July 30, 2002 MEDIA RELEASE
McElroy elected chair of the board of directors of Legal Aid of North Carolina
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| Pender R. McElroy |
(Raleigh, NC) – During the first board of directors meeting of the newly
formed Legal Aid of North Carolina, Pender R. McElroy was elected chair of the
board of directors.
McElroy, a partner in the law firm of James McElroy & Diehl of Charlotte, NC,
had previously served as chair of the Transition Board for Legal Aid, which had
developed the corporate structure for the new, statewide legal aid program,
Legal Aid of North Carolina. McElroy had also received the William L. Thorp Pro
Bono Award from the NC Bar Association in June 2002 for his leadership of the
Transition Board, as well as his leadership in other community projects during
his legal career.
"Today is a historic day for legal aid in our state," declared McElroy following
his election on July 26. "We believe that the decisions that we are making today
and this year will provide the firm foundation for an efficient and effective
legal services that will serve North Carolina for the next 100 years. Much work
has been done by many dedicated people to consolidate legal services programs in
North Carolina, and much work will be done this next year."
Other officers that were elected included: Leo L. Allison (of United Voices of
Efland, Efland, NC) as Vice Chair; James B. Maxwell (of Maxwell Freeman &
Bowman, P.A. in Durham, NC) as Treasurer; and Reid C. "Cal" Adams (of Womble
Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, PLLC, of Winston-Salem, NC) as Secretary.
In addition, other directors elected to the Legal Aid of North Carolina executive committee
were: L. Lynnette Fuller-Andrews of Sara Lee Corporation, Winston-Salem, NC and
Charles R. Ward of Lake Waccamaw, NC.
The Legal Aid of North Carolina board of
directors includes geographically elected client representatives and
appointed attorneys serving as representatives of legal associations across
North Carolina, including: NC Bar Association, NC State Bar, NC Academy of Trial
Lawyers, NCBA Hispanic & Latino Lawyers Committee, NC Association of Defense
Attorneys, NC Association of Black Lawyers, NC Gay and Lesbian Attorneys and NC
Association of Women Attorneys.
The formation of Legal Aid of North Carolina and election of its first board of
directors represents the fulfillment of recommendations provided in a 1998
report from the NC Commission on the Delivery of Civil Legal Services, an
independent commission appointed by the NC State Bar and NC Bar Association.
That commission suggested that legal services in North Carolina be reorganized
as a single corporation governed by a central, statewide board of directors and
take advantage of reduced costs through centralized administrative services and
state-of-the-art technology.
Accordingly, 12 of the local legal services organizations had previously merged
into Legal Services of North Carolina (LSNC) in 1999. The most recent and final
step on July 1, 2002 was the consolidation of the part or all of the staffs of
LSNC, Legal Services of Southern Piedmont (LSSP, Charlotte), Legal Aid Society
of Northwest NC (LASNNC, Winston-Salem) and North Central Legal Assistance
Program (NCLAP, Durham).
Among the legal services offices that consolidated into Legal Aid of North Carolina over the
past three years were: Appalachian Legal Services (Asheville); Catawba Valley
Legal Services (Morganton); Central Carolina Legal Services (Greensboro and
Lexington); Cumberland County Legal Aid (Fayetteville); East Central Community
Legal Services (Raleigh, Sanford and Smithfield); Eastern Carolina Legal
Services (Wilson, Goldsboro and Rocky Mount); Legal Services of the Blue Ridge
(Boone); Legal Services of the Coastal Plain (Ahoskie); Legal Services of the
Lower Cape Fear (Wilmington); Lumbee River Legal Services (Pembroke); North
Central Legal Assistance Program (Durham); North State Legal Services
(Hillsborough); Pamlico Sound Legal Services (New Bern and Greenville); and
Western North Carolina Legal Services (Sylva).
Legal Aid of North Carolina has also recently opened new offices in Charlotte, Concord,
Gastonia, Monroe and Winston-Salem to provide one-on-one legal services as
allowed under federal funding. LSSP (Charlotte) and LASNNC (Winston-Salem) will
no longer receive federal funding, such that they can perform advocacy work that
is not allowed by federal funding recipients, but is expected to be
complementary to the work of Legal Aid of North Carolina.
Legal Aid of North Carolina is a 501(c)3, nonprofit organization that provides
free, legal representation in civil matters to eligible clients in all 100
counties of North Carolina through its
25 field offices and
strives to ensure equal access to justice in North Carolina.
Legal Aid of North Carolina officially began operations on July 1, 2002.
CONTACT: Dock Kornegay
(Manager, Public Relations & Development, Raleigh, NC)
919-856-2564
Note: 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. Please see the
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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.