Legal Aid of East Tennessee- Knoxville

As a person on disability, it’s very extremely hard for people to understand but when the “Apartment staff wanna me to move out” of my apartment just because my disability they said it doesn’t require it or the standards. I reached out to “legal aid” and Miss Daisy helped me with it so much. They withdrew my request to move so as of today I’m still in apartment that I’ve been in for eight years still. Thank you Ms. Daisy and Thank you Jesus

My experience with Legal Aid of East Tennessee was extremely disappointing and honestly shocking. I reached out for help as a domestic violence survivor with an upcoming Order to Show Cause hearing and urgent safety concerns. Instead of receiving support, I was bounced around, minimized, and ultimately denied in a way that felt unprofessional and dismissive. First, I wasn’t even notified directly by the staff member who did my intake. Instead, someone else called me the day after Thanksgiving, on Black Friday — when everything is closed and no follow-up is possible — just to deny my case. The explanation I got was vague and made no sense (“your case isn’t criminal so we’re not prioritizing it”), even though domestic violence restraining orders fall squarely within the kind of cases Legal Aid and VAWA are supposed to support. What bothered me even more was the tone of the call. When I described the coercive control, threats, and the danger I’m dealing with, parts of the response sounded more like casual banter or commentary, not trauma-informed advocacy. It felt like my situation — which involves real threats and an interstate custody crisis — was being minimized or treated like gossip. I worked with Brittney Byrd. To make things worse, I was referred to the UT Law Clinic as a possible option, but the opposing party’s attorney is already getting representation from someone affiliated with that program. That is a direct conflict of interest and not a viable option. Being sent in circles like that is not just unhelpful — it’s dangerous. Meanwhile, the opposing party was able to obtain free counsel quickly, while I continue to be told to “try somewhere else.” As a survivor who has done everything right — documented everything, reached out early, complied with every process — it feels like I fell through the cracks simply because my case is complicated and requires real attention. I truly hope Legal Aid of East Tennessee reevaluates how they handle domestic-violence intakes, especially for survivors navigating complex custody and safety situations. We come to Legal Aid because we have nowhere else to go. Being dismissed, minimized, or pushed off to conflicted referrals only makes a dangerous situation worse.

Melanie Henry was extremely rude and dismissive. The entire time we spoke it felt like she truly hated me. I have never in my life felt this way. It was really damaging as a victim to be victimized again by Melanie Henry. This will discourage me from seeking help in the future.