.
Excess fees and penalties collected from attorneys by the Commission on Continuing Legal Education will be distributed to the organizations based on grant proposals submitted to a blue ribbon committee appointed by the Tennessee Supreme Court and chaired by Nashville attorney Margaret Behm. The committee reviewed the requests and recommended awards. The grants, ranging from $10,000 to $355,806, were approved by the Supreme Court.
“This is a wonderful use of the excess CLE money,” Chief Justice William M. Barker said. “It will help not only lawyers, but many others, including children in foster care and mothers who will be able to stay with their children while they overcome addictions. We are grateful to the Continuing Legal Education Commission for making this possible.”
The largest award will be used for two related proposals submitted by the Tennessee Bar Association and the Memphis, Chattanooga, Nashville and Knoxville Bar Associations. The grant will be used to purchase webcasting equipment, including cameras and microphones. It also will be used for maintenance and hosting. In part, it will provide required Continuing Legal Education (CLE) to rural attorneys and those with disabilities, since most CLE is conducted in urban areas.
The equipment automatically webcasts programs over the internet so they can be viewed in real time or later on demand. It also allows interaction with viewers and has moderated question and answer capability. The five Bar associations will allow the Tennessee judicial system and organizations providing legal services to low income clients free use of the equipment for five years.
Other grants are:
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The Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services, made of legal aid organizations from across the state, will receive $166,000 to provide 24 Continuing Legal Education Workshops on poverty law issues.
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The Tennessee Legal Community Foundation has been awarded $103,597, which requires a dollar for dollar match, to create The Tennessee Loan Repayment Assistance Program for attorneys employed by non-profit organizations providing civil legal services to low-income Tennesseans. The proceeds would be used to assist with the payment of loans incurred during law school.
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The Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program (TLAP) will receive $103,597 to establish a revolving loan fund to assist impaired lawyers and judges without resources. TLAP’s grant proposal said 18-25 percent of lawyers suffer from addiction or mental illness and at least 50 percent of lawyers who contact TLAP for help are denied immediate access to needed services, such as alcohol treatment and psychiatric care, because they do not have insurance and cannot pay for them. The proposal calls for funds to be made directly payable to treatment centers and mental health providers, with none of the money going directly to the lawyers needing assistance.
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The Tennessee Association of Professional Mediators (TAPM) has been awarded $99,500 to develop a peer mediation program for students and faculty in selected schools across the state. TAPM proposes six grants of $15,000 for six geographical areas and $9,500 to initiate the program.
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The University of Tennessee College of Law requested and received $90,000 for its CAN-LEARN Project. The money will cover the salary of a full-time staff attorney for two years. CAN-LEARN serves as a support center for Tennessee lawyers who provide representation in proceedings such as school disciplinary hearings and special education due process hearings.
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The Community Legal Center in Memphis will receive $87,000 to expand the Immigrant Justice Program (IJP), which was started 16 months ago with a grant from United Way of Memphis. The funding will be used for the only program in Tennessee that assists immigrants who appear before the immigration court located in Memphis. The funding will enable the IJP to set up screening locations across the state so that immigrants will not have to travel to Memphis to be interviewed and then make a return trip for court appearances. Under the program, initial interviews could be done in the Nashville or Knoxville areas.
The Nashville Conflict Resolution Center was awarded $50,000 to hire an executive director and begin its operations with paid staff. The NCRC, which was created by the Nashville Bar Association in 2000, supervises and operates five no-cost and low-cost mediation programs. Currently, the program is managed by its board members and approximately 20 volunteer mediators, with no paid staff.
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Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers will receive a $44,000 grant to update and distribute “Tools for the Ultimate Trial” (The Manual), a guide for defense attorneys in capital cases, for the first time in 15 years. The Manual includes four volumes and 1,000 pages. The funds also will be used to print and distribute the Manual, which will be free for public defenders and defense attorneys appointed in capital cases.
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CASA of Nashville and Davidson County will use its $35,000 grant to train additional volunteers to advocate for children who have come to the attention of juvenile court, primarily because of abuse or neglect. According to the proposal, CASA advocated for 530 abused children through 225 volunteer advocates in 2006-07. The volunteers put in more than 27,000 hours each year. “The work of our agency is estimated to save taxpayers up to $800,000 in foster care payments each year,” the CASA grant proposal said.
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Renewal House in Nashville will receive $30,000 to support its program making it possible for low-income substance-addicted mothers in recovery to live with their children while in treatment. Renewal House provides a residential program and serves 35-45 families a year. Women staying at Renewal House receive case management, including assistance in addressing legal issues. The families live in one of 17 apartments for six to 15 months while completing individualized recovery programs. After graduating, the women also receive up to six months of aftercare case management support.
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CASA of Memphis and Shelby County has been awarded $25,500 to recruit and train 20 additional volunteer advocates to speak in court on behalf of abused and neglected children. According to CASA’s grant proposal, the average length of time a child spends in state custody is 11 months nationwide and two-and-a-half years in Shelby County.
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The Jackson-Madison County Bar Association is the recipient of a $10,000 grant to pay for six to eight classes providing information regarding child support modification and visitation for pro se family law litigants. The court will provide class times and locations to pro se litigants and classes will be offered at various times of the day and night.