Join us as we celebrate Pro Bono Week!
We want to take a moment to thank you for the compassion and care you bring to our clients and community -- this week and every week.
Interested in volunteering with us? Check out our available projects further below.
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Highlights from Legal Aid of North Carolina's Statewide Summit
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Special Thanks to Our Volunteer Presenters and Congratulations to Our Award Winners!
Leaders across the state gathered for two days on October 7-8 to reflect on wins and sources of inspiration for the future.
Legal Aid attorneys and staff joined volunteers and community members for panel discussions on topics ranging from jurisdictional issues to practicing in the digital age.
The summit was also an opportunity to highlight the dedication of Legal Aid of North Carolina staff and the generosity of the volunteer attorneys who step in to help our clients in their greatest times of need. We are grateful to our sponsors and the participants who made this event and celebration possible.
Click for more details
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Pro Bono Innovation Fund Grant from Legal Services Corporation
Our partner, LSC, has awarded Legal Aid of NC with a two year Pro Bono Innovation Fund Grant.
The goal of the grant is to foster greater collaboration across the state for pro bono efforts, including refining processes and increasing connections between offices. We're thrilled and ready to dive in.
More about the award here
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Raleigh Pro Bono Collaborative Expunction Session
On October 16, we held our first session of the Raleigh Pro Bono Collaborative, an initiative in which participating law firms take turns hosting monthly pro bono opportunities.
The goal of the collaborative is to make these opportunities more accessible to local attorneys.
Kilpatrick’s Raleigh office graciously hosted our Second Chance Project Expunction Session. Thanks to eight dedicated volunteers, we were able to draft expunction paperwork for clients eligible to have their records cleared.
Next month, we’ll be at Smith Anderson. If you’re interested in getting involved as either a host or a volunteer, we’d love to hear from you!
Email us at probono@legalaidnc.org
| | | | Charlotte Triage is a task force comprised of law firm, corporation, and nonprofit pro bono leaders dedicated to serving the Charlotte community in its areas of highest need. Learn more | | Cheers to our Charlotte Triage Volunteers! | | |
Volunteer attorneys in Charlotte already participated in two October events: a child custody complaint-drafting event and a housing conditions Lawyer on the Line event.
On October 16th, eleven volunteers gathered at SPX to draft pro se child custody complaints and advise domestic violence survivors on next steps in these matters. Special thanks to Triage Champion Ashlee Poplin from Adams & Reese for organizing the event from start to finish.
Earlier in the month, teams from Wells Fargo, Nelson Mullins, and McGuireWoods worked together to advise clients on their housing conditions issues. Triage Housing Champions Mark Kinghorn & Carol Wyatt from McGuireWoods and Mark Taylor & Kenya McNeil from Wells Fargo worked together to make the event a success.
But Charlotte's work isn't done yet! Next week volunteer attorneys will join Legal Aid staff attorneys in small claims court to advise and represent tenants facing eviction. Want to join? Sign up below!
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Upcoming Charlotte Triage events
Lawyer on the Line (advice only)
November 13, 12 PM - 2 PM @ Moore & Van Allen
👉 Sign up
Eviction Courthouse Clinics
November 18 & 20, 8:45 AM - 12 PM
👉Sign up
Lawyer on the Line (advice only)
December 10, 12 PM - 2 PM
👉 Sign up
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📞 November 13 - Charlotte Triage Lawyer on the Line
⚖️ November 18 - Charlotte Triage Eviction Courthouse Clinic
⚖️ November 20 - Charlotte Triage Eviction Courthouse Clinic
📞 December 10 - Charlotte Triage Lawyer on the Line
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Campbell University, Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law Students
Raleigh, NC
Campbell Law students Natalie Virginia Johnson, Bethany Lynch, and Laurel Kirby Brown organized and led a training in client interviewing at Campbell University Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law. With this foundation, the students will be ready to tackle cases next month as part of a clinic in Johnston County for local seniors and their families.
Learn more
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UNC School of Law - Law Students Against Sexual and Domestic Violence
Chapel Hill, NC
Since September, UNC Law 2Ls Rachel Vinarcik and Jane Zhao Ogbo have assisted our Central Carolina office with background research on domestic violence protective order cases. Thanks to their work, clients will be better able to protect themselves and their families from harm.
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Manisha Patel
The Law Office of Manisha P. Patel, LLC
Greensboro, NC
Manisha Patel, a family law attorney based in Greensboro and former member of the Legal Aid of North Carolina Board of Directors (2022-2023) juggles a busy family law practice with giving back. As a frequent volunteer with Legal Aid of North Carolina and the Pro Bono Resource Center, Manisha has assisted her community time and time again, most recently by presenting on the topics of child custody and divorce through our Listen & Learn series. We're so grateful to Manisha and the attorneys like her who share their many talents with our clients, providing excellent care and advocacy in and out of the courtroom.
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Join Our Justice Legacy Circle - Make Justice Part of Your Legacy
Did you know you can include Legal Aid of North Carolina in your estate plans?
Planned gifts - including bequests, charitable trusts, and gifts of life insurance - create a legacy of justice that will continue to protect North Carolinians for generations to come.
By making a planned gift of any size, you become part of the Justice Legacy Circle, a community of supporters whose foresight ensures that Legal Aid's mission endures long into the future.
Together we can make justice not just a value we hold, but a legacy we leave.
Learn more or make your gift today:
| | | | Lead a virtual legal education presentation! | | Topics: Child custody and simple divorce | | |
Interested in giving back to your community for a few hours?
Sign up below to lead a virtual legal education presentation on child custody and/or simple divorce.
The ask: Present on either (or both) topics and answer general questions (no specific legal advice is given during the presentations). Volunteers receive training and all presentations are moderated.
When: Child custody presentations are held the second Tuesday of the month; simple divorce presentations are held the third Thursday of the month. All presentations run from 2:15 to 4:30 p.m.
Click below to learn more and sign up!
| | Looking for the right pro bono opportunity? Legal services organizations around the state, including Legal Aid of NC, post theirs on Pro Bono Go. Find out more at probonogo.org. | |
Assist Disaster Survivor with FEMA Application Status
Interested in helping a survivor navigate FEMA paperwork and the status of an application? This is a great opportunity for volunteer attorneys with a transactional background. Please consider signing up:
Learn more
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Help Tropical Storm Helene Survivor with denials of emergency funds:
Our client has been denied emergency funds of $750 three times as well as reimbursement of a generator.
If you would like to assist our client with appealing FEMA's decision, please sign up below:
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Help Helene Survivor with FEMA Appeal for Rental
Our client needs help appealing a FEMA denial of rental assistance after Helene. FEMA initially covered hotel costs but stopped in March 2025. Our client then rented a camper, but, unfortunately, FEMA has not provided the promised rental assistance and claims client purchased the camper rather than renting it. Our client seeks assistance to challenge this denial and secure rental assistance. If you'd like to help, please sign up below:
🗺️ Statewide
Learn more
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Help serve clients through our Volunteer Wills Program
We're looking for volunteer attorneys to assist with interviews and help prepare wills and advance directives.
This is primarily a remote opportunity; however, we are particularly in need of volunteers who are local to the following counties and willing to assist with occasional in-person signing day clinics: Buncombe, Cumberland, Davidson, Edgecombe, Guilford, Henderson, Johnston, Pitt, Randolph, Rockingham, and Wilson.
🗺️ Statewide; specific counties listed above
Learn more
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