Memphis Area Legal Services

What Memphis Area Legal Services does

Memphis Area Legal Services, Inc. (MALS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal aid organization founded in 1968 in the wake of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s death, headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. It provides free civil legal representation and advice to low-income, disabled, and elderly residents across four western Tennessee counties (Shelby, Fayette, Tipton, and Lauderdale), closing nearly 4,000 cases per year with an approximately 80% success rate in litigated matters. Core practice areas include family law (orders of protection, divorce, custody), housing (eviction and foreclosure prevention, fair housing), consumer protection (debt collection, fraud), public benefits (SSI, Medicaid, unemployment, veterans benefits), and elder law.

MALS delivers services through two physical offices (Memphis and Covington), a network of recurring legal clinics (Attorney of the Day, Saturday Legal Clinic, Second Saturday Legal Advice Clinic, Elder Law Clinic, Consumer Advice Clinic, Pro Se Divorce Workshops, The Hub Clinic), and the HUD-approved Memphis Fair Housing Center. Volunteer engagement is operationalized through structured pro bono programs including the Volunteer Lawyers Project, Atticus Finch Referral Network, Advance Directives Panel, Bankruptcy Alternatives Project, and Conservatorship Panel, with partners such as the Memphis Bar Association, Memphis Paralegal Association, University of Memphis Law School, Bass, Berry & Sims, and AutoZone.

The organization is funded through federal, state, and local grants (principally from the Legal Services Corporation and Older Americans Act Title III), IOLTA funding, individual and corporate donations via the Campaign for Equal Justice, and pro bono legal services. Revenue is not publicly disclosed. There is no proprietary technology platform; service delivery is built on traditional legal workflows supplemented by structured volunteer networks and clinic-based intake.

Name

Memphis Area Legal Services

Legal name

Memphis Area Legal Services, Inc.

Website

https://malsi.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Memphis Area Legal Services is a nonprofit legal aid organization founded in 1968 that provides free civil legal representation to low-income, disabled, and elderly residents across four western Tennessee counties, closing nearly 4,000 cases annually through staffed offices, community legal clinics, and volunteer attorney programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Aid Services

NAICS

Legal Services (5411), Individual and Family Services (6241), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Defense & Legal Aid Services (BPAIAFAC), Victim Services & Witness Assistance (Justice System) (BPAIAFAJ)

Keywords

• Civil legal aid
• Free legal services
• Pro bono representation
• Fair housing counseling
• Legal clinics

Headquarters

HQ city

Memphis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Federal, State, and Local Grants: MALS receives funding from federal, state and local grants including Legal Services Corporation (LSC) funding, Older Americans Act Title III funding, and grants for specific programs such as homeless prevention and domestic violence services.
2. Individual and Corporate Donations: The organization accepts individual and corporate donations through its Campaign for Equal Justice annual fundraising effort and other donation programs. Donations are tax-deductible under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service Code.
3. Pro Bono Legal Services: MALS provides free legal services to eligible clients and does not charge fees for its services. The organization leverages volunteer attorneys through various pro bono projects including Attorney of the Day, Saturday Legal Clinic, Volunteer Lawyers Project, and others.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Memphis Area Legal Services (MALS) is a nonprofit legal aid organization that provides free civil legal advice and representation to low-income, disabled, and elderly individuals in western Tennessee. Its core work spans family law (orders of protection, divorce, custody), housing (eviction and foreclosure prevention, fair housing), consumer protection, public benefits, and elder law, delivered through a network of walk-in legal clinics, courthouse advice programs, in-house case representation, and volunteer attorney panels serving Fayette, Lauderdale, Shelby and Tipton counties.

