RALEIGH — We are marking the start of the National Celebration of Pro Bono today by joining the NC Pro Bono Resource Center, Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy and Pisgah Legal Services to launch Pro Bono Go, North Carolina’s new one-stop shop for pro bono opportunities.

Lawyers, paralegals and law students can browse opportunities from our organizations, sign up for opportunities in just a few clicks, and set up customized email alerts to get new opportunities delivered right to their inbox.

Read our joint press release below to learn more and visit Pro Bono Go today!

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Pro Bono Go: North Carolina’s new one-stop shop for pro bono opportunities

Visit ProBonoGo.org to browse pro bono opportunities and set up customized email alerts

RALEIGH · October 23, 2023 — North Carolina’s civil justice community is kicking off this year’s National Celebration of Pro Bono by launching Pro Bono Go, a statewide platform for legal professionals seeking pro bono service that makes a meaningful difference in the lives of North Carolinians in need.

Created by the North Carolina Pro Bono Resource Center in partnership with Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy, Legal Aid of North Carolina and Pisgah Legal Services, Pro Bono Go is a new online clearinghouse of pro bono opportunities provided by the state’s leading civil legal aid and public-interest legal organizations.

“Lawyers and paralegals are busy,” Sylvia Novinsky, Director of the NC Pro Bono Resource Center, said. “The practice of law is a high-stakes, deadline-driven profession that demands more than its fair share of time from practitioners. Yet, North Carolina legal professionals have always made time for pro bono service. It’s the responsibility of organizations that need pro bono volunteers to meet them halfway. We need to make it as quick and easy as possible for volunteers to learn about and sign up for our pro bono opportunities.”

“Pro Bono Go does exactly that,” Novinsky continued. “It’s a statewide, one-stop shop for pro bono opportunities that’s easy to use–volunteers can sign up for an opportunity in just a few clicks–and it has email integration so volunteers can get fresh opportunities delivered right to their inbox. Pro bono can’t get much easier. When NC legal professionals think ‘pro bono,’ we want them to think ‘Pro Bono Go.'”

Pro Bono Go allows legal professionals to visit one website to find pro bono opportunities from the state’s leading civil justice organizations. Volunteers can search and filter opportunities by keyword, location, practice area, type (ex: cases, clinics, etc.), and sponsor organization. Volunteers can also set up customized email alerts when new opportunities matching their preferences hit the site. Volunteers do not need to create an account and never have to remember a password.

“The power of Pro Bono Go lies not only in its convenience but also in its ability to drive transformative change. By simplifying the process of engagement, we invite ALL legal professionals to be part of the movement for justice for all. This collaboration among civil legal aid partners statewide allows us, together, to make a lasting impact for our clients across North Carolina.” highlighted Courtney Viebrock, Interim Managing Attorney of the Pro Bono Unit at the Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy.

Allison Constance, Director of Pro Bono Programs for Legal Aid of North Carolina, said, “We are so grateful for the partnership of the NC Pro Bono Resource Center and our sister legal services organizations. Pro Bono Go provides a single place for legal professionals to find pro bono opportunities, which makes it easier for volunteers to engage with our organizations. The easier we can make it for volunteers, the more likely they are to serve, meaning that we can all help more clients together than we can separately.”

“Thousands of people across our state who cannot afford an attorney are desperate for help and can benefit from Pro Bono Go,” said Katie Russell Miller, Pisgah Legal Services’ Managing Director of Community Engagement. “We work with hundreds of local attorneys who assist our clients pro bono, and we witness the life-changing work they do to help people with low incomes navigate complicated legal systems.”

Pro Bono Go uses the Pro Bono Matters software created by SavvySuit, a Florida-based software development company that builds access to justice software and products for the private bar.

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About

Pro Bono Go is the North Carolina civil justice community’s statewide one-stop shop for pro bono opportunities. It was created and is maintained by the North Carolina Pro Bono Resource Center in partnership with Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy, Legal Aid of North Carolina and Pisgah Legal Services.

CHARLOTTE · May 9, 2023 — Lawyers with Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP and Bank of America celebrated Financial Institution Pro Bono Day on April 27 by providing free legal advice to Legal Aid of North Carolina clients struggling with poor housing conditions. Bradley hosted the event in its Charlotte office, which is located across the street from Bank of America’s global headquarters. 

During the event, lawyers from the firm and bank partnered up to provide free legal advice over the phone to our clients facing serious problems with their living conditions, everything from leaky ceilings to dangerous faulty wiring.

Leah Campbell, Counsel at Bradley, organized the event. When asked what inspires her to do pro bono work, she said, “Everybody deserves to be treated with dignity when they go into the court of justice. It can be very scary if you’re not familiar with it. That’s why it’s important for a lawyer to be there with them.” 

She also praised her firm’s commitment to pro bono. 

“One of the founding values of the firm is public service,” she said. “Both pro bono and community service in general. That commitment is demonstrated in part by the fact that attorneys can receive billable credit up to a certain amount of pro bono hours. We want to encourage people to do it.”

Megan Scholz, Associate General Counsel and Senior Vice President at Bank of America, spoke of the Bank’s commitment to pro bono. “Bank of America is very committed to pro bono, volunteer work and community engagement across the country and around the world. Attorneys are encouraged to use their skills to give back to their community and are able to do so during work hours to encourage participation.”

Nate Viebrock, Counsel at Bradley, helped a woman living with a leaky ceiling, rotted-out stairs and a broken kitchen appliance. 

“We were able to get a hold of her landlord,” Viebrock said. “The landlord said they had her on their list for repairs and would call us back when the repairs were scheduled. It’s powerful when they hear their tenants have representation. That touches on why I choose to do pro bono. Our work sometimes takes months, years, to ever see any kind of result. Here we made a phone call and got a quick result for our client.” 

Andria Patterson, Assistant General Counsel and Senior Vice President at Bank of America, had a client who was dealing with a bug infestation and faulty wiring on a kitchen appliance that could have caused a fire. 

“I have a passion for helping people,” Patterson said. “That’s really why you become an attorney in the first place — you want to help people. Pro bono pulls on that passion. Especially when you see people who need legal help but can’t afford an attorney. You always want to step in and fill that gap.”

Amy Puckett, Senior Attorney at Bradley, who partnered with Patterson on the case, said, “It sounds trite, but I think it’s very important to give back and invest in the community. This is a skillset that I have and it’s nice to try to make the Charlotte community better, whether in a small way or a big way.” 

Bob Roth, Associate General Counsel and Senior Vice President at Bank of America, who handled one of the more complex cases of the day — he was on the phone with his client for at least an hour — addressed the anxiety that some attorneys have about pro bono.

“You hear the acronym FOMO — fear of missing out. In pro bono there’s FOMU — fear of messing up. Part of overcoming that fear is realizing that there are resources to help you out. You’re not swimming alone. If you have that concern, you should try to dispel it as best you can and try something new.” 

If you are an attorney who wants to try something new, visit the pro bono section of our website to learn about our programs and sign up to join us on our mission for justice. Go to legalaidnc.org/pro-bono.

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