Our Programs

Pro Bono Go

Pro Bono Go is NC’s one-stop shop for pro bono opportunities. Easily find, sign up for, share, and create customized email alerts for pro bono opportunities from NC’s leading civil-justice organizations, including Legal Aid of North Carolina.

Pro bono programs

Lawyer on the Line

Volunteer types: NC attorneys and paralegals.
Practice area: Housing conditions. Tenants who have serious but non-emergency problems with the living conditions in their homes.
Service level: Advice only. Volunteers provide legal advice over the phone to clients screened by Legal Aid NC.
Service format: Remote. Volunteers interact with clients over the phone.
Service duration: 1-2 hours per case, which includes preparing a follow-up advice letter to the client summarizing their legal issue and the legal advice provided to them.
Service location: Individually from the volunteer’s office or home, or as a group with colleagues from the volunteer’s employer or local bar.
Volunteer support: Malpractice insurance. Practice-area training and resources (guides, checklists, templates, etc.). Mentoring by an experienced Legal Aid NC attorney. Learn more.

Volunteer Wills Program

Help us meet the overwhelming needs of seniors in North Carolina who own property but have income low enough to qualify for Legal Aid NC services. Volunteers interview the client by phone, and prepare the will and advanced directives. Execution is completed either independently by the volunteer or in conjunction with a Signing Day clinic.

Volunteer types: NC attorneys and paralegals.

Volunteer formats

Independent Full Service: Volunteer lawyer to prepare will and advanced directives independently of Legal Aid NC clinics or programs and manage execution of documents
Flexible Partnership: Volunteer to prepare will and advanced directives remotely and attend Legal Aid NC Signing Day in person or virtually to execute your client’s documents
Signing Day Co-Host: Firm/organization agrees to prepare wills and advanced directives identified by county senior center and fully staff Signing Day. Contact our Pro Bono Programs team if your firm or organization is interested in co-hosting.
Signing Day Paralegal: Volunteer attends Signing Day to help execute documents.

Heir Property Pro Bono Project

Volunteer type: NC attorneys with real estate experience
Service level: Brief service. Heir property issues include a wide range of both real property and estate planning matters. The project engages volunteer attorneys to provide a range of legal services, including:
- General real property law (deed prep, easement work);
- Title searching;
- Genealogy/heir research;
- Estate administration/probate;
- Help with real estate closings/refinance;
- Partitions, business formation for heirs who wish to create a family business interest to vest their property;
- Foreclosure defense (Tax/Power of Sale by lender); and
- Estate planning, as a preventative measure.
Service format: Remote. Volunteers can serve from their office or home.
Volunteer support: Malpractice insurance. Practice-area training and resources (guides, checklists, templates, etc.). Learn more.
About: The project works in partnership with the North Carolina Bar Association and its Real Estate Section, the North Carolina Bar Foundation, Land Loss Prevention Project, and Pisgah Legal Services. The Heir Property Pro Bono Project is funded in part by the Wells Fargo Foundation.
Learn more

Second Chance Project

Representation

Volunteer type: NC attorneys with expunction experience
Service level: Extended service. Volunteers represent clients throughout the course of expunction proceedings, possibly including at court appearances.
Service location: Volunteers may select counties in which they are willing to serve clients.
Volunteer support: Malpractice insurance. Mentoring by Legal Aid NC attorneys if needed. Learn more.

Expunction clinics (coming soon)

Volunteer type: NC attorneys, paralegals, and law students; no experience required
Service level: Volunteers receive prepared case materials and complete petition forms.
Service format:  Volunteers may gather in person or remotely. Volunteers will work to complete petitions but will not interact with clients.
Service duration: Project can be completed in one half-day session, and there are options to set up recurring clinics.
Hosting a clinic: Clinics may be organized for as few as 8 volunteers from a firm, organization, or law school. The organization should provide the location for the clinic and contact the Pro Bono Programs team to schedule a date and time. Training will be provided.

Summer Associate Pro Bono Program

Our Summer Associate Pro Bono Program is your firm or organization’s opportunity to give your summer associates the well-rounded and exciting experience that law students seek. Open to firms and organizations of all sizes, the program provides your summer associates with a real-world training and service experience that allows them to expand their skills, interact with clients, and collaborate with experienced attorneys – all while making a meaningful difference in the lives of North Carolinians in need.

Learn more

Immigration Pathways for Victims

Volunteer type: Experienced immigration attorneys with Spanish fluency or access to language translator.
Service level:  Extended service. Volunteers represent clients through application of U-Visa adjustment.
Service format:  Remote.

Resource Counsel Program

Volunteer type: Attorneys with specialized experience and expertise
Service level: Legal Aid of North Carolina seeks to add to our list of experts for consultation on case matters or issues. By volunteering for the Resource Counsel Program, you agree to be open to outreach from Legal Aid attorneys seeking expert assistance.
Service location: Remote

Evictions in Mecklenburg County

Eviction clinic

Volunteer type: NC attorneys
Service location: Mecklenburg County Courthouse
Service levels: Provide legal advice to tenants who have an eviction hearing in small claims court. Volunteers have the option to represent tenants at their eviction hearing.
Volunteer support: Experienced Legal Aid NC attorneys will be on hand for real-time consultation.

Representation

Volunteer type: NC attorneys
Service location: Remote and in person. Much of the volunteer’s interaction with their client can be done via phone or email, but volunteers Volunteers may need to meet with their clients in person or represent them in court.
Service level: Extended service: Volunteers represent clients throughout the course of eviction proceedings, possibly including at court appearances.
Volunteer support: Malpractice insurance. Practice-area training and resources (guides, checklists, templates, etc.). Mentoring by an experienced Legal Aid NC attorney. Learn more.

The Child’s Advocate (Wake and Durham counties)

Volunteer type: Attorneys in Wake and Durham counties with 3-5 years of family law experience (or those attorneys working alongside a member of the same firm who is an experienced TCA volunteer)
Service level: Extended service. The Child’s Advocate provides attorneys for children who have been traumatically impacted by their parents’ contentious private custody cases. Pro bono volunteers represent the child through the course of the custody proceedings consistent with the child’s expressed wishes and objectives. TCA is appointed by judges in Wake and Durham for the following cases: a child with special needs, substance abuse by a parent, mental illness of a parent, allegations or findings of child abuse, allegations or findings of domestic violence, cases where the child’s gender identity or sexual orientation is an issue in the litigation, and potential relocation of a parent.
Service location: Wake and Durham counties
Volunteer support: Malpractice insurance. Extensive trauma-informed training and resources. Mentoring by The Child’s Advocate attorneys throughout the case. Learn more.

Field office volunteers

Our Durham, Gastonia, Greensboro and Smoky Mountain offices have local pro bono coordinators who develop pro bono opportunities and provide case-management support to volunteers during their service. Each of these offices serves multiple counties in its region. To learn about the offices’ geographical service areas, visit our Offices page.

To connect with a pro bono coordinator in one of these offices, please fill out the form below.

Other practice areas

Our Pro Bono Programs team is developing and launching new programs all the time. If our current programs aren’t a good match for you, please fill out our sign-up form and tell us what you are interested in. We’ll get in touch when we have an opportunity that matches your preferences.