Sylva Office

1286 West Main Street, PO Box 426, Sylva, NC 28779    MAP
828-586-8931; 1-800-458-6817 (toll-free; for clients only)
FAX: 828-586-4082

Cherokee Office
(serves Qualla Indian Boundary)
828-488-0261; FAX: 828-488-4967

Hayesville Office
Sister Loretto John Meehan Community Services Center    MAP
Hwy. 64 - Business, Hayesville, NC 28904
828-389-2399; FAX: 828-389-2466

The staff of Legal Aid of North Carolina - Sylva 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 seven-county area surrounding Sylva, NC: Cherokee County, Clay County, Graham County, Haywood County, Jackson County, Macon County or Swain County.

In the News

LANC elects new directors
    (July 3, 2008 media release)

Pro Bono Attorney Victory
for Wheelchair Bound Client

Pro bono attorney Sylvia King Kochler of the law firm of Hunton & Williams has recently achieved a victory for our wheelchair bound client in negotiating with Allstate Insurance Company to have them pay for a new 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan handicap modified van valued at $42,410. After being denied relief since his 1980 motor vehicle accident, Kochler was successful in arguing that the new handicap modified van was a “medical necessity”.The client is understandably thrilled and thankful to Sylvia King Kochler. Congratulations and THANKS to Sylvia King Kochler for her hard work and tenaciousness!! Click here to learn more about "Pro Bono Service" opportunities.

Staff

Larry Nestler, Senior Managing Attorney
Kelley Bonfoey, Senior Staff Attorney
Constance Moore, Staff Attorney
Crystal Freeman, Secretary
Melissa Clayton Jones, Paralegal
Nathaniel Macon, Staff Attorney
Teresa H. Poor, Paralegal
Angie S. Rogers, Staff Attorney
Virginia Jordan Song, Staff Attorney
Ed Anderson, PAI Contract Intake Attorney

Sharon Driver, Secretary (Cherokee Office)

Jim Holloway, Senior Managing Attorney (Hayesville Office)
Lisa Maney, Secretary/Receptionist (Hayesville Office)

Local Advisory Council

The Local Advisory Council is comprised of volunteers who live in the communities served by the LANC-Sylva Office and who are dedicated to ensuring equal access to justice.

History

The Legal Aid of North Carolina - Sylva Office, as it exists today, is an outgrowth of a program that was originally conceived to serve the Eastern Cherokee Indian Reservation and known as "Eastern Cherokee Legal Services Organization." Prior to October 1976, it was funded by private donations, and civil and criminal representation was provided by employees of the program to residents of the Eastern Cherokee Indian Reservations.

As Congress began appropriating funds for the provision of legal services to the poor to the national Legal Services Corporation (which was originally a part of the Office of Economic Opportunity, but in 1974 was made an independent corporation), Eastern Cherokee Legal Services Organization was expanded in order to cover a seven county service area and renamed "Western North Carolina Legal Services" (WNCLS). WNCLS was incorporated on January 24, 1979. In October 1979, WNCLS entered into an agreement with Legal Services of North Carolina (LSNC) to provide civil legal assistance to low-income persons throughout the seven westernmost counties of North Carolina.

WNCLS maintained its independent corporate status and received funding from LSNC until December 31, 1998, at which time, WNCLS dissolved its corporate status and became a program of Legal Services of North Carolina. On July 1, 2002, LSNC consolidated with other independent programs to form "Legal Aid of North Carolina," which now serves eligible, low-income clients in all 100 counties of North Carolina. The WNCLS program was renamed "Legal Aid of North Carolina - Sylva Office."

 

 

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Disclaimer

The materials contained on this website are for information and educational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice. Please 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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