July 3, 2003 MEDIA RELEASE
Maxwell elected chair of the board of directors of Legal Aid of North Carolina
(Raleigh, NC) - James B. Maxwell was elected as chair of the board of
directors of Legal Aid of North Carolina during the 2003 LANC Annual
Meeting in Asheville this past weekend.
Maxwell is a partner in the law firm of Maxwell Freeman & Bowman, P.A., of
Durham, NC, and a 1966 graduate of the Duke University School of Law.
Maxwell is a past president of the NC Bar Association (2000-01) and a past
president of the NC Academy of Trial Lawyers (1986-87). He succeeds Pender
R. McElroy of Charlotte, who had served as chair for the newly formed Legal Aid of North Carolina since its inception in July 2002.
"Because of Pender McElroy's leadership, wise counsel and patience over the
last three years, a legal structure now exists for the effective delivery of
legal services to the financially disadvantaged citizens of North Carolina,"
declared Maxwell following his election on June 27. "The goal of our Board
for the coming year will be to take that structure and develop the resources and
support necessary to allow our highly qualified attorneys and their staff to
effectively make access to justice a reality for all our citizens.
"For those of us serving on the Board, it is a privilege to be afforded this
opportunity at this time in our state's history."
Other officers elected included: Leo L. Allison (of United Voices of Efland,
Efland, NC) as Vice Chair; Reid C. "Cal" Adams (of Womble Carlyle Sandridge &
Rice, PLLC, Winston-Salem, NC) as Treasurer; and Leto Copeley (Patterson Harkavy
& Lawrence, LLP, Raleigh, 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 on July 1, 2002 represented 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).
During the past year, Legal Aid of North Carolina has 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) 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.
CONTACT: Dock Kornegay
(Manager, Public Relations & Development, Raleigh, NC)
919-856-2564
George R. Hausen, Jr.
(Executive Director, Legal Aid of North Carolina, Raleigh, NC)
919-856-2564
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.