Knoxville Bar Association offering free virtual debt relief legal clinic

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - The Knoxville Bar Association announced a free virtual debt relief clinic.

The clinic will be held on Saturday, June 12, beginning at 9 a.m. by Zoom. The clinic will be available to qualified individuals who live in East Tennessee.

Qualification for the free services will be income-based, with pre-screening by Legal Aid of East Tennessee. The clinic clients may also be eligible for free bankruptcy services.

The deadline to call for qualification screening based on income is June 4.

Individuals who live in Blount, Knox, Loudon, or Sevier counties can contact the LAET at (865) 637-0484 to sign up for the clinic.

Residents of Carter, Cocke, Grainger, Greene, Hamblen, Hancock, Hawkins, Jefferson, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi, or Washington counties can call (423) 928-8311.

Bledsoe, Bradley, Hamilton, Marion, McMinn, Meigs, Monroe, Polk, Rhea, or Sequatchie County residents can sign up by calling (423) 402-4766.

After a person is pre-screened and found to qualify for the clinic, they will be required to complete a short questionnaire outlining the facts relevant to the question or problem.

Each qualified participant who completes the questionnaire will be given the Zoom contact information and matched with a volunteer attorney.

The clinic will begin with an introduction by Judge Bauknight to explain the purpose of the clinic and the basics of chapter 7 bankruptcy, including the pros and cons of filing for bankruptcy relief. After Judge Bauknight’s short presentation, the clinic clients and volunteer attorneys will be paired in confidential Zoom breakout rooms for individual consultations.