On April 23, 2022, the Charlotte Expunction Project will hold another clinic at the Mecklenburg County Courthouse. This project is a partnership between the North Carolina Pro Bono Resource Center (PBRC), the SelfServe Center, the Mecklenburg County Clerk of Superior Court’s Office, the District Attorney’s Office, and Public Defender’s Office. During the clinics, volunteer public defenders offer advice to applicants regarding their eligibility for expunction relief under North Carolina law. Due to changes in the law that may be temporary, the upcoming clinic will only offer expungement assistance for dismissed charges, Not Guilty charges, and youthful offender convictions. However, the number of clients the clinic will serve will expand by 33% over the previous event.

The project has held four prior clinics since 2019, two of which were in 2021. The project utilized paralegals for the first time in August, having them prepare petitions prior to the clinic date. This format was such a success that the project will continue to recruit paralegals for this effort. The PBRC will use feedback from paralegals who participated in the August pilot to improve the process and volunteer experience.

Project highlights include: (1) The PBRC has applied through the State Bar to sponsor the paralegal training for 1 hour of CLE credit. If approved, paralegals who attend the live training will be provided with a signed certificate for 1 hour of CLE credit. Although there is no fee to attend, the State Bar will bill $3.50 to paralegals who apply for credit; (2) The PBRC will provide paralegals access to a case management system with on-demand training, analysis forms and client records, petition templates, and a form to upload completed petitions; (3) The PBRC will be offer a 1-hour live training on March 16, at noon as well as live staff attorney office hours once per week during the petition-drafting period. Paralegal volunteers who cannot attend the live training will be provided a link to the recorded training, although the on-demand training will not qualify for CLE credit; and (4) The PBRC malpractice insurance policy extends to all volunteers. A volunteer attorney will review the paralegal-drafted petitions and provide advice to the client during the clinic. Clients can use the petitions to file pro se for relief with the Mecklenburg County Clerk’s Office.

To volunteer, please register at this link by March 11, 2022. At this time, the program is looking for 7 to 10 paralegal volunteers. Paralegals will be expected to complete their assigned petitions between March 21, 2022, and April 4, 2022. Registrations for paralegal volunteers will close once the number of volunteers is reached. Please email Meghan Martie at [email protected] or Rachel Royal at [email protected] with any questions.

Rachel is an NCCP and holds an AAS from Carteret Community College as the 2017 Paralegal Graduate of the Year. She joined the NCBA Paralegal Division as a student member and has been a past Council member and is a current Pro Bono Co-Chair and the Secretary for the Division. Rachel has worked in family law, insurance defense, municipal law, and opened her own freelance business, Royal Touch, Legal & Business Solutions, LLC, in 2020. She is currently a contract Pro Bono Project Coordinator for the NC Equal Access to Justice Commission. Over the past 4 years, Rachel has volunteered for Legal Aid, the NC Pro Bono Resource Center, and as a mock trial site coordinator. She lives in Wilmington, North Carolina.

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February 23, 2022/by Paralegals