MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Legal help can be very expensive. A good attorney will charge from $100 per hour, sometimes three times that amount, depending on the case and his or her specialization.
It's the cost that keeps many people from ever getting the legal help they need. However, there's one group in Memphis who's here to help those who can least afford it.
The cane he's forced to walk with isn't the only help L.V. White needed. After an injury, he suffered during his time in the Army, White needs constant treatment.
The Army veteran told FOX13, "I got hit while I was in the service by a car..."
But the veteran soon found himself in a fight with the VA over what treatments were covered.
The 59-year-old is disabled, can't work, can't afford the out-of-pocket cost, and certainly couldn't afford to hire an attorney.
He was stuck.
Then he found Memphis Area Legal Services.
He was assigned a lawyer, and they won their case, and not only were the legal service covered.
"They were a great help. They helped us when our rent was low, and we couldn't pay our utilities,” White explained.
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Autumn Chastain is on the MALS board of directors. Chastain explained to FOX13, "Essentially with what MALS has to offer, he didn't have to pay."
This is not a new organization by any means, having been in existence since the Civil Rights Movement.
Chastain said, "It freed out of MLK's 'Poor People Campaign'. And it's providing legal services to those who are essentially victims in situations."
MALS does not handle criminal cases, but what they do provide is invaluable to people like White who said without them, he and his wife would be left all but helpless and possibly destitute.
White said, "Every veteran I run up on who needs help. I'll be more than glad to pass their name around and I recommend them to anyone who needs help."
Memphis Area Legal Services can help.
For those who would like to help MALS, their biggest annual fundraiser is set for this Saturday at the Holloran Center.
Tickets are available and the funds raised go to help people just like L.V. White who need it.
For more information on Memphis Area Legal Services, click here.
Cox Media Group