The new issue of our pro bono newsletter is hot off the presses! Learn about all the innovative and impactful ways we partner with the private bar to make a meaningful difference for North Carolinians in need.

Table of contents

• Pro Bono Opportunities
  • Resource Counsel – For attorneys with specialized experience in certain practice areas – reach out to us at probono@legalaidnc.org to sign up.
  • Lawyer on the Line Housing Conditions Referrals – In addition to our regular events, we are always looking for volunteers to take individual housing conditions advice cases. Experience in housing law is not necessary.

• Special Thanks to our Community Partners
  • Wyrick Robbins on May 20th for our Raleigh Pro Bono Collaborative Expunction session
  • Our wills and advance directive signings on May 27th with Elon University School of Law, in partnership with Senior Resources of Guilford
  • Our Lawyer on the Line event with Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP on May 28th
  • Our wills and advance directive signing day in partnership with Wake Forest University School of Law and Senior Services Inc. on June 4th
  • Our Lawyer on the Line event with High Point University Kenneth F. Kahn School of Law students on June 5th

• Announcing: A new wills drafting tool for volunteers!
  • We highlighted a custom document generator tool that will help volunteers draft wills, advance directives, and powers of attorney for our clients. The tool, refined by our partners at Chapman and Cutler LLP, helps streamline document drafting and remove common formatting obstacles, opening up more time for us to draft, review, and ultimately help clients.
  • Want to take the tool for a test drive? Email probono@legalaidnc.org to get the link.

• Featured Pro Bono Opportunities
  • Remote – Assist client with an heirs property matter – namely, conducting a title search and preparing a deed and other necessary documents to transfer ownership of her primary residence into her name.
  • Lenoir County – Prepare a will and advance directive for senior client
  • Guilford County – Our client recently lost his home to foreclosure in Guilford County. Thousands of dollars in surplus of his debts remain with the Clerk of Court, and he needs assistance with the court forms to get this surplus back.
  • Statewide; Winston-Salem, Raleigh – We’re looking for attorney volunteers to represent DV survivors in protective order hearings.
  • Remote – We’re looking for an attorney with litigation experience to provide an initial consult (share tips, advice, strategy) on a complex heir property dispute involving a multi-generational family property in eastern NC.

• Thanks to our Charlotte Triage Volunteers
  • We were especially excited to have several summer associates join this session! Thank you to our June Triage Lawyer on the Line Champions Mark Taylor/Wells Fargo and Leah Campbell/Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP, and Tiffany M. Graves and Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP for being such wonderful hosts. 

• Upcoming Events
  • JUNE 23 – Charlotte Triage Child Custody Complaint Drafting Event
    • Sign up
  • JUNE 23 – Raleigh Pro Bono Collaborative Expunction Session hosted by Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP*
  • JUNE 24 – Charlotte Triage Eviction Courthouse Clinic
    • Sign up
  • JUNE 26 – Charlotte Triage Eviction Courthouse Clinic
    • Sign up
  • JUNE 26 – Wills Clinic with Smith Anderson and Southeast Raleigh Promise*
  • JULY 9 – Charlotte Triage Housing Lawyer on the Line
    • Sign up

• Volunteer Spotlight
  • Rochelle Hamman, Wake County
    • We are so grateful to Rochelle for not only continuously signing up for opportunities but also for her commitment to serve clients from the beginning to end of the estate document drafting process. She is a careful, dedicated advocate, and we’re lucky to have her on our roster of steadfast volunteers.
  • Diane Schussel, Greensboro
    • “Diane is an invaluable part of our TEAM clinic in the Greensboro Courthouse. She is a devoted volunteer who takes shifts weekly assisting tenants alongside our staff. We would not have the significant impact in our community that we have without volunteers like Diane, and we are so grateful to her for the time that she devotes to our project.”

• Join Our Justice Legacy Circle – Make Justice Part of Your Legacy
  • 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.

