Legal Aid Society hires two new support staff members

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands, Tennessee’s largest nonprofit law firm, announced Monday that two new support staff members have been added to the firm.

Mary Burney has returned to Legal Aid Society’s Oak Ridge office as the receptionist/intake worker. Burney previously worked for Legal Aid Society in the same capacity from 2008-2014 and was the office manager/legal assistant for Rural Legal Services of Tennessee (predecessor to Legal Aid Society) from 1979-2003. Prior to this return, Burney was a bailiff for the Roane County Sheriff’s Department.

“We are thrilled to have Mary back in the office,” said Janet Mynatt, managing attorney of Legal Aid Society’s office in Oak Ridge. “Except for our new database, things have remained pretty much the same, so Mary has been able to jump right back in. Her past experience with this office will be an asset to our staff and clients alike.”

Barbara Penland-LaFevers has joined the Murfreesboro office of Legal Aid Society as a secretary/intake worker. Penland-LaFevers has done pro bono attorney work for the Murfreesboro office and previously worked as the law clerk for Judge Donna Scott Davenport as well as retired Chancellor Robert E. Corlew III, both of the 16th Judicial District. She also has been the General Counsel for D.T. McCall and Sons and an associate attorney at Spicer Rudstrom, PLLC.

“Barbara’s extensive knowledge of our community, legal acumen, amazing energy and cooperative spirit will help us as we work to better serve Rutherford and Cannon County,” said Andrae Crismon, managing attorney of Legal Aid Society’s Murfreesboro office.

Penland-LaFevers received her Juris Doctorate from the Nashville School of Law and her B.S. in Sociology with a concentration in Criminal Justice from Tennessee Technological University. Penland-LaFevers has provided pro bono legal work for Greenhouse Ministries through the Rutherford/Cannon County Bar Association as well as legal services in conjunction with the Coffee County Bar Association and through the online Tennessee Justice program. Last year, she was sworn into the United States Supreme Court in Washington D.C. by Honorable Keith Siskin, Circuit Court Judge, Division III.

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands advocates for fairness and justice under the law. The nonprofit law firm offers free civil legal representation and educational programs to help people in its region receive justice, protect their well-being, and support opportunities to overcome poverty. It serves 48 counties from offices in Clarksville, Columbia, Cookeville, Gallatin, Murfreesboro, Nashville, Oak Ridge, and Tullahoma. Legal Aid Society is funded in part by United Way. Learn more at www.las.org, or by following the firm on Facebook.