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Legal Help

The best thing you can do if you have a legal question is to talk with a lawyer.

If you need help with your civil legal problem (a problem that does not have to do with a crime), you can find information on this site.

REMEMBER - The information here will not be legal advice like you get from a lawyer. The information you find on this website may not be information that will help you with your case. The Tennessee Supreme Court and the Administrative Office of the Courts cannot promise you that the information you find on this website will be right for your particular legal problem or that information on other websites is correct.

Legal Resources

HELP4TN

Help4TN is a toll-free phone legal help line that gives free legal information and referrals to Tennesseans. The service helps Tennesseans deal with civil legal issues. People with civil legal questions can call the help line at 844-Help4TN (1-844-435-7486) and be connected with a licensed Tennessee lawyer. Callers can leave a voice mail if the attorney is on another call.

Help4TN can assist callers desiring to clear a criminal record but it cannot help with criminal problems, including traffic tickets.

The lawyer is able to give free legal advice to the caller. The lawyer can provide referrals to legal service providers, pro bono programs, free legal clinics and other social service providers.

TN Free Legal Answers

Tennessee has a virtual legal advice clinic where you can ask a lawyer for help with a legal question. It is fast and easy. All you need is a computer. You sign up. Then, you sign in to type a lawyer your question. The lawyer will reply to you on the website. There is no cost. This is a FREE service for people who cannot afford a lawyer. If you do not have a computer, you can go to a public library and use one for free. This website is called Tennessee Free Legal Answers.

You must qualify to use this service. The website will ask you questions about your income and your checking and savings account to see if you qualify. You can't be in jail or prison to use this service. Your legal question can't relate to a criminal charge.

Click here to visit the website.

Legal Aid

What is Legal Aid?

In Tennessee, there are four legal aid agencies that give free legal help for certain kinds of cases to people who cannot afford a lawyer. Please click on each agency to learn more.

  1. West Tennessee Legal Services
  2. Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands
  3. Legal Aid of East Tennessee 
  4. Memphis Area Legal Services

Who Qualifies for Legal Aid?

You may qualify for free legal help if you are a low-income household and your legal problem is about:

  • Landlord issues
  • Food Stamps (SNAP)
  • Families First (Welfare or TANF)
  • TennCare (Medicare)
  • Family problems related to domestic violence
  • And More

Call a legal aid office near you to see if you qualify. WE will ask you questions about your income and the income of other people who live in your home. To qualify, your income must be under the current poverty guidelines. Your case must also be the kind of case we can help with.

Is Legal Aid Free?

We do NOT charge for our legal help. However, there may be court costs that you are responsible for.

How to Find a Legal Aid Office

To find a legal aid office near you, click on your county on the map of Tennessee counties.

Legal Clinics

Legal Aid agencies also have legal clinics with lawyers who may be able to answer your questions and help you. Find more information by contacting your local legal aid office.

 

Sometimes the best way to find a lawyer is to ask someone you know to recommend a lawyer.

You can also contact a Lawyer Referral Service through your local bar association. Click on the link for a bar association in your area. Ask for their lawyer referral service.

Are you confused about your legal rights? Take the Legal Wellness Checkup, a program powered by the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services.

The Legal Wellness Checkup is not legal advice but can help you learn your rights and figure out how to get legal help when you need it. It is free to take the Legal Wellness Checkup. The Legal Wellness Checkup is made for people who live in Tennessee.

Children have the right to be financially supported by both parents.

Each state has a child support program to help collect child support. In Tennessee, the Department of Human Services (DHS) is in charge of the child support program.  DHS helps parents and legal guardians get financial and medical support for their child/ren.

DHS can also help you:

  • Get a new child support order,
  • Change a child support order you have now,
  • Enforce that order,
  • Establish paternity, and
  • Find a missing parent.

The DHS website has lots of information and tools:

Resources outside of DHS:

Representing Yourself in Court

Pro Se Resources

If you are handing your legal case without a lawyer, you are representing yourself. The court system calls this "pro se". You do not have a lawyer to handle your legal problem.