Product overview

Memphis Area Legal Services (MALS) is a non-profit legal aid organization providing free civil legal services. The organization operates a network of legal clinics including the Attorney of the Day Project, Saturday Legal Clinic, Second Saturday Legal Advice Clinic, Elder Law Clinic, Consumer Advice Clinic, Pro Se Divorce Workshop, and The Hub Clinic. Specialized services include the Memphis Fair Housing Center (HUD-approved housing counseling agency). Volunteer programs include the Volunteer Lawyers Project, Atticus Finch Referral Network, Advance Directives Panel, Bankruptcy Alternatives Project, and Conservatorship Panel. MALS serves low-income residents of Shelby, Fayette, Tipton, and Lauderdale counties in Tennessee.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Attorney of the Day Courthouse Clinic Weekly advice-and-counsel clinic where volunteer attorneys meet with pro se litigants at the Judge D'Army Bailey Courthouse (Room 119, 140 Adams Avenue, Memphis) to provide legal advice, counsel, and referrals.
• Saturday Legal Clinic Monthly walk-in legal clinic held at Benjamin Hooks Main Library in Memphis and bi-monthly at First Presbyterian Church in Covington, providing free legal advice and referrals to community members.
• Memphis Fair Housing Center HUD-approved housing counseling agency providing free legal assistance to victims of fair housing discrimination, predatory lending, landlord-tenant issues, and foreclosure prevention. Adopter of National Industry Standards for Homeownership Education, Counseling and Foreclosure Prevention.
• Second Saturday Legal Advice Clinic (2SLAC) Free monthly legal clinic at Benjamin L. Hooks Main Library providing in-person attorney consultations on civil legal issues.
• Elder Law Clinic Monthly free legal education clinic at Benjamin Hooks Main Library for seniors (60+) covering Estate Planning, Elder Abuse, Nursing Home Care, Social Security, Conservatorship, Eviction Prevention, and Rent Disputes.
• Consumer Advice Clinic Monthly clinic hosted by an attorney to assist individuals in navigating consumer debt collection, providing information packets and situation-specific advice.
• Pro Se Divorce Workshop Clinic providing low-income and elderly couples with forms and guidance necessary to file pro se divorce without retaining an attorney.
• The Hub Clinic Monthly legal clinic at The Hub (590 Washington Avenue, Memphis) providing civil legal assistance in a downtown Memphis location, held every 4th Wednesday from 1-3 pm.
• Volunteer Lawyers Project Pro bono program where enrolled attorneys agree to take a certain number and type of cases and are contacted periodically for case referrals.
• Atticus Finch Referral Network Technology-enabled pro bono network where law firms designate an attorney as gatekeeper to receive bi-weekly case listings and forward to firm members for pro bono representation.
• Advance Directives Panel Volunteer panel providing legal assistance with advance directives and last wills for individuals including those with terminal illnesses or who are elderly.
• Bankruptcy Alternatives and Pro Bono Project Community education program addressing consumer and debt-related problems with opportunities for one-on-one volunteer consultations and referrals to pro bono attorneys.
• Conservatorship Panel Volunteer panel of attorneys providing representation to persons seeking to become conservator or serving as Guardian Ad Litem in conservatorship cases.
• Direct Civil Legal Representation In-house case representation across family law (orders of protection, divorces, custody), housing (eviction/foreclosure prevention, fair housing), consumer issues (debt collection, fraud, bankruptcy alternatives), health and public benefits (SSI, Medicaid, unemployment, veterans benefits), and elder law, with services available in English and Spanish.

