Legal Aid of North Carolina is proud to announce that Celia Pistolis, Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel, has been inducted into the 2025 Legal Practice Hall of Fame — the first legal services attorney ever to receive this honor. The recognition highlights her extraordinary career in public interest law, marked by over four decades of service, leadership, and commitment to justice.
Established by the North Carolina Bar Association, the Legal Practice Hall of Fame is the highest honor an attorney can receive in North Carolina. It recognizes lawyers over the age of 60 who have practiced law for at least 30 years—20 of them in North Carolina—and who have consistently demonstrated the highest ethical and professional standards. Inductees are also celebrated for their exceptional service to the legal profession and their communities.
“This is a deeply meaningful and well-deserved honor for Celia and for the entire legal services community,” said Ashley Campbell, CEO of Legal Aid of North Carolina. “Celia has spent her career fighting for fairness, mentoring hundreds of lawyers, and ensuring that justice reaches those who need it most. She has set the gold standard for what it means to be a public interest lawyer.”
Since joining Legal Aid of North Carolina in 1983, Celia has led one of the largest legal teams in the state—approximately 225 attorneys—and has directed the organization’s appellate work, handling 10–12 appeals annually. Her guidance has been instrumental in strengthening access to justice across North Carolina.
Outside of Legal Aid, Celia has influenced the broader legal landscape through her roles as an Adjunct Professor of Law at UNC-Chapel Hill and North Carolina Central University, and as Chair of the Equal Justice Alliance, where she coordinates statewide civil legal aid efforts. She has also served on the North Carolina State Bar’s Authorized Practice Committee, helping protect the public and uphold ethical standards in the profession.
Celia’s long list of accolades includes being named Outstanding Legal Services Attorney of the Year by the NC Bar Association in 2001 and receiving the UNC Law Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2012—the first legal services attorney to do so. A native of North Carolina, she earned her BA with Honors in Classics and her JD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
“I am truly humbled,” said Pistolis. “I hope others are inspired to view public interest law as an essential part of our profession—work rooted in empathy, fueled by justice, and driven by the belief that legal advocacy can and does transform lives.”