Resources

  • The Access to Justice Commission developed videos about general sessions court and other legal topics.
  • Each court has its own set of Local Rules that you and the lawyers must follow.
  • Some courts have websites with information about their courts. To find out if your court has a website, click on your county on this map of counties in Tennessee.
  • Self-Help Center of the AOC, the state’s courts website.
  • Representing Yourself in General Sessions Court, by Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services (TALS)

Alternatives to Court

What is Mediation?

Mediation is a way of solving problems without going to court. The people who have a disagreement meet with a trained mediator to try to make an agreement.

The mediator works with the people who have a disagreement to:

  • Identify important issues,
  • Clarify misunderstandings,
  • Explore solutions, and
  • Come up with a settlement that all sides can accept.

The mediator explains the rules of the mediation. The mediator helps all sides in the dispute explain their point of view, but will not take sides.

The mediator will ask each side to summarize his or her point of view. S/he will guide the people who have a disagreement to find a solution themselves. They will work with each person until there is an agreement that is acceptable to everyone.

Resources

Tennessee Justice Center

Tennessee Justice Center helps Tennesseans one-by-one and then takes what they learn from their stories to advocate for large-scale changes that help others in the same boat. In addition to helping individuals, they use the law and advocacy to ensure that Tennesseans can meet their most basic needs and have a pathway to opportunity.

Click here to learn more.

 

Disability Rights Tennessee

Disability Rights Tennessee is committed to promoting and preserving the disability rights movement in Tennessee.

DRT focuses its work in the following strategic areas: Freedom from Harm, Freedom from Discrimination, and Freedom to Participate in the Community. Each strategic area promotes the values set forth in the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act (DD Act), which created the Protection & Advocacy System:

  • Disability is a natural part of the human experience
  • Disability does not diminish the right to live independently or to exert control and choice in life

Click here to learn more.

 

Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition

The Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) is a statewide, immigrant and refugee-led collaboration. Our mission is to build power, amplify our voices, and organize communities to advocate for our rights. Our vision is a stronger, more inclusive Tennessee where people of all nationalities, immigration statuses, and racial identities can belong and thrive.

Click here to learn more.

 

Tennessee Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence

The mission of the Coalition is to end domestic and sexual violence in the lives of Tennesseans and to change societal attitudes and institutions that promote and condone violence, through public policy advocacy, education and activities that increase the capacity of programs and communities to address such violence.

Click here to learn more.

 

Tennessee Justice for Our Neighbors

Tennessee Justice for Our Neighbors provides free or low cost, compassionate immigration services to immigrants, educates the public and faith-based communities about issues related to immigration, and advocates for immigrant rights. During their legal clinic appointments, they conduct intake, evaluate immigration and other relevant history, and advise of any available options to change immigration status. Where a form of humanitarian relief is available, they provide direct representation as capacity allows.

Click here to learn more.

 

Volunteer Lawyers and Professionals for the Arts

The Arts & Business Council of Greater Nashville connects artists and arts organizations with the education, resources, and opportunities they need to thrive from their creative endeavors. To this end, the Arts & Business Council provides pro bono legal and business services to income-qualified artists and creative entrepreneurs of all disciplines, as well as emerging nonprofit arts organizations, through Volunteer Lawyers & Professionals for the Arts (VLPA).

Click here to learn more.

 

Community Legal Center

Community Legal Center is a non-profit organization providing legal services to those with limited means.

Click here to learn more.

The Tennessee Court System

How is Tennessee's Court System Made Up?

The Tennessee court system is made up of the Supreme Court, appellate courts, trial courts, and courts with limited jurisdiction. Limited jurisdiction means these courts can only hear certain legal issues. These are the general sessions courts, juvenile courts, and municipal courts.

There is a court clerk for each type of court. The court clerks schedule hearings, accept filings, and do other support work for their court. The Administrative Office of the Courts supports the Supreme Court and the entire court system.

Please click here for more information about the Tennessee Court System.

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*Important! This website gives you information about the law and resources - not legal advice. Because each case is different, it's best to talk to a lawyer about your problem.