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately 80% success rate in litigated cases handled by MALS attorneys
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Community Organizations (Various)coreOthersMALS maintains active partnerships with a number of community organizations within its four-county service area. Staff participate in local events, including fairs and expos, and conduct outreach workshops and legal clinics throughout the community. MALS puts a high premium on providing information to clients about issues that affect them and works with community partners to provide educational materials and workshops based on identified needs.
• Memphis Bar Association - Access to Justice CommitteecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMALS works with the Access to Justice Committee of the Memphis Bar Association to conduct the weekly Attorney of the Day advice and counsel clinic and the Second Saturday Legal Advice Clinic (2SLAC). The Memphis Bar Association co-sponsors the Law Week reception to honor and recognize volunteer attorneys.
• Memphis Paralegal AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParalegal volunteers from the Memphis Paralegal Association have been key contributors to the success of the Saturday Legal Clinic and other volunteer projects.
• University of Memphis Law SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaw students contribute to the operation of the Attorney of the Day Project, Saturday Legal Clinic, and other volunteer services. The partnership supports student involvement in legal aid delivery.
• The HubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMALS partners with The Hub, located at 590 Washington Avenue in Memphis, to offer a monthly legal clinic every 4th Wednesday from 1-3 pm.
• Benjamin Hooks Main LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMALS holds Second Saturday Legal Advice Clinic (2SLAC), Elder Law Clinic, and other programs at the Benjamin Hooks Main Library, 3030 Poplar Avenue, Memphis.
• HUD (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development)coreOthersThe Memphis Fair Housing Center (MFHC) is a HUD-approved housing counseling agency and adopter of the National Industry Standards for Homeownership Education, Counseling and Foreclosure Prevention.
• First Presbyterian Church - CovingtonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCovington Saturday Legal Clinics are held at First Presbyterian Church, 403 S. Main Street, Covington.
• AutoZoneminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAutoZone partnered with Bass, Berry & Sims and MALS for the 12th annual 'Give a Little, Help a Lot' pro bono clinic held at Orange Mound Senior Center.
• Bass, Berry & Sims PLCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBass, Berry & Sims has co-hosted the annual 'Give a Little, Help a Lot' pro bono clinic with MALS and AutoZone for 12 consecutive years.
• Delta Human Resource Agency (DHRA)minorOthersDHRA provides transportation services for Fayette, Lauderdale, Tipton, and non-urban Shelby counties, helping clients access MALS services.
• U.S. Department of Education, Office of Civil RightsminorOthersMALS filed complaints with the Office of Civil Rights on behalf of clients with disabilities to obtain educational services and accommodations.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Lone Star Legal Aid: One of the largest LSC-funded legal aid programs in the U.S., serving 72 counties across East Texas and Southeast Texas. Comparable in mission and practice areas to MALS, with a substantially larger geographic and operational footprint.
• Legal Aid Society (New York): The largest civil legal aid provider in the U.S., operating across all five boroughs. Comparable to MALS in core civil legal aid mission but with vastly greater scale, broader practice areas, and a more complex funding structure that includes city government contracts.

Others

• Memphis Bar Association - Access to Justice Committee: A professional bar association that co-sponsors MALS's volunteer legal clinics. Functions as a partner/ecosystem enabler rather than a competitor, but represents the same Memphis legal community from which MALS draws clients, volunteers, and referrals.
• National Legal Aid & Defender Association: The national membership and advocacy organization for civil legal aid and public defender providers. Not a direct peer but adjacent infrastructure that shapes MALS's funding, policy environment, and standards.

Regional players

• Mid-South Immigration Advocates: A Memphis-based nonprofit providing free/low-cost immigration legal services. Comparable to MALS in geography and pro bono delivery model, but narrower practice scope (immigration only).
• Atlanta Legal Aid Society: A Georgia-based LSC-funded civil legal aid organization serving the Atlanta metro area. Comparable to MALS in serving a Southern metro population with similar civil legal aid practice areas (housing, family, consumer, public benefits) but operating in a different state/regulatory environment.
• Legal Services Alabama: The statewide LSC-funded legal aid provider for Alabama. Highly comparable to MALS in mission, funding architecture, and service mix; differs in scale (statewide vs. 4-county) and operating geography.

Direct peers

• Tennessee Justice Center: A Tennessee-based nonprofit that provides free legal advocacy for low-income families in healthcare and public benefits matters. Directly comparable to MALS in serving low-income Tennesseans, with deeper specialization in Medicaid/TennCare, SNAP, and disability benefits cases.
• Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas: An LSC-funded legal aid organization serving 114 counties across North Texas. Comparable to MALS in mission, funding sources (LSC + state + donations), and multi-county rural-and-urban service model.
• Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands: A Tennessee-based LSC-funded civil legal aid organization covering a multi-county region. Directly comparable to MALS in mission (free civil legal services for low-income clients), funding model (LSC + state + donations), and service categories (family, housing, consumer, benefits).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mals_inc
• Facebookfacebook.com/MemphisAreaLegalServices
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/memphis-area-legal-services

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Memphis Area Legal Services