LANC-Gastonia Office
1508 S. York Road, Gastonia, NC 28052
MAP
New location!
704-865-2357; 1-800-230-5812 (toll-free; for clients only)
FAX: 704-865-2359
About us...
The legal staff of Legal Aid of North Carolina - Gastonia Office provides legal
assistance in civil matters to eligible, low-income clients who have
problems with their basic needs and live in:
Cleveland County,
Gaston County or
Lincoln County.
Community Economic Development cases (cases where
nonprofit groups who cannot afford a private attorney seek legal assistance
with their charitable or educational activities) will be
individually reviewed and accepted, if possible.
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July-December 2011
2011 Lecture Series - Legal Aid of NC
Gaston
County Public Library, 1555 East Garrison Blvd., Gastonia,
NC 28054
"Attorneys offer program to help residents understand their
rights"
(07/10/11 Article, Gaston Gazette)
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English (6:00-7:00 PM)
Español (7:15-8:15 PM)
[Click
here to view
Agenda]
[Click
here to view
Agenda]
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July 11,
2011 (Monday)
"When Am I Entitled to Unemployment Benefits and
How Can I Obtain Those Benefits?"
Presented by Attorney Brian O'Shaughnessy
August 8,
2011 (Monday)
"What are My Rights as a Tenant?"
Presented by Attorney Missy Phelps
September 12, 2011 (Monday)
"Credit Reports: What Can and Cannot
Be Reported Against Me?"
Presented by Attorney Sharon Dove
October 3, 2011 (Monday)
"When and How Can I Have Criminal
Charges Expunged?"
Presented by Attorney Missy Phelps
November 14, 2011 (Monday)
"Wills and Powers of Attorney"
Presented by Attorney Jim Windham
December 12, 2011 (Monday)
"Help! I'm in Debt. What Are My
Legal Rights if I Just Can't Pay?"
Presented by Attorney Melanie Bull
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To
register & for more information, call
704-865-2357, or 800-230-5812
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In the News
Legal
Aid of NC to close offices, reduce staff and services,
affecting thousands in NC
(August 5, 2011 Media Release)
"Attorneys offer program to help residents understand their
rights"
(July 10, 2011 article, Gaston Gazette)
Celeste Harris named Chair of the Board of
Directors of
Legal Aid of NC
(June 21, 2011 Media Release)
Gaston County
Volunteer Lawyers recognized for 2009 service!
(May 10, 2010 event)
"Abogados al servicio de la comunidad"
(November 11, 2009 El Progreso Hispano article)
Legal Aid of NC to have "Open House" at its Gastonia office on Oct. 27
(October 22, 2009 Media Release, LANC-Gastonia Office)
Lisa Morgan elected Chair of LANC Board of Directors
(June 30, 2009 Media Release)
Pro bono Options
[Contact our
PAI Coordinator at the LANC-Gastonia 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, volunteer (pro
bono) attorneys are needed either for their special expertise and/or
to help us with our large case load.
more on LANC-Gastonia's
Volunteer Lawyer Program
more on "pro bono options"
Sign-up FORM for pro bono service (pdf document)
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Gaston County Volunteer Lawyers Recognized for
Service in 2009!!! |
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(Pictured above, l-r)
Front Row in the picture, John Russell, Shantel Boone, Jerry
Liska.
Back row: Sonya McGraw and Dolph Sumner.
[Not present for the picture: Mark
Warshawsky; and from Mullen Holland Cooper,
James Martin, Mark Heavner, Jason Shoemaker, Jennifer
Philbeck, Elizabeth Sumner, Lee Peindl, and
Nancy Paschall]
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Three Gaston County lawyers and one Gaston County law firm
were recognized for the legal services they provided to the
indigent through their local
Volunteer Lawyers
Program (VLP) at the Gaston County Bar
meeting on Wednesday, March 17, 2010.
Shantel Boone
and the law firm of Mullen Holland Cooper
(MHC) were presented with
the Volunteer Lawyers Program's Distinguished
Service Awards. Boone, an associate at
MHC, led the group with over 50 hours of service to
indigent clients. The firm as a whole
provided over 150 hours of service to VLP clients,
mainly in the areas of unemployment benefits, wills and
advanced directives, and family law cases.
Sonya C. McGraw, previously
with the law firm of Ferguson and McGraw, and
Mark Warshawsky, a solo practitioner, were
presented with VLP Service Awards. Both
attorneys provided legal services in difficult, prolonged
custody cases. McGraw, now attorney for the Gaston
County School Board, received VLP service awards in the
past, while this was Warshawsky's first recognition for
outstanding service in the pro bono area.
The awards were presented by long-time
coordinator for the Gaston County VLP,
Becki Lowder.
Long known for its commitment to serving a large
poverty population, the Gaston County Bar again provided a
high number of hours in the areas of family law, as well as
helping with a significantly growing number of unemployment
benefits cases. The increase in unemployment
benefits cases is easily explained by noting Gaston
County's extremely high incidence of job losses in the past
two years. The unemployment percentage number topped
13-14% during the past year and was one of the highest in
North Carolina.
Other areas served by the Gaston County VLP include wills and
related documents, tax matters,
and consumer cases. Financial
eligibility and case merit are considerations for client
entry into the program.
The Gaston County VLP is a part of the local
Legal Aid of North Carolina-Gastonia Office.
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[Also see this article on the
www.Probono.net/NC website [click
here.]
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Staff
Sharon S. Dove, Managing Attorney
Joanne Coiro, Legal Secretary
Kelsey Graf, Staff Attorney
Claudette Harvey, Paralegal
Becki Lowder, PAI Coordinator
(Private Attorney Involvement Program)
Missy Phelps, Staff Attorney
Melanie Tarrant, Staff Attorney
The Local Advisory Council is comprised of volunteers who live in
the communities served by the LANC-Gastonia Office and who are dedicated
to ensuring equal access to justice.
History
In July 2002, Legal Aid of North Carolina opened its Gastonia office as the result
of the 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 Gastonia
area since 1979 when Legal Service of Southern Piedmont (Charlotte)
expanded to Gaston Counties. Following increased restrictions on LSC-funded
legal services programs in 1996, the legal services programs in North
Carolina created the
Legal Services
Planning Council ("Planning Council") to coordinate a comprehensive,
integrated, statewide system. In 2001, the Planning Council adopted
a plan to restructure NC legal services system, including the formation
of "Legal Aid of North Carolina (LANC)."
Legal Aid of North Carolina (and its Gastonia office) began full operation on July
1, 2002 as the statewide, LSC-funded, legal aid program in North Carolina,
operating in all 100 counties through 24 geographically based
offices.
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.