Online TN Justice Team Finalist for Salute to Excellence Award

NASHVILLE, Tenn. July 7, 2014 - The Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services (TALS) program Online TN Justice is a finalist for a Center for Nonprofit Management Salute to Excellence Award. Online TN Justice is one of three finalist for the First Foundation's Team Building Award, an award that "recognizes organizations that most powerfully demonstrate how they've mobilized, trained, coordinated and made the most effective use of volunteers, staff, community allies including other agencies, or other human resources." The award winner will be announced at the Salute to Excellence recognition dinner.

The Online TN Justice Team is comprised of members from four groups: the Tennessee Supreme Court's Access to Justice Commission (government), Baker Donelson Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC (law firm), the Tennessee Bar Association (private bar) and the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services (TALS). Before being named a finalist, members of the Online TN Justice Team gathered together to welcome members of the awards panel for a site visit to learn more about the program.

Online TN Justice is a statewide virtual legal clinic that helps vulnerable Tennesseans access legal advice from a network of pro bono volunteer lawyers. To date, over 6,000 questions have been posted to the site and over 400 attorneys have registered to volunteer. Baker Donelson, creators of the site software, donate the site software to other states who are interested in launching their own version of the site. To date, four additional states have launched their version: Alabama, Indiana, Minnesota and South Carolina.

The Center for Nonprofit Management will present the First Foundation's Team Building Award, along with eleven other Salute to Excellence Awards on Tuesday, September 23, 2014 at the Renaissance Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee. To learn more about the Salute to Excellence Awards and see other award finalist, visit the 2014 Salute to Excellence webpage.