UNC School of Law Pro Bono Program

We are proud to spotlight Disaster Legal Services this month, a pro bono project dedicated to addressing the legal needs of those affected by Tropical Storm Helene. In the aftermath of Tropical Storm Helene, a federal disaster declaration was issued - spanning 39 counties in North Carolina, as well as the trust lands of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.?Tropical Storm Helene’s impact on North Carolinians has been far reaching. Coordinated by the NC Bar Foundation, and in partnership with the NCBA's Young Lawyers Division, ABA's Young Lawyers Division, North Carolina Pro Bono Resource Center, Pisgah Legal Services, Legal Aid of North Carolina, and FEMA, Disaster Legal Services seeks to step into the gap, working to ensure that people who cannot afford legal services still have access. Through the Disaster Legal Services program, volunteers?sign up to volunteer?on a list managed by the NC Bar Foundation.?Clients come to the Disaster Legal Services program by calling the Helpline managed by Legal Aid NC (1(866)219-5262).?Cases that are not assigned to Legal Aid NC staff attorneys are funneled to either the Legal Aid NC Pro Bono Programs team or the NC Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division and Paralegal Division for referral to volunteer attorneys.?Most of the cases that volunteer attorneys are handling involve advice or brief services and can be completed fully remotely.? Signing up to volunteer on the NC Bar Foundation website is the first and best step to volunteering.?As needs progress and travel ability increases, Disaster Legal Services hopes to have more in-person opportunities to volunteer as well, and will share those with folks who have signed up.

This month, we are so excited to put the Pro Bono Alumni Board spotlight on Pro Bono Go, an incredible NC pro bono project that has become a comprehensive hub for attorneys statewide in discovering pro bono opportunities that help address the critical legal needs of NC’s most vulnerable residents. The Pro Bono Resource Center is staffed by Sylvia Novinsky, director of the NC Pro Bono Resource Center, Meghan Martie, director of the Restorative Justice Project, and Ayana Robinson, senior staff attorney. Beyond serving as a connector to pro bono opportunities across the state, this incredible project also engages volunteers in a project of their own on driver’s license restoration. So far in 2024, 311 legal volunteers have helped them serve 1,207 clients—making a material impact in their lives. To learn more about this incredible project, go to: https://lnkd.in/dHdsCwy Photo Credit: Catherine Davis Photography

We are so excited to welcome Allison Standard Constance back to UNC Law this Thursday, September 12, for a coffee chat with current students. Our time together will be part of a larger series sponsored by the UNC Pro Bono Alumni Board connecting current students with alumni whose commitment to addressing unmet legal needs through pro bono work has continued into practice.