“If you’re not thrilled with the pro bono work you’re doing, if it doesn’t recharge your batteries, if you’re not experiencing the indescribable feeling that comes with changing someone’s life for the better, that’s a problem.”
Charlie McDaniel, pro bono project director for the southern region of Legal Aid of East Tennessee (LAET), opened Pro Bono Night 2014 by lobbing what seemed to be a bombshell at the crowd of several dozen professionals and their families gathered at Bessie Smith Hall the evening of Thursday, May 15. But then he softened the impact by taking the brunt of it himself.
“More importantly, that’s my problem. So call me. We’ll get coffee. We’ll talk about your interests, opportunities, and limitations. We’ll find something in the pro bono world that will leave you feeling fulfilled and reignite the passion you have for the law.”
Each year, LAET selects one evening to honor the attorneys, law firms, and other entities that work to ensure people who cannot pay for an attorney have equal access to justice. Pro Bono Night 2014 featured a streamlined program with fewer speakers and a shorter awards program, but more of everything else people enjoy, including live music, a silent auction, catered food and drinks, and conversation with like-minded people.
Many legends of Legal Aid and other familiar faces in the community were among the guests: attorney Charles W. “Buz” Dooley and his wife, Annette; the Honorable Jeff Hollingsworth, previous winner of the Chief Justice William M. Barker Equal Access to Justice Award; Judge Jackie Bolton, who provided opening remarks; Chancellor Frank Brown, who closed the program, and his wife, Marian; Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Sharon Lee, who was present to receive as well as announce an award; Federal Judges John McClarty and William B. Mitchell Carter; and Erlanger Health System General Counsel Jeff Woodard were among those who showed their support for Legal Aid.
Equal Access to Justice Award
With urgency and purpose, Russell Fowler, associate director of the southern region of LAET, opened the awards portion of the program by announcing Justice Lee as the recipient of the Equal Access to Justice Award.
“[Justice Lee] has been an advocate of equal access to justice her entire career,” Fowler said. “On this award appears the words of the Magna Carta: ‘To no one will we sell, to no one deny or delay right or justice.’ Justice Lee has assured justice will not be refused or delayed.”
Justice Lee said she was honored to receive the award as she holds Legal Aid “in the highest esteem.”
“Legal Aid does important work that affects the lives of many people,” she said. “Often, their work determines whether or not someone has a roof over his head, or food on his table, or a job to go to. They have great minds, tremendous legal ability, and their hearts are filled with compassion. They’re also patient, but more than anything, they’re committed to their mission of helping others. Thank you for what you do. You are making a difference.”
Bruce C. Bailey Volunteer Lawyer of the Year Award
When selecting a recipient for the Bruce C. Bailey Volunteer Lawyer of the Year Award, LAET considers the work of the attorneys who volunteered their time and expertise over the last year, and singles out one they believe went above and beyond the call of duty to provide exceptional pro bono services. This year, the firm selected retired family law attorney Jay Ku. Chancellor Frank Brown, with whom Ku previously worked, announced her name.
“Jay and I were on the cutting edge of pro bono; we had a lot of clients that didn’t pay us,” the chancellor quipped as Ku walked to the stage to receive her award. “But she invested herself in her cases, especially the divorce cases. She was committed to her cause and to her clients, and she worked hard.”
Ku, who took on dozens of divorces in the last year and even taught seminars on divorce, said she’s all too happy to carry out the equal access to justice initiative. “I told Buz Dooley I’m trying to follow in his footsteps, but his shoes are too large.”
Alexander Hamilton Award
The Alexander Hamilton Award is named for the father of organized pro bono work in America, so its bestowment carries a lot of weight in the community. Daniel, who presented the award, said its purpose is to show how corporations, foundations, and other nonprofits can have the same impact in the realm of equal access to justice as a law firm. Therefore, he said giving the award to Chattanooga CARES, an organization that serves the HIV positive population, and through which Legal Aid provides counsel to HIV positive clients, was a pleasure.
Matt McAdoo, executive director of Chattanooga CARES, accepted the award on behalf of the organization. “We serve people that are marginalized and don’t know the answers,” he said. “We have special knowledge that can profoundly impact their lives.”
McAdoo then tied his comments into McDaniel’s opening remarks by telling the attorneys they make a difference in the lives of people. “If you haven’t been blessed by the services you’re providing, it’s because you don’t see the differences your efforts make the day after you’ve given a client the greatest free gift he’ll ever receive. So we applaud each attorney here who has given of his or her time and intelligence to help those in need.”
Pillar Law Firm Award
The Pillar Law Firm Award addresses the most difficult question in pro bono work: Who will take the case? A firm selects one, or more, areas of the law and then commits to taking a certain number of cases per month in that area. Justice Lee, who presented this year’s award, said this arrangement is a great benefit to the law firm and to legal aid.
“It provides predictability, allows for the development of institutional expertise, and it removes the most difficult step for Legal Aid: finding a volunteer,” she said.
This year’s recipient was the one of the first pillar law firms in Chattanooga: Clark & Washington, which accepts all LAET bankruptcies in which the client is in danger of losing his or her home, or is subject to garnishment. To date, Legal Aid has referred 59 bankruptcy cases to the firm.
Layne Gillespie accepted on behalf of Clark & Washington, saying, “We don’t believe it makes sense for someone to not be able to afford to file for bankruptcy.”
To close the award ceremony, Chancellor Brown encouraged attorneys and firms to stay focused on the human aspects of the law. “The business aspects of the law are seeming to dominate more and more, and we lose something when all we care about is making money. So, I’m glad we talked tonight about helping others and giving back. There’s nothing better than when a happy, satisfied client says, ‘Thank you,’ because he’s grateful you helped him, not because he thinks that’s what he gets because he paid you a fee.”