For Immediate Release
October 26, 2010

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www.laet.org

Legal Aid of East Tennessee Fights to Cover Growing Need

Knoxville, Tenn., (October 26, 2010) – Legal Aid of East Tennessee (LAET) Executive Director, Dave Yoder, was among five directors from the Appalachian Region Legal Aid Programs asked to address the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) board of directors at its Oct. 18th board meeting in Louisville, KY. The LSC operates as an independent nonprofit corporation that promotes equal access to justice by providing grants for legal assistance to low-income Americans through legal aid programs including LAET.

The directors were asked to inform the board on the challenges and opportunities in providing civil legal services to the low-income people of the region. Yoder’s portion of the presentation focused on the importance of community partnerships in East Tennessee and better serving the tremendous and largely unmet need for legal assistance in this area. He stated the case for increased need for legal assistance from the newly poor and outlined areas where LSC could help.

Legal Aid of East Tennessee (LAET) provides civil legal services in 26 counties of East Tennessee, which are home to over 300,000 low-income LSC eligible people with a staff including just 25 attorneys. Yoder notes that Congress in 1978 set a minimum access goal regarding the number of legal aid attorneys needed to meet just the crisis legal problems of the poor at one attorney per five thousand eligible people. At that level, LAET would need 60 attorneys, over twice what they employ now.

Yoder carried letters of support from Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam and Congressman John Duncan, which also thanked LSC for financial support to LAET. LAET can be reached by calling 865-637-0484 or at www.laet.org.

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Foreclosure Tips

• Talk to the Lender – If you know you can’t make a payment, tell the lender. Explain the problem. The lender will ask, “When can you make a payment?” The lender wants to know if your problem is temporary or permanent. If the problem is temporary, the lender might lower your payments for a while. For example, if you can’t pay your mortgage because you lost your job, applied for disability, but won’t hear anything back for three months, that is a temporary problem. Your lender may be able to reduce your payment for the next three months. If the problem is permanent, the lender might lower your payments permanently. You still owe the same amount of money, but it is paid off over a longer amount of time.
   
• When You Talk to the Lender – Do not promise too much. If you cannot do something you promise the lender you will do, the lender will not help you later. Do not promise to pay more than you can pay. Do not promise to pay sooner than you can.
   
• Write Down Your Agreement – If the lender does not send you a written agreement, you should send the lender a letter. The letter should say, “This what we agreed.” Then, write what your agreement is.
   
• Contact Legal Counsel – LAET offers legal counsel for clients facing foreclosure.

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This online press kit is intended for use by the media. If you are not a member of the media and are interested in learning more about Legal Aid of East Tennessee, the “Need Help?” section of this website has legal information for the public and the “Pro Bono” section is a great place to start for those interested in becoming a legal volunteer.

_{All names and likenesses of LAET clients have been changed to protect the innocent.}

Jennifer Sheehan (865) 637-0484 Ext. 1509

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