Category: Media release

Charlotte, NC – Legal Aid of North Carolina (LANC) is proud to announce that Larissa Mervin, Managing Attorney of their Charlotte office, has been named one of Charlotte Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 award recipients for 2024. This accolade celebrates Larissa’s outstanding contributions to the non-profit world and her leadership within the legal community.

Charlotte Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Awards annually celebrate 40 emerging leaders who have demonstrated outstanding achievements in their organizations, communities, and industries before reaching the age of 40. Larissa Mervin’s inclusion underscores her accomplishments and influence as a legal advocate, community leader, and visionary.

Expressing her gratitude for the award, Larissa remarked, “I’m profoundly grateful for this award and feel fortunate to receive recognition for doing meaningful work that I deeply care about. The fact that I get to do it alongside the most amazing friends, colleagues, and organizational partners – all of whom consistently empower me to be the attorney I am and are also deserving of recognition in their own right – is just icing on the cake! Thank you to the Charlotte Business Journal for the recognition, and to my friends at Legal Aid and our pro bono partners for the nomination. I am incredibly appreciative.”

Larissa’s professional journey is characterized by her commitment to serving marginalized communities. Her passion for family law and domestic violence advocacy ignited early in her career, leading her to roles at Triangle Family Services and subsequently at LANC, where she interned during law school. Throughout her tenure, Larissa has advocated for vulnerable individuals and families, providing crucial legal representation, mentorship, and support.

In her role as a domestic violence staff attorney, Larissa litigated civil domestic violence protective orders, civil no-contact orders, and temporary custody cases, all while training and supervising peers and interns. Her leadership and dedication propelled her through the ranks at LANC, where she now serves as Managing Attorney for the Charlotte office and Regional Managing Attorney for surrounding areas – achieving these roles at a young age.

Beyond her professional achievements, Larissa is dedicated to community involvement. She volunteers for the Heritage, Arts, and Cultural Committee in Harrisburg, North Carolina, promoting art and multicultural awareness. Additionally, Larissa is actively engaged with her church, leading high school girls and participating in outreach initiatives locally and internationally.

Larissa’s commitment to excellence, innovation, and community service continues to inspire her colleagues and peers.

Category: Media release

Legal Aid of North Carolina (LANC) announces the temporary limitation of intake for its Second Chance Project as it undergoes a strategic reconfiguration to enhance its impact. This decision comes as part of LANC’s commitment to continually innovate and improve its services to better meet the evolving needs of the community.

Emily Mistr, head of the Second Chance Project, explains, “We are essentially shutting down the Second Chance Project as it has existed and reconfiguring it. Up to now, we have primarily provided general intake and clinic events for expunction and some driver’s license restoration services to the public. We now aim to refocus our efforts to serve targeted populations more effectively.”

In collaboration with LANC’s Innovation Lab, Mistr will lead the reorganization effort. During this transition period, the project will have intake limitations to ensure efficient resource allocation:

Services in New Hanover County: Due to overwhelming demand in New Hanover County, we are pausing phone intake for Second Chance Wilmington. We will only be accepting direct referrals from Port City United.

Durham County Services: Individuals residing in Durham or with cases in Durham seeking expunction or license restoration assistance should apply for services in person at the DEAR office in the Durham County courthouse.

General Intake for Other Areas Suspended: For residents outside of Durham, general intake for expunction or license restoration services is temporarily suspended.

“We understand the importance of these services for individuals seeking a second chance and are committed to ensuring a smooth transition,” says Mistr. “We anticipate unveiling the new program by mid-June, after thorough strategic planning and meetings.”

Legal Aid of North Carolina remains dedicated to its mission of providing access to justice for all, and this reconfiguration of the Second Chance Project reflects its ongoing efforts to innovate and adapt to best serve the community.

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Legal Aid of North Carolina is a statewide, nonprofit law firm that provides free legal services in civil matters to low-income people to ensure equal access to justice and to remove legal barriers to economic opportunity. Learn more at legalaidnc.org.

