Asheville—The North Carolina Bar Association has announced that the 2022 recipient of the Deborah Greenblatt Outstanding Legal Services Attorney Award is Angeleigh Dorsey, who serves as Western Regional Manager for Legal Aid of North Carolina.
The Bar Association presents the Greenblatt award “to a legal services attorney who has made an exemplary contribution to the provision of legal assistance to help meet the needs of the poverty population in North Carolina.” The award is one of the Bar Association’s annual Pro Bono Awards, which are given to lawyers, law students, law firms and other groups for public-interest legal work.
Dorsey’s accomplishments include establishing a new field office for Legal Services of North Carolina that covered six counties in the western region; implementing the launch of the new NC Medicaid Ombudsman program on a very short timeline; and developing Legal Aid NC’s Senior Law Project into a 17-person statewide project, including starting a stand-alone Senior Legal Helpline.
George Hausen, Executive Director of Legal Aid NC, referred to Dorsey as a “trailblazer, single-handedly creating pathways to justice, where previously there were none.” He described her as a leading expert in government benefits such as Social Security and Medicare. “What makes Angie such a wonderful leader,” he said, “is that she combines the passion and empathy to make clients feel heard and empowered with the vision to make access to legal justice a reality.”
Meredith Gregory, Legal Aid NC’s Managing Attorney of its Senior Law Project, said that Dorsey has represented countless clients in accessing a basic income and basic healthcare, has secured grant funds to continue Legal Aid’s work, and answers her colleagues’ questions on everything “from a complex Medicaid issue, to a funder’s compliance question, to how to fix a broken drawer.”
Dorsey currently manages Legal Aid NC’s western region, a 27-county area stretching from Charlotte and Concord up to Boone and over to Murphy. She has performed leadership roles in the national development of senior legal helplines and has led pro bono efforts of state and local bar associations. She is also known for her volunteer work, including serving on the board of the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Western Carolina.
Dorsey has raised two sons and lives in Arden, North Carolina, with her husband, two cats, and a dog.
Media Contact
Bryan Alexander, Legal Aid of North Carolina, 404-273-3104, bryana@legalaidnc.org