UT Pro Bono
UT Pro Bono is a student-directed, community service organization
at the University of Tennessee College of Law. Now in its ninth
year at the College of Law, UT Pro Bono strives to connect law students
with area attorneys representing indigent clients. Working in cooperation
with attorneys and local legal aid societies, UT Pro Bono serves
as a resource by providing law students for research, educational,
and investigatory assistance.
UT Pro Bono Director: Marshall Stair
(mstair@utk.edu)
Faculty Advisor: Professor Dean Rivkin
UT Pro Bono operates the following service projects:
ANIMAL LAW PROJECT
Co-Coordinators: Jaime Ballinger (jballing@utk.edu) and Corinne Martin (cmartin35@utk.edu)
The Animal Law Project's current missions are: (1) Compile a complete
reference detailing the law relating to all animal laws in Tennessee,
outlining some of the pertinent federal laws, and interpreting applicable acts
of congress such as the Animal Welfare Act; (2) Create appendices to increase
utility of our reference to people not familiar with or literate in legal
terminology including sentencing guidelines and definitions; (3) Discuss with
the Tennessee Judiciary their interpretation of animal laws especially the
applicable criminal statutes.
HOMELESS PROJECT
Co-Coordinators: John Wood (jwood25@utk.edu) and Nathan Kibler (nkibler@utk.edu)
The Homeless Project is designed to accommodate the legal needs of the
homeless population. This project allows students to assist in the legal
representation of individuals who are temporarily or permanently displaced.
Twice a semester, a group of students will visit the Knox Rescue Ministries
and/or the Serenity Shelter to render legal services and to educate the
homeless. The topics for each semester will vary and may include: Minor
Criminal Offenses, Food Stamps, Social Security Benefits, ubsidized Housing,
and Family Law. The goals of this project are to provide practical
experiences for the students and to assist the homeless with their
administrative or legal problems.
IMMIGRANT ASSISTANCE PROJECT
Coordinator: Marshall Stair (mstair@utk.edu)
The Immigrant Assistance Project is dedicated to assisting those who cannot
obtain access to justice due to immigration status and/ or the language
barrier. Our goal is to provide translation and research for those who cannot
otherwise obtain legal services. We work with other UT Pro Bono organizations
to expand their services to immigrants in East Tennessee, such as Saturday
Bar, aturday Justice, the Volunteer Tax Assistance Program, the Animal Law
Project, and the Domestic Violence Project. The IAP also seeks to serve as a
liaison between the local legal community, the law school, and immigrants in
our area and to provide education and awareness about issues facing the
immigrant community in East Tennessee.
SATURDAY BAR
Coordinator: Molly McNeeley (mmcneel1@utk.edu)
Assistant Co-Coordinators: Jenny Wright Russell (jwright7@utk.edu) and Daniel Ellis (dellis12@utk.edu)
The Saturday Bar project provides student volunteer assistance to attorneys
working with Legal Aid of East Tennessee's Saturday Bar program. It is an
excellent opportunity for students to volunteer their time to meeting the
tremendous need of low-income clients in the community. Saturday Bar allows
students to develop their communication skills by assisting with the intake
and interviewing of clients. Students also have the opportunity to observe
volunteer attorneys providing practical legal advice to clients.
VITA - VOLUNTEER INCOME TAX ASSISTANCE
Co-Coordinators: Cara Lynn (clynn3@utk.edu) and Charles Frazier (crfrazier@knology.net)
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) is a volunteer outreach program funded
and managed by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The VITA mission is to
help disabled, elderly, and low-income taxpayers file their returns
electronically. Electronic filing helps the IRS achieve the fastest possible
turnaround time to get tax refund checks to those who need them as quickly as
possible. The Law School VITA site is run completely by student volunteers.
Those volunteers are trained in basic tax law and mechanics and in the use of
tax preparation software at the beginning of each tax season.
STREET LAW
Coordinator: Jade Dodds (jdodds@utk.edu)
The Street Law Program aims to make issues in the law relevant and interesting to adolescent students. Serving as instructors, UT law students research and prepare weekly lessons to present to students.
Those topics include 1st Amendment freedoms, 4th Amendment search and seizure rights, as well as TN gang and drug laws. At the conclusion of each semester, students participate in a mock trial to simulate what it is like to be a lawyer. Through the Street Law program high school students are given the opportunity to understand the history of the law and to apply both critical thinking skills and communication skills to solve problems. They are also encouraged to have an open dialogue on how to develop a justice-centered society. Ultimately, Street Law is a magnificent opportunity for law students to utilize what they've learned in law school to help others in the community.
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