When families experience a crisis event such as job loss, it can be hard to know how to get help.  The Tennessee Justice Center and the Tennessee Supreme Court have taken steps to make it easier for individuals impacted by crisis to obtain the answers they need to obtain help.

The Tennessee Justice Center, a non-profit law firm based in Nashville that helps families access the basic necessities of life like healthcare and nutrition, has recently compiled COVID-19 related information on their website including links and topics regarding: 

• What to do if I’ve lost my job:  Families First and Unemployment Benefits
• Will I receive the government’s stimulus check?
• How do I feed my family? Food Resources, Food Banks and Nutrition Access Programs
• How do I know if I have Coronavirus?  Do I qualify for any public health benefits like TennCare and CoverKids?
• What resources are available to immigrants?

Visitors to their website will also find general information about the pandemic on their COVID updates  page including the spread of the virus in TN, actions to take, and other helpful links. 

Another organization, Justiceforalltn.org, an initiative of the Tennessee Supreme Court’s Access to Justice Commission, is also implementing innovative ways to help people find the answers they need, specifically with civil legal issues.  “We are amazed at the resiliency and dedication our access to justice partners have shown in finding creative ways to deliver services to disadvantaged Tennesseans during these unprecedented times,” said J. William “Bill” Coley, chair of the ATJ Commission.  “The Tennessee Supreme Court’s leadership in encouraging courts to be innovative to continue court operations is inspiring. We are using Help4TNDay to encourage the same level of innovation among our partners.”

There is already a statewide resource that allows attorneys to volunteer and help clients remotely.  TN Free Legal Answers is an online platform that allows people who qualify to email their legal questions to a lawyer, who will respond with free legal advice.  The ATJ Commission has partnered with the TN Alliance for Legal Services, the agency that administers the resource, in a coordinated public awareness campaign to promote TN Free Legal Answers to Tennesseans with civil legal problems.

Those with limited income who have a legal question may go to https://tn.freelegalanswers.org/ to see if they qualify and to post their question.  In addition to TN Free Legal Answers, there are other statewide online resources for Tennesseans to use to connect with legal information and legal help. 

• https://www.help4tn.org/ is a web portal that gives Tennesseans a broad range of legal and social services resources
• https://www.help4tn.org/node/473 has information specific to COVID-19
• https://www.help4tn.org/node/472 has information specific to weather emergencies in response to the Tornadoes in Middle Tennessee

If you’re looking for a lawyer and just don’t know where to start, the Knoxville Bar Association’s LRIS is a great place to begin. We match you with a lawyer that suits your needs. Our trusted attorneys provide you with a free consultation so that you can decide if it’s the right fit. Want to learn more? Call us at (865) 522-7501 or visit knoxbar.org/lawyerfinder. 

The materials contained in this blog are intended to, and do, provide only a broad overview of various legal topics. The general information contained in this material is not designed nor intended to be a substitute for legal advice on a specific legal issue or question. In addition, the information provided in this material is only general advice and may not be applicable to apparent similar individual problems, since only slight changes in facts change the applicable advice. If you have a legal problem or question, please consult an attorney.

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