We love 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!).
As a volunteer with our Heir Property Pro Bono Project, Kris will join a corps of other private attorneys who help low-income heir property owners secure clear title to the homes and land they inherited informally (without a will). Clear title is crucial to helping heir property owners apply for loans, secure recovery benefits following natural disasters, and more.
In a recent LinkedIn post, Kris praised Honeywell for encouraging and supporting public service and urged other attorneys to get involved.
“Until a couple of years ago, I spent a career providing legal services primarily for companies, not for people,” he wrote. “At Honeywell, we have an exceptional leader for our Legal Department who sets a tone from the top of encouraging giving back.
“The sense of fulfillment one receives by helping indigent North Carolinians who need some legal advice or support is immense — on real property issues in my instance — but there are plenty of functional areas with opportunities available. The phenomenal team at Legal Aid of North Carolina have excellent training and resources available for legal professionals willing to help, as we know the demand for services far exceeds those willing to help in NC. Reach out to them if you’re interested!”
Thank you for your support, Kris!
If you are interested in volunteering with our Heir Property Pro Bono Project, you can learn more and sign up at legalaidnc.org/hppbp. Learn more about our other pro bono programs at legalaidnc.org/pro-bono.