Pro Bono Update

We want to celebrate you!

Report your pro bono hours

Did you know that the last week in October is the National Celebration of Pro Bono? Our Pro Bono team certainly does. They're already gearing up to honor all of our committed and caring volunteers during the week.

Don't miss out! If you volunteered with us last year or this year and still need to report your hours, do it today! You can even report hours if your case is still open.

Reporting your hours is easy. Just email the Legal Aid NC case coordinator or attorney you've been working with and tell them. No special forms required! Not sure who to contact? No problem! Shoot us an email at probono@legalaidnc.org and we'll take care of it.

Thank you for stepping up to provide equal justice for all in NC!

Pro Bono Fridays in Raleigh: Dates still available!

Thank you to everyone who signed up to represent Raleigh domestic violence survivors through our new Pro Bono Fridays program. If you are a Triangle-area attorney experienced with Domestic Violence Protective Order hearings, this is a great opportunity to make a big difference in only a few hours.

Charlotte Triage Lawyer on the Line clinic

Big thanks to volunteers from Bank of America, Cadwalader, Lincoln Financial Group, Parker Poe and Wells Fargo for participating in this month's Lawyer on the Line clinic through the Charlotte Triage Pro Bono Partnership. Each month, volunteers from the city's leading law firms and companies gather together to give pro bono legal advice to Queen City residents living with poor housing conditions.

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Heir property project profiled by PBI

In a recent article on its PBEye blog, the national Pro Bono Institute in Washington, D.C., included our Heir Property Pro Bono Project in a list of programs around the country working to address racial wealth disparities by serving heir property owners.

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UNC Law hosts Lawyer on the Line clinic

UNC Law hosted a Lawyer on the Line clinic in Chapel Hill August 12. Working under the supervision of our attorneys, law student volunteers provided valuable legal advice by phone to our clients around the state living with dangerous and unsanitary housing conditions.

Thank you to everyone who volunteered!

Meet new case coordinator Kemiyah Harris!

Meet Kemiyah Harris, our Pro Bono Programs team's newest case coordinator. Due to the incredible amount of pro bono support we receive in Charlotte, Kemiyah will work primarily with our pro bono volunteers and partner organizations in the Queen City. Click the link to learn more about Kemiyah.

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Follow us on LinkedIn!

LinkedIn isn't just a place to keep up with colleagues, it's also great for learning about pro bono at Legal Aid NC! Volunteer spotlights, new programs, upcoming events — it's all on our LinkedIn. Pro tip: Follow #LANCprobono to ensure you never miss a pro bono post.

Program Spotlight

Name Change Project

Launched in 2023 as a Charlotte-area pilot project with Cadwalader and Wells Fargo, our Name Change Project is now expanding statewide. The project recruits private attorneys to provide pro bono name changes to low-income North Carolinians seeking to conform their name to their gender identity and access education, employment, housing, public accommodations, public benefits, and voting rights.

If you are an attorney who wants to help people live as their true selves and provide for their basic needs, email us at probono@legalaidnc.org.

Volunteer Spotlight

Kris Pickler · Honeywell

Charlotte

We ❤️ our pro bono volunteers! Kris Pickler, General Counsel for Global Real Estate at Honeywell, is a longtime Legal Aid NC supporter and one of our newest volunteers.

Despite being a native North Carolinian — born in Fayetteville, he has lived in more than ten NC counties in his life — Kris has never been licensed to practice law in his home state. His legal career, which has taken him from coastal resource management in the Carolinas to global real estate law for major corporations, has never required it — until now (sort of).

Three years into his leadership of the Center for Heirs' Property Preservation board of directors — he's served as chair since January and served as vice chair throughout 2022 and 2023 — Kris recently doubled down on his commitment to the issue by securing Pro Bono Practice Status to volunteer with our Heir Property Pro Bono Project. Granted by the NC State Bar, pro bono status allows an out-of-state or inactive NC attorney to provide free legal services to clients of a nonprofit legal aid organization (like us!).

Continue reading on our website

Pro Bono Go

Pro Bono Go is a one-stop shop for pro bono opportunities from NC's leading civil-justice groups. Check out our latest opportunities below. More at probonogo.org.

Housing conditions advice (attorneys only)

Statewide · Remote

We seek volunteer attorneys to join our Lawyer on the Line program to give legal advice by phone to our clients living with dangerous and unsanitary housing conditions, and to assist clients with other landlord-tenant issues. Training provided.

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Drivers License Restoration: Local counsel needed

Statewide · Ongoing

Our clients with suspended NC drivers licenses often have suspensions spread over multiple counties. To get them back on the road, we need criminal defense attorneys to help resolve traffic matters in their local areas. Examples of assistance include negotiating with local ADAs or filing and attending hearings on Requests to Remit Monies Owed.

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Divorce assistance for DV survivor with disability

Halifax County

We are seeking an attorney to assist with a divorce in Halifax County for a domestic violence survivor seeking to protect her wheelchair-accessible home.

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Non-litigation advocacy with debit card company

Alamance County · Remote

Help our client by advocating over the phone and potentially with a demand letter. Our client receives SSI, and the card that she uses to spend her benefits was blocked for a possible fraudulent transaction and the company will not unblock it or communicate with her.

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Pro Bono at Legal Aid NC

More Ways to Support Us