Welcome to Legal Aid of East Tennessee
The mission of Legal Aid of East Tennessee is to ensure equal justice for elderly, abused, and low income persons, providing a wide range of civil legal assistance and advocacy.
LAET has been part of the community structure of East Tennessee for over 40 years, serving 26 counties from Chattanooga to Johnson City.
With offices in Chattanooga, Cleveland, Knoxville, Johnson City, Maryville, and Morristown, LAET provides civil legal representation to East Tennesseans who otherwise have no one to help them secure their basic legal rights.
News: Tennesseans with Severe Disabilities Challenge Cuts in Home Services
Two Tennesseans with disabilities are asking a federal court to block cuts in home health care sources that would force them to leave their communities and spend the rest of their lives in a nursing home. The two men, Justin Cochran of Knoxville and Glen Barnhill of Nashville lead active lives in their communities.
Justin Cochran, 27 years old, lives in an apartment in Knoxville. When he was 22, he suffered a spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed. He is quadriplegic and requires a ventilator 24 hours a day. Because of life-threatening spasms and other problems, he cannot be left alone for any period of time. Despite this disability, he has completed the first three years of an aerospace engineering degree and wants to be a productive worker. He also gives peer support to others with recent disabling injuries. Tennessee’s decision to deny home based services will not only force him into a nursing home but make it difficult for him to complete his education, and cause him to lose any chance of getting a job or having a family.