• Lead a Virtual Legal Education Presentation
  • Topics: Child custody and simple divorce

• Pro Bono Go
  • Find volunteer opportunities at www.probonogo.org

Sign Up

Past Issues

2026

• January
• February
• March
• April
• May

2025

• December
• November
• October
• September
• August
• July
• June
• May
• April
• March
• February

The new issue of our pro bono newsletter is hot off the presses! Learn about all the innovative and impactful ways we partner with the private bar to make a meaningful difference for North Carolinians in need.

Table of contents

• Over the last few weeks, we have been serving clients across the state with the help of our incredible team and community partners:
  • Legal Aid NC’s Disaster Relief Project
  • Legal Aid NC’s Central Carolina office
  • SAS
  • Wake Forest University School of Law
  • NCCU School of Law
  • Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton
  • Senior Services, Inc.
  • High Point University School of Law
  • Smith Anderson
  • Harvard Law
  • First United Methodist Church of Waynesville
  • Billy Graham Training Center, Samaritan’s Purse

• Featured Pro Bono Opportunities
  • We are looking to consult with an attorney with experience in nonprofits to understand how we can go about wrapping up a nonprofit organization in the wake of the founder’s passing.
  • We are seeking volunteers to assist clients with disabilities with preparing reasonable accommodation/modification request letters to submit to housing providers.
  • Help our senior client complete court forms for return of surplus funds after foreclosure.
  • Wills and advance directive volunteers are needed (drafting + execution) in the following counties: Cabarrus, Randolph, Rockingham, Wilson.
  • We’re looking for attorney volunteers to represent DV survivors: Winston-Salem, Raleigh, and statewide.

• Spring Giving Day is back – April 30th
  • Legal Aid of NC’s Annual Giving Day will be Thursday, April 30th. To celebrate, donations are doubled all month long by the North Carolina Bar Association. That means when you give in April, your support will be matched to provide even more neighbors with equal access to justice. Click here to help us reach our full matching challenge goal.

• Thanks to our Charlotte Triage Volunteers!
  • Last month, we held our quarterly child custody complaint drafting clinic, where volunteers assisted our clients, survivors of domestic violence, with preparing pro se custody complaints. We’re grateful to our Charlotte Triage domestic violence champions, Brian Soja and LPL Financial and Leah Baucom and K&L Gates for hosting.
  • We were also lucky to have a group of returning volunteers for our March 24th and 26th eviction courthouse clinics. Attorneys provided on the spot advice and representation to several tenants facing eviction. Without the assistance of our pro bono volunteers and LANC housing attorneys, these tenants would have had to navigate an intimidating legal system alone. Thank you to our March Triage Champions – Julie Leopold & Dechert LLP and Mark Taylor & Wells Fargo!

• Upcoming Events
  • April 21 – Charlotte Triage Eviction Courthouse Clinic
  • April 23 – Charlotte Triage Eviction Courthouse Clinic
  • May 7 – Charlotte Triage Housing Lawyer on the Line
  • May 20 – Raleigh Pro Bono Collaborative Expunction Session

• Volunteer Spotlight
  • In 2025 alone, the attorneys at Garfinkel Immigration Law assisted 15 of our clients in filing U visa–based adjustment applications and employment authorization renewals, directly contributing to these individuals’ ability to rebuild their lives. Additionally, following funding cuts and staff reductions, Garfinkel offered to take on 18 clients to assist with employment authorization renewals to ensure continuity of representation.
  • Ben Edwards, Vice President & Senior Counsel at Lincoln Financial Group, has been a steadfast volunteer with Legal Aid of North Carolina for over a decade. He has assisted roughly 35 clients during his tenure as a LANC volunteer in a range of practice areas, but most recently, in drafting and preparing wills, powers of attorney, and advance directives. In addition to assisting with will preparation and drafting, Ben recently advised our client in Cumberland County on beneficiary designations on her life insurance policy to ensure her wishes were reflected in her estate documents.

• Join Our Justice Legacy Circle – Make Justice Part of Your Legacy
  • 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.