Media Contact

Helen Hobson, Chief Communications Officer, 704-430-7616, HelenH2@legalaidnc.org

Category: Media release

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Meet Hannah Guerrier, our Charlotte Community Engagement Manager, a new role for both her and Legal Aid of North Carolina. In November 2023, Hannah transitioned from Supervising Attorney in our Charlotte office’s housing unit to assume the role, the first of its kind for our organization.

Hannah serves as the liaison with our supporters and stakeholders in the Queen City, including our robust corps of pro bono volunteers. She leads Legal Aid of North Carolina’s involvement with the Charlotte Triage Pro Bono Partnership, a citywide effort to harness the power of pro bono to meet residents’ unmet legal needs.

You’ll find Hannah on the scene at the partnership’s monthly eviction-court clinics, which provide on-the-spot legal advice and representation to tenants facing eviction, and its monthly Lawyer on the Line clinics, which provide free legal advice to tenants struggling with dangerous and unsanitary housing conditions. She also helps organize the partnership’s monthly domestic violence clinics, held jointly with Safe Alliance, where pro bono volunteers help survivors draft complaints for Domestic Violence Protective Orders.

Keep reading to learn more about Hannah.

In her own words

Why is pro bono so important?

Because legal representation in matters of safety and stability is essential to achieving actual justice. We see how representation changes outcomes for litigants every day – whether it’s a domestic violence survivor seeking and protective order or a tenant trying to defend against an eviction. And because the need for these services is greater than Legal Aid staff can address on their own.

What’s the best part of your job?

As cliche as it sounds, the people. I get to work every day with some of the most genuine and hardworking human beings on behalf of other genuine and hardworking human beings. It’s a pleasure and an honor to help bring justice to our communities alongside such dedicated advocates.

What do you do in your free time?

Spoil my three pups with treats, walks, and cuddles. Puzzles and board games with my husband. And travel as much as I possibly can with him.

At a glance

Legal Aid of North Carolina

Charlotte Community Engagement Manager, 2023 – Present
Supervising Attorney, Housing Unit, Charlotte office, 2020 – 2023
Staff Attorney, Housing Unit, Charlotte office, 2018 – 2020
Housing Fellow Attorney, Charlotte office, 2016 – 2017

Selected previous experience

Georgetown Law Juvenile Justice Clinic, Graduate Legal Assistant and Student Attorney
US Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights, Law Clerk
Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia, Child Protection Section Law Clerk

Education

Georgetown University Law Center, JD
Duke University, BS and AB

Category: Media release

Whether you volunteer with our Heir Property Pro Bono Project, are interested in volunteering, or simply want to learn more about heir property and genealogy, you can’t go wrong by attending this free, virtual lunch-and-learn on March 28.

Sarah Carrier, Research and Instruction Librarian at the Wilson Special Collections Library at UNC Chapel Hill, will discuss genealogical research methods using hypotheticals and real-world examples, and will address nuances related to accessing records in various formats in different areas of the state.

Details

Date: Thursday, March 28, 2024
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Format: Zoom

Presenter

Sarah Carrier is the Research and Instruction Librarian at the Wilson Special Collections Library at UNC Chapel Hill, where she supports research related to the history, people and culture of North Carolina, engaging with a wide variety of communities to meet their information needs.

Her work includes providing research services in the library’s reading rooms, working with faculty and instructors to incorporate the use of the collection into courses and workshops, providing instruction and support to students, and working with community members, groups and educators across the state to access collection materials.

Sarah has both her master’s in Library and Information Science and her bachelor’s from UNC Chapel Hill, and a certification in Data Science and Data Analytics from Springboard.

Learn more about Sarah on LinkedIn.

Category: Media release

The Cadwalader law firm, with support from Wells Fargo, held this month’s Charlotte Triage housing conditions clinic March 5 at the firm’s Charlotte office.

The monthly clinics are a new part of the Charlotte Triage Pro Bono Partnership, the Queen City legal community’s concerted effort to harness the power of pro bono to meet residents’ most pressing legal needs. The clinics are organized by a rotating group of the partnership’s Housing Champions—private attorneys responsible for directing services to Legal Aid NC’s housing clients.

