In the News...Updates on LANC activities
From
"Staff News..."
-
08/10/08 - Jeremy T. Browner
is a volunteer attorney who is currently
working with the
LANC-Durham Office
. Pursuant to 27 N.C.A.C. 1D, Rule .0905(a)(3) of the NC
State Bar, Jeremy T. Browner is the first lawyer to receive an
"Order Granting Pro Bono Practice by Out of State Lawyer." Jeremy
has been with LANC-Durham for the past few weeks and has already began
working on cases in the consumer area.
[Click
here to view August 10, 2008 The Herald-Sun
article,
"Durham newcomer practicing law for free."]
-
08/07/08
- The programs and services of the
LANC-Durham Office were featured in today's
The Herald-Sun
in an article entitled
"Legal Aid helps the down and out." Those from
the LANC-Durham Office who were quoted in the article inclued:
Gina Reyman
(Senior managing attorney), Willette Crews
(paralegal/community educator) and
Madlyn Morreale
(staff attorney). The article also included a photo of
Kari Hamel
(staff attorney) and summer interns
Patrick Caulfield and Meredith Flowe
. Also quoted was a client (a 35-year-old
mother of two whose job pays $7 an hour), whose property on which her
mobile home sits was threatened with foreclosure until Legal Aid saved
the day. Great article!
[Click
here to view article,
"Legal Aid helps the down and out."]
-
8/01/08
- At the July '08 luncheon meeting of the Wake County Bar Association, Victor Boone
(regional manager, LANC Triad Region & senior managing attorney,
LANC-Raleigh Office), on behalf of LANC, accepted a
check for
$4,960 from the Wake County Bar Association (WCBA).
The amount represented the proceeds of the recent WCBA "Bar & Grill
Awards" fundraiser.
[Click
here to view article from the August edition of
Wake County Flier.]
-
07/23/08 -
Yvette Stackhouse
(managing attorney,
LANC-Winston-Salem Office) was featured in today's edition
of the Winston-Salem Journal. The article,
"Crisis: Attorney helps those hurt by housing woes," was on the
front page of the "local" section. Super article, Yvette!
[Click
here to view the 07/23/08 article on the Winston-Salem Journal's
website.]
-
07/22/08 -
Jennifer Stuart (staff attorney,
Battered Immigrant Project, BIP) was quoted in
The
Charlotte Observer article (July 22, 2008),
"Human trafficking may be on the rise in North Carolina," as an
'expert' on human trafficking. 'We don't have good statistics on
it. But my sense is that it's growing,' said Jennifer Stuart, a staff
attorney for Legal Aid of North Carolina. 'We're seeing more cases.'
The article also says: '...[Stuart] doesn't know whether human
trafficking or just awareness of the problem is rising. But North
Carolina is becoming an attractive state for traffickers because of its
growing population and the availability of farm work, Stuart said.'
The article also provides a brief description of BIP. Good
article, Jennifer!!!
[Click
here to view pdf copy of the 07/22/08 article,
"Human trafficking may be on the rise in North Carolina."]
-
07/14/08 - "NC
Lawyers Weekly has included Richard Trottier's
(staff attorney,
LANC-Wilson Office)
unemployment case of
Applewhite v. Alliance One International in its
"50
Most Important Opinions"
in its July 7 edition. The NC Court of Appeals found a claimant
should not have been disqualified from receiving UI benefits when she
was fired for returning late from lunch. The court found that the
claimant's late return was caused because she had been in the bathroom
being sick and that she had no reasonable control over this action that
lead to her termination. Congratulations to Richard,
John Keller
(supervising attorney,
LANC-Wilson Office)
and others who worked on this appeal!"
[NOTE: This case was listed under "Labor & Employment:
Unemployment Compensation - Disqualification - Substantial Fault -
Illness" on page 10 of the 07/07/08 edition of
NC Lawyers
Weekly.]
[NOTE: Also, Trottier's case was featured on page one
of the 01/21/08 edition of NC Lawyers Weekly
(article:
"Court finds no fault with restroom visit; fired worker
keeps benefits."]
-
06/20/08 -
In a
recent article in the NC Lawyer,
Karen F. Richards
(Staff Attorney,
LANC-Wilmington Office) was quoted regarding the
Public Service Day, sponsored by NCBA's
4ALL Task Force on April
4th:
“So many people are not aware of their inherent rights and
applicable law. When you are able to clear up the ‘my friend told me’
version of the law and get them the correct information, it becomes life
changing for the client. People who say, ‘Oh you are an attorney?
You must make a lot of money!’ have no idea what it is like to get a
father back with his 4-day-old daughter or help a daughter get her
mother’s affairs in order and have them thank you for your kindness.”
Karen volunteered at the Williams Mullen office in Wilmington after DV
court in Brunswick County.
[Click
here to read article,
Seen & Heard on April 4.]
[Click
here to read accompanying article,
4-4: A Great Day.]
-
06/04/08 - The
NCBA (NC Bar
Association) has selected
Takeisha Redd (staff
attorney,
LANC-Smithfield
Office) as one of 5
participants in the inaugural class of scholars in the
Pathways to Inclusion, a project of the local
NCBA
Diversity Task Force.
The project is designed to provide leadership training to selected
attorneys from diverse backgrounds who aspire to develop the skills
necessary to serve state and organizations and underserved communities.