• Register for an upcoming Expunction Law CLE
  • Join us on May 13th for our virtual “ENorth Carolina Child Custody 101” CLE.

• Lead a Virtual Legal Education Presentation
  • Topics: Child custody, simple divorce, and housing

• Pro Bono Go
  • Find volunteer opportunities at www.probonogo.org

Sign Up

Past Issues

2026

• January
• February
• March

2025

• December
• November
• October
• September
• August
• July
• June
• May
• April
• March
• February

The new issue of our pro bono newsletter is hot off the presses! Learn about all the innovative and impactful ways we partner with the private bar to make a meaningful difference for North Carolinians in need.

Table of contents

• Over the last few weeks, our team has been serving clients across the state with the help of our incredible community partners:
  • Cisco
  • Wake Forest University School of Law
  • UNC School of Law
  • Habitat for Humanity of Orange County
  • NCCU School of Law
  • Wake County Bar Association
  • Campbell University, Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law
  • Elon University School of Law
  • Harvard Law
  • Billy Graham Training Center, Samaritan’s Purse
  • First United Methodist Church of Waynesville

• NC Lawyers on Call
  • As part of the North Carolina Bar Foundation’s 19th Annual NC Lawyers on Call event, thousands of North Carolinians received free assistance with their legal questions on topics as varied as family law, housing, employment, and estate planning.

• Featured Pro Bono Opportunities
  • Wills and advance directive volunteers are needed (drafting + execution) in the following counties: Cabarrus, Randolph, Rockingham, Wilson.
  • We’re looking for attorney volunteers to represent DV survivors: Winston-Salem, Raleigh, and statewide.

• UNC School of Law Students and Alumni Receive Dogwood Awards
  • North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson recognized UNC School of Law students and alumni with Dogwood Awards for participating in last year’s spring break trip with Legal Aid of North Carolina’s Pro Bono Programs and Disaster Relief teams.

• Thanks to our Charlotte Triage Volunteers!
  • On March 5th, over 15 volunteer attorneys and law students joined our Lawyer on the Line event at the Charlotte offices of Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft to provide advice to tenants experiencing serious habitability issues.
  • Wells Fargo’s Pro Bono Program and Ellen Patterson, Senior Executive Vice President and General Counsel, received the Laurie D. Zelon Pro Bono Award as part of the Pro Bono Institute’s 2026 Annual Conference. Congratulations to the Wells Fargo team!

• Upcoming Events
  • March 19 – Raleigh Pro Bono Collaborative Expunction Session
  • March 24 – Charlotte Triage Eviction Courthouse Clinic
  • March 26 – Charlotte Triage Eviction Courthouse Clinic
  • March 31 – Charlotte Triage Child Custody Complaint Drafting
  • April 16 – Charlotte Triage Housing Lawyer on the Line
  • April 21 – Charlotte Triage Eviction Courthouse Clinic
  • April 23 – Charlotte Triage Eviction Courthouse Clinic

• Mark Your Calendar!
  • Legal Aid of NC’s Annual Giving Day will be Thursday, April 30th.

• Volunteer Spotlight
  • Susan Yanagi, a Legal Aid of NC volunteer attorney, secured a domestic violence protective order for her client, as well as sole custody of her child.  
  • Mueni Muli Raburu, a managing attorney at Wanjohl & Muli Law Firm, assisted in providing critical translation services for one of our clients.

• Join Our Justice Legacy Circle – Make Justice Part of Your Legacy
  • 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.

• Register for an upcoming Expunction Law CLE
  • Join us on March 25th for our virtual “Expunction 101: NC Expunction Law and Courtroom Best Practices” CLE, from 12 – 1:45 PM. 

• Lead a Virtual Legal Education Presentation
  • Topics: Child custody, simple divorce, and housing

• Pro Bono Go
  • Help serve clients through our Volunteer Wills Program
  • Have a few hours to volunteer? Join us as a Resource Counsel!

