Client Services
Special Programs
In addition to traditional client services provided through normal intake procedures, and with the help of special funding and support, MALS operates the following projects and provides additional services to clients in various areas. Participation in some programs may require specific eligibility.
Attorney of the Day Courthouse Project
Each Thursday volunteer attorneys meet with litigants at the Judge D’Army Bailey Courthouse, 140 Adams Avenue in Memphis, to provide help and make referrals. Volunteer attorneys meet with pro se litigants and provide advice, advice, counsel, and referrals. Paralegals and students provide supportive services at this clinic.
Please view our Saturday Legal Clinics calendar in our Volunteer page to see more details.
Consumer Advice Clinic
MALS holds a monthly Consumer Advice Clinic hosted by an attorney to assist individuals in navigating through the web of consumer debt collection. This clinic arms clients with useful and valuable information and advice. The client is provided a Debt Collection Information Packet and given advice specifically for their situation. If the client has a legitimate claim, they may be provided extended services. Applicants with legal issues appropriate for advice through the clinic will be contacted by MALS.
Family Law Advice Group
MALS’ office located 899-A Highway 51 South in Covington, TN, hosts a Family Law Advice Group meeting on the 3rd Thursday of each month from 3pm to 5pm. During the meetings, members of our staff discuss and answer questions about divorce, the Parenting Plan law, mediation, and child support. If you are interested, please contact us at (901) 255-3454 to be screened for participation. Residents of Fayette and Lauderdale counties may call toll free (888) 207-6386.
Family Law Legal Education – Elder Law (Memphis)
Every fourth (4th) Thursday, Senior’s aged 60 and older can receive free legal education at the Benjamin Hooks Library on Poplar Ave., Memphis.
Free legal education will be held in Memphis where a Memphis Area Legal Services’ attorney will provide legal education regarding the following topics: Estate Planning, Elder Abuse, Nursing Home Care, Social Security, Conservatorship, Eviction Prevention, Rent Disputes and more. This is an opportunity for seniors of the community to hear from an attorney regarding relative legal matters to them. There will be a question-and-answer session. The Elder Law Legal Education sessions will be held every fourth (4th) Thursday at the Benjamin Hooks Main Library, 3030 Poplar Avenue, from 10:00 AM until 12:00 PM. Please click here to see dates for upcoming Elder Law Legal Education.
Home Preservation Project
MALS has been a HUD certified housing counseling agency since 1980. In 2008, a new project was created, The Home Preservation Project, to help the tens of thousands of families in Shelby, Tipton, Lauderdale and Fayette counties who face the prospect of losing their homes to foreclosure, largely as a result of irresponsible lending practices. Case handlers work with lenders to modify loans and determine the best options for homeowners who are at risk of homelessness. Our trained attorneys and counselors work to restructure loans and qualify for programs offered through federal funding and through lenders, with the ultimate objective of retaining and building equity in their homes. If you or someone you know is facing potential foreclosure, please contact us at (901) 255-3444.
Low Income Tax Clinic
Through funding from the Department of Health and Human Services, MALS operates a low-income tax clinic that provides community outreach and education of tax issues, in particular to ESL residents in our service area, and to provide representation of taxpayers in disputes before the Internal Revenue Service. Download Brochure
A clinic will be held on the 3rd floor of the Benjamin Hooks Library on July 20, 2022.
Memphis Fair Housing Center
The Memphis Fair Housing Center (MFHC), through funding from federal, state and local grants, provides legal assistance to victims of fair housing discrimination and predatory lending, renters with landlord/tenant issues, and those facing foreclosure or homelessness. We are a HUD-approved housing counseling agency and adopter of the National Industry Standards for Home ownership Education, Counseling and Foreclosure Prevention. To apply for assistance, please call (901) 432-4663. Download brochure
Pro Se Divorce Workshop
MALS holds pro se divorce workshops in its Memphis and Covington office locations. Aimed at low-income couples wishing to pursue a divorce without the expense of retaining an attorney, these workshops provide individuals with information and materials necessary for filing a pro se (Latin term meaning “for self”) divorce in court. Members of our staff provide forms needed to file and complete an uncontested no–asset divorce, assist in completing the forms, answer questions and give information about the legal issues and procedures involved. Click here to learn whether you qualify for participation in this workshop. Please contact us at (901) 523-8822 to be screened for participation or if calling from outlying areas of Fayette or Lauderdale County, call us toll free at (888) 207-6386).
Saturday Legal Clinics
Second Saturday Legal Clinics have returned to the Benjamin Hooks Library on Poplar Ave., in Memphis.
Saturday Legal Clinics are held in Memphis and Covington where volunteer attorneys provide advice and counsel. Both clinics operate on a first come, first served basis and provide opportunity for members of the community to meet with an attorney to discuss their legal issues. Memphis clinics are held the second Saturday of every month at the Benjamin Hooks Main Library, 3030 Poplar Avenue, starting at 9:30 AM until 12:30 PM. The Covington clinics are held on a Saturday every other month at First Presbyterian Church, 403 S. Main Street, starting at 10:30 AM until 1:30 PM. Please click here to see dates for upcoming Saturday Legal Clinics. Learn more on how to volunteer.
University of Memphis Legal Clinics
MALS and the University of Memphis School of Law operate legal clinics, through which third-year law students from the Law School, working under the direct supervision of clinical professors, provide free legal advice and court representation to clients. Located in the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law at 1 North Front Street, the legal clinics are a part of MALS’ Pro Bono Projects initiatives and clients are referred through our normal intake procedures.
U of M Expungement Clinic
Join us at the U of M Expungement Clinic in Memphis, a free event hosted by the MBA Access to Justice Committee, University of Memphis (PALS), and Shelby County Commissioner Charlie Caswell, Jr. The clinic is located at Life Church on Austin Peay Hwy, Memphis, TN 38128
Attorney of The Day (Courthouse Clinic)
Visit our Courthouse Legal Advice Clinic at 140 Adams Avenue, Room 134, every 1st and 3rd Thursday from 1-3 pm. Get the legal guidance you need conveniently located right at the courthouse.
The Hub Clinic
Join us at The Hub Clinic, located at 590 Washington Avenue in Memphis, TN 38103. Memphis Area Legal Services is proud to partner with The Hub, offering a monthly legal clinic every 4th Wednesday from 1-3 pm. Get the legal assistance you need in a convenient downtown location.
