Julian Pierce Award

Nominations were accepted until January 30, 2008 for the 2008 Julian Pierce Award for outstanding advocacy ensuring equal justice for all.  The recipient of this award will be announced during the 2008 North Carolina Legal Services Conference (at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel, Durham, NC) on April 1-2, 2008.

"After 20 years, Pierce's inspiration lives on"
    (Article, 03/27/08 Fayetteville Observer)

NOMINATIONS


     Nomination Form (pdf document)
     Nomination Form (MS Word document)

A nomination should include:
     Your name
     Your contact telephone number
     Name of the Nominee
     Nominee's current resume
     A narrative explaining why the Nominee should be recognized
        for outstanding advocacy ensuring justice for all.

Please submit your nomination(s) no later than January 30, 2008 to:

    Celia Pistolis
    Legal Aid of North Carolina
    PO Box 26087
    Raleigh, NC 27611

About Julian Pierce

Julian Pierce, a Lumbee Indian, was the first Executive Director of Lumbee River Legal Services in Pembroke and spent his entire professional life as an attorney ensuring equal justice for all.  In 1988, he resigned his position to run for a new judgeship.  Before the election, he was murdered and the legal services community lost one of its best advocates.

Below is an excerpt written by former Executive Director of LSNC, Dick Taylor, in 1988, more than six months after Julian's death.

"Julian's life showed that aggressive advocacy on behalf of the poor can truly make a difference... Julian Pierce made the system work for poor people.  Lumbee River Legal Services, which he founded, represents over 2,000 people a year in four counties, with problems bred by poverty-- in disability determinations and food stamps eligibility cases, with creditors and landlords. His program also handled complex cases, such as McLean v. Maxton Housing Authority, in which the NC Supreme Court established the toughest standard in the nation for public housing evictions in rent cases. Julian Pierce brought people into the system. He spent years preparing a formal petition to the Bureau of Indian Affairs for federal recognition of the Lumbee Tribe, which he filed in December 1987. When successful, it will mean dignity for a tribe of people, along with millions of dollars in benefits to Lumbees, the true natives of Robeson County. Julian Pierce empowered people to break out of the cycle of poverty. He helped build the Robeson County Health Care Corporation, and he stabilized the outdoor drama about the Lumbees, which gave pride to his people. This award was created in Julian's memory to recognize the outstanding advocacy for which he was known."

Pierce Award Recipients

This award was last presented to Bill Rowe of the NC Justice Center in 2006.  Other recipients of this award include:

Victor Boone
   Senior Managing Attorney,Legal Aid of North Carolina-Raleigh Office

 Sorien Schmidt
   Attorney and lobbyist, NC Justice Center, and now Senior Vice-
   President at Action for Children NC in Raleigh

Debbie Greenblatt
   Executive director, Carolina Legal Assistance

Carlene McNulty
   Formerly Managing Attorney of North State Legal Services, and now
   with the NC Justice Center

Doug Sea
   Attorney with Legal Services of Southern Piedmont

Vilma Suarez
   Managing Attorney with LANC-Smithfield office (formerly East
   Central Community Legal Services), and now Managing Attorney
   of Legal Aid of North Carolina's Centralized Intake Unit (CIU)

Cathy Tamsberg, former Attorney with East Central Community
   Legal Services, and now Minister of Outreach and Adult Education
   at Pullen Memorial Baptist Church, Raleigh.

 

 

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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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