On March 4, 2023, 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, 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 six prior clinics since 2019. Since August 2021, paralegals have been utilized to review criminal records and attorney analysis forms and prepare petitions for attorney review.

Volunteers can expect the following from the experience:

A live training on January 24, 2023, from noon to 1 p.m. (worth 1 hour of CPE credit);
- Those who are unable to attend the session live can get access to the recorded training, but this will not count for CPE credit;
An optional live office hour with PBRC staff attorney, Meghan Martie, on February 2 at noon during the petition-drafting period;
Petitions will be assigned to paralegal volunteers on January 27, 2023;
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.
Drafted petitions should be submitted by close of business on February 10, 2023.

The petitions drafted by each paralegal will be reviewed by PBRC Staff Attorney, Meghan Martie, then explained to the client during the clinic by a volunteer public defender. 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.

Register to volunteer at this link by January 17, 2023. 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, owns Royal Touch Legal & Business Solutions, LLC. She has been a contract Project Manager and Paralegal Consultant with the NC Equal Access to Justice Commission and NC Pro Bono Resource Center since January 2021. Rachel graduated in 2017 from Carteret Community College with an AAS in Paralegal Technology as the Paralegal Student of the Year. She has experience in family law, insurance defense litigation, and municipal law. Throughout her legal career, she has volunteered for and managed multiple statewide pro bono projects. Rachel has held multiple leadership positions within the Paralegal Division, including Pro Bono Co-Chair, since 2018. She lives in Wilmington, NC with her husband, two boys, and toy Australian shepherd.

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January 5, 2023/by Paralegals