Memphis Area Legal Services, Inc.
 
Serving the Tennessee counties of Shelby, Fayette, Lauderdale and Tipton.
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2009 – A Year of Challenges, Opportunities and Successes

Harrison D. McIver2010 will mark the 40th anniversary of Memphis Area Legal Services, Inc. as a partner in the quest for equal access and justice for all!

Reflecting on our journey through 2009 will set the stage for our work and activities for 2010. It was a year in which the recessed economy left many of our neighbors in a world of economic hurt. It was a year in which the unemployment rate was the worst in a quarter of a century, when people not only lost their jobs, but also lost their homes. Foreclosures hit record highs in 2009 and predictions for the first half of 2010 don’t paint a brighter picture in the near future for the people of Memphis and Shelby County, Tipton, Fayette and Lauderdale counties.

But all is not bleak at MALS. 2009 brought some great and memorable highlights. Fortunately, that best-of-times list is longer than the worst of times.
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Client Services

HISTORY - HOW IT ALL BEGAN

The Memphis Area Legal Services, Inc. story began in 1968, in the wake of the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., with the commitment and resolve of thirty (30) members of the legal profession led by W. J. Michael "Mike" Cody. Though these lawyers and law students initially faced staunch opposition they, nevertheless, persevered until their dreams were realized on June 15, 1968, when the Neighborhood Legal Services Project (NLSP), opened its doors in the old Centenary Methodist Church located at 878 Mississippi Boulevard. Undeterred by the denial of funding twice by the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO), they pooled their own funds to support and organize the project and volunteered their time after normal work hours with law student and secretary staffing the office. Two years later OEO funded Memphis and Shelby County Legal Services (MSCLS) due in no small part to the same unsung heroes who helped establish the NLSP. The initial years were under the capable leadership of two Memphis institutions, Honorable George H. Brown (retired Circuit Court Judge), and A C Wharton, Jr. (Memphis City Mayor and former Shelby County Mayor), who both served as Executive Directors of MSCLS.

Following congressional enactment in 1974 of the Legal Services Corporation Act, which established the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) in Washington, D.C., additional funding for legal aid programs, including Memphis, was provided. The late 70's and early 80's were called the "expansion years" during which legal aid programs expanded their services to all counties, territories, and the District of Columbia. Consequently, Memphis and Shelby County Legal Services' name was changed to Memphis Area Legal Services, Inc. (MALS) to better reflect the expansion of services to the three rural counties of Fayette, Lauderdale, and Tipton.

MALS has continued the tradition of the early years of providing high quality and aggressive advocacy.

Today, MALS is a multi-faceted law firm guided by values and principles that embody its commitment to equal access to justice. Through its well-trained, dedicated and capable staff, complemented by the volunteerism of the private bar, MALS continues to provide free legal assistance through advice and counsel, court and administrative representation and community education and outreach to the low-income and elderly residents in Shelby, Fayette, Lauderdale and Tipton counties.
MALS