Sign Up

Past Issues

2026

• January
• February

2025

• December
• November
• October
• September
• August
• July
• June
• May
• April
• March
• February

The new issue of our pro bono newsletter is hot off the presses! Learn about all the innovative and impactful ways we partner with the private bar to make a meaningful difference for North Carolinians in need.

Table of contents

• Help open doors to employment and housing opportunities for our clients – with just three hours of your time!
  • Join us for our next expunction working session, sponsored by the Wake County Bar Association, on Thursday, February 19th, 2 – 5 PM, at Legal Aid of North Carolina’s offices at 1425 Promise Beacon Circle, Suite 201, Raleigh.

• Featured Pro Bono Opportunities:
  • Help seniors with their estate planning needs.
  • Help survivors of domestic violence prepare for court.

• NC DOJ Honors UNC School of Law and Legal Aid of NC Spring Break Pro Bono Project
  • On February 13, the North Carolina Department of Justice will celebrate the students and attorneys who developed and participated in UNC School of Law’s pro bono project over spring break in March of last year.

• NCBA Corporate Counsel Section, NCCU School of Law, and NCBA Young Lawyers Division Pro Bono Leadership Cohort Partner for Expunction Work Session
  • Last week at the NC Bar Center in Cary, members of the NCBA Corporate Counsel section, NCCU School of Law, and NCBA YLD Pro Bono Leadership Cohort sat side by side drafting petition paperwork and advice letters for 16 clients.

• Welcome, Ida!
  • We’re excited to share we have a new member of our Pro Bono team: Ida Baker, our new Eastern North Carolina Community Engagement Manager.

• Access to Justice Breakfast 2026
  • On February 26th, 2026, join us for a breakfast to help more Charlotteans access legal solutions to barriers in employment, education, safety, housing, and other fundamental needs of life.

• Thanks to our Charlotte Triage Volunteers!
  • Our Lawyer on the Line volunteers gathered at Wells Fargo last week to provide pro bono legal advice to clients facing serious housing conditions challenges.

• Upcoming Events
  • February 19 – Raleigh Expunction Session at 1425 Promise Beacon Circle, Suite 201
  • February 24 – Charlotte Triage Eviction Courthouse Clinic
  • February 26 – Access to Justice Breakfast 2026
  • February 27 – Charlotte Triage Eviction Courthouse Clinic
  • March 5 – Charlotte Triage Eviction Courthouse Clinic
  • March 11 – Charlotte Triage Domestic Violence Child Custody Complaint Drafting Event
  • March 24 – Charlotte Triage Eviction Courthouse Clinic
  • March 26 – Charlotte Triage Eviction Courthouse Clinic

• Volunteer Spotlight
  • Hannah E. Miller, an attorney and advocate serving Newton, Hickory, and Catawba counties, assists clients in divorce proceedings and with child custody, spousal support, and property division matters.
  • Over the past year, Legal Aid of NC has partnered with Stout, an international advisory firm, to review and refine data within our housing practice. Thanks to Samantha DiDomenico and Neil Steinkamp for their dedication to this project!

• Join Our Justice Legacy Circle – Make Justice Part of Your Legacy
  • 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.

• Lead a Virtual Legal Education Presentation
  • Topics: Child custody, simple divorce, and housing

• Pro Bono Go
  • Help serve clients through our Volunteer Wills Program
  • Help Single Mother Get Deposit Returned

Sign Up

Past Issues

2026

• January

2025

• December
• November
• October
• September
• August
• July
• June
• May
• April
• March
• February

The new issue of our pro bono newsletter is hot off the presses! Learn about all the innovative and impactful ways we partner with the private bar to make a meaningful difference for North Carolinians in need.

Table of contents

• Kick off the New Year by Standing with Domestic Violence Survivors
  • Join us for a virtual presentation on Friday, January 23, from 12 – 1 PM, for an overview of opportunities available for attorneys to assist DV survivors – remotely and in person.

• UNC School of Law – Winter Break Wills Pro Bono Project
  • On December 16 and 17, as part of UNC Law’s Winter Break Pro Bono project, students served 22 senior clients in Fayetteville and Pembroke.

