February celebrates Black History Month. In honor of Black History Month, the YLD Pro Bono Committee is challenging you to participate in five (5) hours of pro bono work this month. We ask that your pro bono participation focus on historically underserved communities. Participants can sign up for this challenge by pledging their commitment and recording hours here: Challenge Sign-Up Sheet. We will announce a random drawing on our First Inaugural YLD Pro Bono Day on Feb. 26!

On Feb. 26, 2021, please join the YLD Pro Bono Committee for YLD Pro Bono Day. We plan to have an insightful panel at 11 a.m. to discuss how judges and attorneys in your community are participating in pro bono work and impacting the lives of others who need legal representation. The panelists will be Judge Richard Dietz, Judge Linda Stephens, Troy Shelton and Evin Grant. You can register for the panel here. In the afternoon, a Driver’s License Restoration Clinic will be available to participants who sign up here: Clinic Sign-Up Sheet. The clinic consists of one (1) hour of CLE training and two (2) hours of pro bono work and begins at 12:30 pm. You can make a difference in someone’s life in just that short amount of time. You can view more details about the clinic here.

For a special message about Pro Bono Day, watch the video below.

We urge you to consider your “why” when deciding on a pro bono project. A “why” is usually personal. Maybe your “why” has a story behind it. When you work on a pro bono project, you are connecting with other attorneys and your community on a whole different level. You are helping people in need. You are providing a service that only you as an attorney can do. You are providing the opportunity of equal access to justice for all.

Take a look at the following programs (this is by no means an exhaustive list) available through the North Carolina Bar Foundation. Add one or two or maybe three of the programs that interest you to your busy, there-is-always-something-to-do schedule and make a difference in your community! Malpractice insurance is provided for all pro bono work through NC Bar Foundation programs.

4All Event – March 5, 2021: The 4ALL event is a statewide service day for North Carolina attorneys where we have the opportunity to provide free legal information to our communities. This year, the event is virtual! Using the Telzio app, you will receive calls from the public in practice areas of your choice. You are encouraged to provide information, not resolve the legal matter. There is a lawyer referral service available to clients. For the event, the NCBF provides malpractice coverage for volunteers and provides a helpful resource guide. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2021-4all-statewide.
NC Free Legal Answers: A web-based portal that allows financially eligible N.C. residents to ask civil legal questions for lawyers to answer anonymously online, providing brief legal information and advice. Questions generally take 5-7 minutes to respond to. Sort and filter features make it easy for you to find questions that align with your practice and interests. You can take up to 3 days to research a response. To register, visit https://www.ncbarfoundation.org/our-programs/nc-free-legal-answers/.
Wills for Heroes: I am a co-chair for this project, and it is dear to my heart. Volunteers provide free estate planning documents to first responders and their families. We are currently planning to hold semi-virtual clinics starting in the coming months. No prior estate planning experience is necessary. Training is provided. To participate, visit https://www.ncbarfoundation.org/our-programs/wills-for-heroes/.
Legal Aid of NC’s Lawyer on the Line program: Lawyer on the Line is a partnership of the North Carolina Bar Foundation and Legal Aid of North Carolina. Volunteers provide one-hour telephone interviews with Legal Aid clients in need. Volunteers choose the number of referrals they receive (up to four per month) and the types of cases referred to them. Clients are pre-screened for eligibility and need brief advice in one of the following areas of law: bankruptcy, consumer, child custody, employment, criminal record expunction, foreclosure, government benefits, government housing, landlord/tenant, and unemployment. www.legalaidnc.org/give-help/volunteer.
NC Appellate Pro Bono Program: The Appellate Pro Bono Program seeks pro bono attorneys to help pro se litigants for cases before the NC Court of Appeals or the NC Supreme Court that meet the following requirements: (1) The appeal involves one or more pro se litigants who would qualify for in forma pauperis status, as set out in N.C. Gen. Stat. § 1-288, regardless of whether the litigant has applied for in forma pauperis status; (2) The appeal presents at least one non-frivolous issue; and (3) The pro se litigant consents to be represented by a pro bono attorney, and the attorney, chosen from a list maintained by the NCBA’s Appellate Practice Section, consents to represent the litigant free of charge. https://ncprobono.org/appellate/.

If you are still looking for pro bono opportunities that fit your pro bono interests, visit the NC Pro Bono Resource Center website, where attorneys can look up such legal service opportunities. Want to participate in a project that deals with the area of law you practice? Want to pinpoint a project that is specifically located in your geographical area? The NC Pro Bono Resource Center has got you covered!

Please visit at ncprobono.org and ncbarfoundation.org to view all opportunities available!

If you post on social media, make sure to use the hashtag #probonomatters!

February 4, 2021/by NCBA YLD