Happy spring! The Pro Bono Committee of the NCBA’s Labor and Employment Law Section is looking for volunteers for a couple of different projects:

First, the committee is looking for individuals who are interested in co-chairing the committee and/or assisting with the leadership of discrete pro bono projects this year. Due to the pandemic, the committee is not planning for any in-person pro bono events this year, but the committee is working to put together a couple of virtual pro bono opportunities. If you are interested in becoming a more active member of the section, meeting more colleagues in the field, and finding a leadership opportunity as a way to give back to the community, this committee is for you! For example, one of the projects the committee is planning for the fall of 2021 is a virtual “Empower Hour” program where section members will become trained in how to answer pro bono questions for the public from the North Carolina Free Legal Answers Program. Please email Leann Walsh ([email protected]) and Michael Elliot ([email protected]) if you are interested in leading a pro bono initiative or serving as a co-chair on the committee.

Second, the committee will be working with the NCBA’s Young Lawyers Division to put together short employment law guides/checklists for new lawyers in North Carolina. The guides (1-3 pages) will be provided to new lawyers in the state after they are admitted to practice. The topics of the guides will include things like: (1) Hiring Employees in North Carolina, (2) Drafting Offer Letters for North Carolina Employees, and (3) Terminating an Employee in North Carolina. Attorneys can work on the guides solo or in teams. Each guide is expected to take around five hours to create. If you are interested in helping with this discrete pro bono project, please email Leann Walsh ([email protected]) and Michael Elliot ([email protected]). We will have a project kickoff meeting on May 3 and the drafts will be due by May 31.

Third, if you have other ideas for pro bono projects this year, please let us know! All suggestions are welcome — please email Leann Walsh ([email protected]) and Michael Elliot ([email protected]).

April 19, 2021/by Labor