• Welcome, Brien!
  • We’re excited to introduce the newest member of our Pro Bono team: Brien Hub, our new Charlotte Community Engagement Manager.

• Access to Justice Breakfast 2026
  • On February 26th, 2026, join us for a breakfast to help more Charlotteans access legal solutions to barriers in employment, education, safety, housing, and other fundamental needs of life.

• Thanks to our Charlotte Triage Volunteers!
  • Volunteers gathered at Dechert for our first Lawyer on the Line event of the year! Volunteers provided pro bono legal advice over the phone to clients facing serious housing conditions challenges.

• Upcoming Events
  • January 15 – Raleigh Expunction Session hosted by Alston & Bird
  • January 21 – Charlotte Triage Child Custody Event @ K&L Gates
  • January 23 – Virtual Domestic Violence Pro Bono Kick off Presentation
  • January 27 – Charlotte Triage Eviction Courthouse Clinic
  • February 4 – Charlotte Triage Housing Lawyer on the Line

• Volunteer Spotlight
  • Mark Taylor, counsel at Wells Fargo, is a steadfast volunteer at both our Charlotte Triage courthouse clinics and Lawyer on the Line events.

• Join Our Justice Legacy Circle – Make Justice Part of Your Legacy
  • 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.

• Virtual Legal Education Presentations
  • Topics: Child custody, simple divorce, and housing

• Pro Bono Go Opportunities
  • We are in need of volunteers to assist with the execution of wills and advance directives for two clients in Wilson County.
  • Help Helene Survivors with FEMA Appeals
  • Advise Tropical Storm Helene Survivor on Home Insurance Claim Issues
  • We’re looking for volunteer attorneys to assist with interviews and help prepare wills and advance directives.
  • Help Single Mother Get Deposit Returned

Sign Up

Past Issues

2025

• December
• November
• October
• September
• August
• July
• June
• May
• April
• March
• February

The new issue of our pro bono newsletter is hot off the presses! Learn about all the innovative and impactful ways we partner with the private bar to make a meaningful difference for North Carolinians in need.

Table of contents

• Happy Holidays from the Pro Bono Team
  • Thanks to all of our 2025 volunteers! If you’re feeling inspired to give back, check out these opportunities:
    • Sign up to assist a client with preparing a will or advance directive;
    • Draft a durable power of attorney for our client, who is blind and needs the document to access benefits;
    • Help a single mother get her deposit returned;
    • Advise rural domestic violence survivors preparing for pro se 50B hearings;
    • Save the Date – Virtual Domestic Violence Pro Bono Kick Off – Friday, January 23, 12-1 PM.
    • Consider making a financial donation to Legal Aid of NC. Any donations before 12/31 will be matched!

• Raleigh Pro Bono Collaborative Recap
  • November’s expunction session, hosted by our partner, Smith Anderson, was our most well-attended yet!
  • Interested in joining our next expunction session on January 15th? Email us at probono@legalaidnc.org to reserve your spot!

• Wake Forest University School of Law – Lawyer on the Line
  • Last month, WFU Law students provided advice to nine clients living in dangerous and unsanitary housing conditions.

• Thanks to our Charlotte Triage Volunteers!
  • On December 10, fourteen volunteers wrapped up our last Lawyer on the Line event of the year through the Charlotte Triage Pro Bono Partnership.
  • Additionally, last month, a team of nine law firm and in house volunteers participated in our program, sharing legal advice over the phone with Legal Aid of NC clients facing significant housing conditions challenges.
  • The following week, our volunteer attorneys participated in our eviction courthouse clinic, where, alongside our Legal Aid of NC team, volunteers provided on-the-spot legal advice to over 20 tenants facing evictions.

