Charlotte Office

1431 Elizabeth Avenue, Charlotte, NC 28204-2506    MAP
704-971-2621; 1-800-738-3868 (toll-free; for clients only)
FAX: 704-971-0180

About us...

The staff of Legal Aid of North Carolina - Charlotte Office provides legal assistance in civil matters (non-criminal matters) to eligible, low-income clients who have problems with their basic needs and live in the area surrounding Mecklenburg County .

In the News

LANC's Linda Johnson receives NCBA's 2010 Greenblatt
  Outstanding Legal Services Attorney Award.
  (June 25, 2010 article, ("NC Bar Association Presents
   2010 Pro Bono Awards"
)
 

Thomas Holderness named UNC School of Law's
  2010 Alumnus of the Year for his pro bono work at LANC
  (April 26, 2010 article, www.probono.net/NC)
 

Lisa Morgan elected Chair of LANC Board of Directors
 
(June 30, 2009 Media Release)
 

Ted Fillette and Hazel Mack-Hilliard receive Pierce Awards
  (April 11, 2008 Media Release)
 
 

ROOKIE ATTORNEY WINS!
    Erin Maxon (Moore & Van Allen, PLLC) took her first pro bono case
    and won a substantial judgment...
 

Pro bono Options

[Contact our PAI Coordinator for the LANC-Charlotte Office.]
Legal Aid of North Carolina (LANC) actively recruits, trains, mentors, and co-counsels with volunteer (pro bono) attorneys to help them handle the many complex and changing legal issues unique to the practice of civil poverty law. Our PAI ("Private Attorney Involvement") Program helps to ensure access to justice for low-income families and further leverages the dollars that are invested in LANC.  Typically, pro bono attorneys are needed either for their special expertise and/or to help us with our large case load.

To volunteer pro bono service in the counties served by the LANC-Charlotte Office, contact our PAI ("Private Attorney Involvement") coordinator.
 

Staff

Theodore "Ted" Fillette, Senior Managing Attorney/Assistant Director
Cindy Patton, Managing Attorney-Consumer & Family Law
Darcel Chandler, Staff Attorney-Housing/CLS Fellow
Chad Crockford, Staff Attorney-Housing
Mary Alice Dixon, Staff Attorney-Housing
Kelly Durden, Staff Attorney-Family Law
Faith Fickling, Staff Attorney-Family Law
Della Figgures, Paralegal-Consumer
LaKisha Graham, Paralegal-Family Law
Shanti Grier, Receptionist
Diana Hagerty, Secretary
Nicholas Holt, Paralegal-Housing
Linda Johnson, Staff Attorney-Housing Law
Rona Karacacova, Staff Attorney-Battered Immigrant Project
MacDonald, Dora, Paralegal-Battered Immigrant Project
Rashonda McClinton, Staff Attorney-Housing/CLS Fellow
Katya Riasanovsky, PAI Coordinator
Regina Spence, Secretary

History

In July 2002, Legal Aid of North Carolina opened its Charlotte office as the result of a consolidation of the four, federally funded (LSC-funded), legal services programs in North Carolina, including part of the staff of the Legal Services of Southern Piedmont (LSSP)*.

Free legal services for low-income persons has existed in the Charlotte/Mecklenburg area since 1967:

  • 1966 - Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) began issuance of federal grants for civil legal assistance to poor as a part of the US Government's "War on Poverty."

    1967 - The Mecklenburg County Bar and Charlotte Area Fund established the "Mecklenburg County Legal Aid Society" with OEO and local matching funds.

    September 1, 1967 - "Legal Aid Society" began operation with three attorneys and two secretaries.

    1967-75 - "Legal Aid Society" grew with increased OEO funding.

    1975 - OEO Legal Services Program (and funding) was transferred to the new Legal Services Corporation (LSC).

    1979 - "Legal Aid Society" changed its name to Legal Services of Southern Piedmont (LSSP).

    1996 - Congress imposed stronger restrictions on LSC-funded organizations, prohibiting certain types of advocacy.

    1999 - Legal services programs in North Carolina created the Legal Services Planning Council ("Planning Council") to coordinate a comprehensive, integrated, statewide system legal services to poor, guided by a vision of a full range of services to a full range of clients.

    February 2001 - The Planning Council adopted a plan to restructure the legal services/legal aid system in North Carolina, including the formation of "Legal Aid of North Carolina."

    July 1, 2002 - Legal Aid of North Carolina (and its Charlotte office) began full operation as the statewide, LSC-funded, legal aid program in North Carolina, operating in all 100 counties through 24 geographically based offices.

* Note: Legal Services of Southern Piedmont (LSSP) (Charlotte) continues to provide legal services for low-income persons, but as a non-LSC ("unrestricted") program that focuses on legal services that Legal Aid of North Carolina is not permitted to provide.
_______________________________
 



Our thanks to
Devon Self-Storage
for its support of
Legal Aid of NC-Charlotte Office!





Disclaimer

The materials contained on this website are for information and educational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice.  Also please note that Legal Aid of North Carolina does not provide legal assistance by E-mail. Contact your Legal Aid of North Carolina office or a private attorney if you need to speak to an attorney regarding your particular situation.
See our complete disclaimer.

Mission Statement

Legal Aid of North Carolina is a statewide, nonprofit law firm that provides free legal services in civil matters to low-income people in order to ensure equal access to justice and to remove legal barriers to economic opportunity.

 

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