When you hear “crisis” or “pandemic,” one of the first things you picture is a doctor, a nurse, or other first responder putting “boots on the ground” to help those in need. What you may not realize is that lawyers, or “suits on the ground,” can make a huge difference when people are struggling to deal with the effects of sudden, unexpected crises like the novel Coronavirus.
Legal Aid of East Tennessee (LAET) has set up a legal help COVID hotline to serve all of Hamilton County. This project is funded through a grant awarded by the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga for the purpose of lessening the impact of COVID-19 on our community. Just a few of the legal issues LAET will be addressing through the COVID hotline include:
- Unemployment Compensation
- Orders of Protection
- Family Law Matters
- Illegal Evictions
- Foreclosures
- Garnishments
- Debt Collections
- Benefits
- Wills
- Powers of Attorney
LAET has announced that if you are facing any of these issues as a result of COVID-19, or if you need free advice about whether your legal problem is one we can help with, please contact us through our COVID HOTLINE at (423) 756-4013 or email us at Chattlegalaid@laet.org.
In order to keep everyone safe during these uncertain times, our attorneys, paralegals, and other professionals are limiting in-person meetings to emergency situations; however, we have designed the COVID legal hotline to give our community immediate access to legal help.
None of us will know the full extent of the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak for some time; however, LAET is keeping track of emerging issues and developing strategies to deal with those issues as they arise.
From lost wages to evictions, to quarantines while dealing with domestic violence, the impacts of the Coronavirus pandemic will be far-reaching and long-lasting. Accurate, timely information and communication will be essential as we all face a world that is very different today from what it was just yesterday.
Legal Aid of East Tennessee’s mission is to strengthen communities and change lives by providing high-quality legal services to low-income East Tennesseans. LAET serves eligible residents of 26 counties from offices located in Blountville, Chattanooga, Cleveland, Knoxville, Johnson City, Maryville, and Morristown.
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