At the clinics, which are also part of our Lawyer on the Line program, volunteers provide free, valuable legal advice over the phone to Legal Aid NC clients struggling with dangerous and unsanitary housing conditions.

Thanks to Christopher Dickson at Cadwalader for serving as a Charlotte Triage Housing Champion, Todd Stillerman at Wells Fargo for co-chairing the Charlotte Triage Task Force, and Glenn Huether at Wells Fargo for her longtime support of these clinics.

Check out these great photos from the event!

Photos

BACK (l to r): Brittany Mullen (Wells Fargo), Caleb Eiland (Cadwalader), Kevin Sholette (Cadwalader), Hannah Guerrier (Legal Aid NC), Todd Stillerman (Wells Fargo), Chris Dickson (Cadwalader), Remington Jackson (Parker Poe). FRONT (l to r): Sara Markov (Cadwalader), Anna O’Neal (Wells Fargo), Glenn Huether (Wells Fargo), Eunji Jo (Cadwalader), Annie George (Wells Fargo), Ayrin Cooke (US District Court, Western District of NC)

Category: Media release

We ❤️ our pro bono volunteers! Dana Lumsden, partner with Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP in Charlotte, recently scored a big win for one of our housing clients.

In 2022, our attorneys helped our client settle an eviction case with her landlord. As part of the settlement, the landlord agreed to waive rent that was still owed by our client. Soon after, the landlord reneged and sought to claim the rent they had agreed to waive. We turned to Dana for help.

Dana immediately swung into action, filing suit in small claims court to stop the landlord from taking the rent, which was rightfully our client’s. After learning of Dana’s suit, the landlord relented, acknowledging our client’s right to the rent and agreeing to pay interest and attorney’s fees, an amount totaling more than $5,000—a huge sum of money for our client.

Dana is no stranger to pro bono. He serves as a Housing Champion for the Charlotte Triage Pro Bono Partnership, the Queen City legal community’s concerted effort to use pro bono to meet residents’ most pressing legal needs. As a Housing Champion, Dana helps direct the partnership’s services to our housing clients. In recognition of his pro bono service, the Mecklenburg County Bar honored him with an Individual Pro Bono Award last year.

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Category: Media release

We ❤️ our pro bono volunteers! Raleigh attorney Peter Robinson recently helped a Robeson County resident expunge the only serious marks on her criminal record, a nearly 40-year-old nonviolent felony conviction and a dismissed misdemeanor charge. Peter’s service eliminated a major obstacle to his client’s ability to secure and maintain stable housing and employment.

Said Peter about his service: “I was proud to serve a Native American client and help her expunge her criminal record, which arose from her poverty and disadvantaged circumstances.”

When Peter isn’t handling expunctions for us, he represents defendants before the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, a United Nations body with responsibilities related to the Rwandan genocide and the Yugoslav Wars.

Learn more about Peter at peterrobinson.com.

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Category: Media release

Legal Aid of North Carolina (LANC) is proud to announce that its Chief Innovation Officer (CINO), Scheree Gilchrist, has been recognized by Triangle Business Journal as one of the recipients of the 2024 Women in Business Awards. This accolade celebrates women in the Triangle region who demonstrate outstanding leadership, showcasing accomplishments in both business and community service.

For the past 26 years, Triangle Business Journal has been honoring women leaders in the area, and Gilchrist’s inclusion in the 2024 Women in Business Awards underscores her contributions to the legal and innovative landscape.

As the CINO at LANC, Gilchrist shapes the organization’s strategic vision for innovation. She is at the forefront of developing sustainable plans that not only enhance access to justice for clients but also streamline internal processes to better serve the community.

In her role, Gilchrist serves as the director of LANC’s Innovation Lab, a first-of-its-kind initiative in a legal services program nationwide. In this capacity, she leads an interdisciplinary team dedicated to collaboration, development and implementation of innovative ideas that revolutionize the delivery of legal services in North Carolina.

Upon learning of her recognition, Gilchrist expressed her gratitude, stating, “I am deeply honored to be recognized among the outstanding women leaders in the Triangle. This award is a testament to the collective efforts of our team and our commitment to innovation in the pursuit of access to justice.”