• Upcoming Events
  • December 16 – Charlotte Triage Eviction Courthouse Clinic
  • December 18 – Charlotte Triage Eviction Courthouse Clinic
  • January 15 – Raleigh Expunction Session

• Coming in January: Opportunities to Support Survivors of Domestic Violence
  • As the IOLTA freeze and budget cuts have forced us to reduce services statewide, we are seeking to meet client needs with pro bono volunteers. We are looking for attorney volunteers willing to provide: (1) advice to clients remotely over the phone and (2) in court representation.

• Join Our Justice Legacy Circle – Make Justice Part of Your Legacy
  • 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.

• Virtual Legal Education Presentations
  • Topics: Child custody, simple divorce, and housing

• Pro Bono Go Opportunities
  • We are in need of volunteers to assist with the execution of wills and advance directives for two clients in Wilson County.
  • Client seeks assistance confirming inherited property rights from a deceased uncle.
  • Volunteer is needed to advise disaster survivor on insurance coverage issue.
  • We’re looking for volunteer attorneys to assist with interviews and help prepare wills and advance directives.
  • Help Single Mother Get Deposit Returned

Sign Up

Past Issues

2025

• November
• October
• September
• August
• July
• June
• May
• April
• March
• February

The new issue of our pro bono newsletter is hot off the presses! Learn about all the innovative and impactful ways we partner with the private bar to make a meaningful difference for North Carolinians in need.

Table of contents

• A Note of Gratitude
  • Thank you for your partnership and support!

• National Celebrate Pro Bono Week Recap
  • Lakethia Jefferies and the NCCU School of Law team including Mekhi Harris and Kameron Smith helped seven clients and their families navigate significant housing conditions challenges
  • Students at Wake Forest University School of Law joined Legal Aid of NC attorney Matthew Fox for a Lawyer on the Line event with our Winston-Salem office
  • U.S. Bank and McGuireWoods LLP attorneys provided free legal advice to clients facing dangerous housing conditions
  • UNC Law students assisted clients by gathering information and advising on possible options in the face of extremely challenging housing conditions issues

• Raleigh Pro Bono Collaborative Session
  • The Raleigh Pro Bono Collaborative wrapped up two events last month, both hosted by our partner, Kilpatrick

• Duke Law – Lawyer on the Line
  • Duke students assisted clients as part of our Lawyer on the Line program

• Campbell Law Wills & Advance Directive Clinic
  • Campbell Law students joined Legal Aid of NC for a clinic to serve clients in Johnston County with advance directive and power of attorney preparation

• Thanks to our Charlotte Triage Volunteers
  • Volunteer attorneys from in house teams and partner firms represented tenants facing eviction through our Charlotte Triage Pro Bono Partnership

• Upcoming Events
  • November 13 – Charlotte Triage Lawyer on the Line
  • November 18 – Charlotte Triage Eviction Courthouse Clinic
  • November 20 – Charlotte Triage Eviction Courthouse Clinic
  • November 20 – Expunction Session @ Smith Anderson
  • December 10 – Charlotte Triage Lawyer on the Line
  • December 16 – Charlotte Triage Eviction Courthouse Clinic
  • December 18 – Charlotte Triage Eviction Courthouse Clinic

• Compliance Reminders
  • For each case, we open a case file and are required to document the work done to satisfy funding requirements; this is why we might be emailing you asking for a closing form!

• Volunteer Spotlights
  • Chapman Cutler LLP
  • Robinson Bradshaw

• Join Our Justice Legacy Circle – Make Justice Part of Your Legacy
  • 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

• Virtual Legal Education Presentations
  • Topics: Child custody & simple divorce

• Pro Bono Go Opportunities
  • Assist client with title issues involving a manufactured home that was severely damaged as a result of Helene
  • Assist Helene survivor with determining whether they may have a viable claim under North Carolina’s Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act or other applicable consumer laws
  • Help Tropical Storm Helene Survivor with denials of emergency funds
  • Help serve clients through our Volunteer Wills Program
  • Help Single Mother Get Deposit Returned
  • Help Stalking Victim Collect Judgment Awarded Against Abuser

Sign Up

Past Issues

2025

• October
• September
• August
• July
• June
• May
• April
• March
• February