Volunteer to Prepare Expunction Petitions Remotely

Rachel Royal is a young woman with medium blond hair. She is pictured wearing a coral shirt and standing in front of green foliage.By Rachel Royal

On September 24, 2022, the Charlotte Expunction Clinic will again be held at the Mecklenburg County Courthouse. This project is a partnership of the following organizations: the North Carolina Pro Bono Resource Center (PBRC), the SelfServe Center, and the Mecklenburg County Clerk of Superior Court’s Office, 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.

The project has held five prior clinics since 2019, two of which were held in 2021, and one earlier this year in April. Since August 2021, paralegals have been utilized to review criminal records and attorney analysis forms and prepare petitions for attorney review. The April clinic was limited to offering expungement assistance for dismissed charges, Not Guilty charges, and youthful offender convictions. However, the scope has been expanded for the September clinic to include all charges as long as the client has at least one charge in Mecklenburg County.

Volunteers can expect the following from the experience:

  • A live training (worth 1 CPE credit);
    • Those who are unable to attend live can get access to the recorded training, but this will not count for CPE credit;
  •  One session of live office hours during the petition-drafting period;
  • A two-week period to prepare the petitions;
  • Links to a case management system (AirTable) that will allow access to:
    • an on-demand training;
    • analysis forms;
    • blank petitions;
    • an upload link to submit completed petitions for review.

The petitions drafted by each paralegal will be reviewed by a volunteer attorney, then explained to the client during the clinic. The clients will then use the petitions to file pro se for relief with the Mecklenburg County Clerk’s Office. All work completed by paralegals will have attorney oversight, and malpractice insurance is provided by the Pro Bono Resource Center.

To volunteer, please register at this link by August 10, 2022. A live, virtual paralegal training will take place at noon on August 16, 2022. Those who cannot attend will receive a link to the recorded training; however, CPE credit is only offered when live attendance is recorded. Live office hours will be held on September 1, 2022, at noon. Petitions must be drafted and submitted between August 22, 2022, and September 5, 2022. Please email [email protected] and [email protected] with any questions.

“Sometimes we see injustice, and we wonder what we can do about it. This is something we can do. For a small investment of our time, we can help make a big difference in someone’s life.”
– Teri Strom, Charlotte Expunction Project Paralegal Volunteer

Rachel Royal, CP, NCCP, is a Freelance Paralegal and owner of Royal Touch Legal & Business Solutions, LLC. She has been a contract project coordinator and paralegal consultant with the Pro Bono Resource Center since January 2021. She holds an AAS in Paralegal Technology from Carteret Community College, where she graduated in 2017, as the Paralegal Technology Student of the Year. Rachel has experience in family law, insurance defense litigation, and municipal law. Throughout her legal career, she has volunteered for statewide pro bono projects, has been a group leader for a Legal Aid project, and has been involved in multiple committees with the Paralegal Division since 2015, as a student member. She has been a council member and Secretary for the Division as well as Pro Bono Co-Chair since 2018. She lives in Wilmington, NC with her husband, two boys, and toy Australian shepherd.

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