Learn more about Scheree Gilchrist here.

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Category: Media release

← Back to Family Law

RALEIGH, NC – The Child’s Advocate (TCA), a project of Legal Aid of North Carolina (LANC), is pleased to announce the appointment of Atiya M. Mosley as its new Project Director. Mosley, former co-director of TCA alongside Suzanne Chester, brings a wealth of experience and commitment to advocating for the rights and well-being of children.

Mosley, a graduate of George Washington University Law School, joined the Raleigh office of LANC in 2005 as a Domestic Violence Prevention Initiative attorney. Since 2017, she has been an integral part of TCA, where she has represented child clients and served as the Strategy Manager for the implementation of LANC’s Strategic Plan.

In addition to her legal expertise, Mosley has presented numerous Continuing Legal Education (CLE) programs in the areas of lawyer well-being, ethics, domestic violence, and family law. Her dedication to her work has been recognized with the Attorney Child Advocate of the Year award in 2003 and the Wake Woman of the Year by the Wake Women Attorneys in 2016.

TCA, a project committed to providing attorneys for children in highly contested private custody cases, is appointed by judges in family court in Wake and Durham counties. The project addresses cases involving domestic violence, child abuse or mistreatment, substance abuse or mental instability of a parent, relocation of a parent, or a child with special needs.

“Our role is different from that of guardian ad litem (GAL). Instead of deciding what is best for our clients, we investigate and advocate for what our clients believe is best for them. To do this, we collaborate with mental health providers to better understand our clients’ perspectives and preferences. Throughout our representation of our clients, we maintain a confidential attorney-client relationship,” explains Mosley.

The project settles most cases without the need for a trial by collaborating with parents and their attorneys. In cases requiring a trial, TCA presents evidence and calls witnesses to ensure the court learns about the child’s experience, concerns and preferences.

Mosley expressed her enthusiasm about taking on this expanded role, stating, “I am excited and honored to lead The Child’s Advocate in making a real difference in the lives of children in North Carolina. Our commitment to providing representation and advocating for vulnerable children is unwavering. I look forward to continuing the impactful work of this project.”

TCA recruits and trains pro bono attorneys from the private family law bar to ensure that every child appointed an attorney has dedicated representation. The project aims to expand its services gradually to additional counties in North Carolina, furthering its mission to protect and advocate for the rights of children.

Read more about Mosley and her role at TCA in the Wake County Bar Association blog.

Learn more about TCA at thechildsadvocate.org.

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Category: Media release

Legal Aid of North Carolina – Central Carolina Office

Carrboro, NC – In a move to enhance accessibility and better serve the community, Legal Aid of North Carolina (LANC) relocated its historic “Pittsboro” office to Carrboro, North Carolina at the end of 2023.

Since its establishment in 2002, LANC’s “Pittsboro” office has been serving the eligible residents of Alamance, Orange, Chatham, Lee, Moore, Richmond, and Anson Counties. The new location, situated at 205 W. Main Street, Suite 203, Carrboro, NC 27510, within walking distance of various community organizations and accessible via public transportation lines, will continue to provide legal assistance to the same seven counties.

Additionally, to further extend reach and accessibility, the “Central Carolina” office will be opening a satellite office in downtown Sanford, Lee County, NC, in the Spring of 2024. This satellite office will complement existing services, ensuring that individuals in need of civil legal assistance in the seven-county region have access to support.

The “Central Carolina” LANC team, consisting of 10 attorneys and legal staff, specializes in areas such as domestic violence, family law, housing, consumer law, public benefits, and senior law and can be reached by phone at 919-542-0475.

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Legal Aid of North Carolina is a statewide, nonprofit law firm that provides free legal services in civil matters to low-income people in order to ensure equal access to justice and to remove legal barriers to economic opportunity. Learn more at legalaidnc.org. Apply for help online at legalaidnc.org/apply-online or by phone at 1 (866) 219-LANC (5262).

Media Contact

Helen Hobson, Chief Communications Officer, 704-430-7616, HelenH2@legalaidnc.org