She will have the opportunity to attend trainings and other events to
develop leadership and other skills to serve our clients.
Congratulations Takeisha!
-
04/29/08 -
Evan Lewis
(senior managing attorney, LANC-Greenville/New Bern Offices has been
named the 2008 recipient of the Deborah Greenblatt Outstanding
Legal Services Attorney Award. The NC Bar Association, in
conjunction with the NCBA Foundation’s Public Service Advisory
Committee, will present the
2008 Pro Bono Service Awards on June 20 during the 110th NCBA Annual
Meeting in Atlantic Beach. Congratulations to Evan!!!
[Click
here to view the NCBA media release.]
-
04/27/08 - Roselle
Margolis (paralegal/PAI coordinator,
Battered Immigrant Project) published an article,
"North Carolina making a concerted effort to increase pro bono
opportunities and access to justice," in the April edition of
the NAPBPro newsletter. The National Association
of Pro Bono Professionals (NAPBPro)
is an organization dedicated to people working in the
legal field of Pro Bono. NAPBPro strives to increase the professional
development of its diverse membership, recognize and record best
practices, advocates on behalf of it's membership, participates in
planning and execution of the ABA/NLADA
Equal Justice Conference and serves as a national communication
forum for pro bono professionals to seek assistance and ideas. Annually,
NAPBPRO provides annual scholarships for one or more of it's members to
attend the EJC. Also, annually NAPBPro presents two nationally
recognized awards: (1) The Tanya Neiman Award
honors a Pro Bono Professional, who has demonstrated a steadfast
commitment to pro bono, given exceptional service and achieved
outstanding results; and (2)
The William Reece Smith Jr., Special Services to Pro
Bono Award honors an individual(s) who have made outstanding commitments
to and positive impacts on the institutions or systems of providing pro
bono legal services. For membership
information contact Helenka Marculewicz at
helenka@gdvlp.org.
[Click
here to view Roselle's article,
"North Carolina making a concerted effort to increase pro bono
opportunities and access to justice."]
-
04/17/08 - Celia Mansaray
(PAI coordinator,
LANC-Raleigh Office) has been
elected to serve a three-year term on the NCBA
Juvenile Justice & Children's Rights Section Council.
Congratulations to Celia!!!
-
04/08/08 - In a recent article in the Independent Weekly,
Will Corbett
(staff attorney,
LANC-Durham Office) was quoted regarding the a mortgage
foreclosure case. Apparently Will is getting a solid reputation in
the Durham area for his work on mortgage foreclosure issues. [click
here to view article,
"Stung by a middleman, Bad service."]
-
01/21/08 - Congratulations to
Richard Trottier
(staff attorney,
LANC-Wilson Office) and his client for their victory in the
NC Court of Appeals. The Court issued its ruling
on January 15. Trottier's case is featured on page one
of the 01/21/08 edition of NC Lawyers Weekly
(article:
"Court finds no fault with restroom visit; fired worker
keeps benefits.")
-
01/15/08 -
Susan Janney (staff attorney,
LANC-Morganton
Office)
was a panelist at a Homeownership Promotion &
Foreclosure Prevention Seminar hosted by Congressman Patrick
McHenry (10th District, North Carolina) at the J.E. Broyhill Civic
Center in Lenoir on January 7, 2008. Susan
spoke for a few minutes about services offered by LANC in
homeownership/foreclosure issues, participated in a question and answer
session with other panelists, and then met individually with interested
audience members. Approximately 70
individuals attended the event.
-
11/05/07 -
Congratulations to Carolyn Burton (Staff Attorney,
LANC-Sylva Office),
who obtained a judgment of over $160,000
(which included punitive damages of $100K) against a
defendant who fraudulently obtained and converted
to his own use, our client's ED (Equitable Distribution) settlement.
The local District Court judge indicated
that this was the largest punitive damage award he
has ever given
a prevailing party.
-
10/23/07 -
Congratulations to
Brien
Rose Hub (Staff Attorney,
LANC-Wilmington Office) who just had a great win in
a mortgage foreclosure hearing before the Clerk of Superior Court of
Duplin County. Brien carefully researched the financial
default data from the lender and was able to show the Clerk that it was
inconsistent, confusing, and did not meet the lender's burden of proof
of establishing that a default even existed. The Clerk found this
to be the case, and dismissed the foreclosure with prejudice.
They were seeking $63,374.46, and lost. This was a complex case
involving a dismissed Chapter 13 bankruptcy without a discharge, and
acknowledged late payments to the bankruptcy court by the client. There
was also a past default prior to the filing of the bankruptcy Chap. 13
action. Brien put a great deal of work in this case, and is to be highly
commended, especially since it is her first foreclosure defense.
-
10/23/07
- For those of you who
may have missed it, staff members from the
LANC-Durham Office
were interviewed and quoted in
the article,
"Finding a way,"
which appeared on the front
page of the
October 1, 2007
edition of North
Carolina Lawyers Weekly.
The article was a side-by-side article with another article,
"Summit's potential impact starts with combining talent, resources,"
which was about the (then) upcoming Civil Access to Justice Summit.
The
"Finding a way"
article begins by stating that the those at the October 12
Summit
would seek "...novel ways to provide legal assistance to the state's
low-income residents. At Legal Aid of North Carolina, they do that
every day...." The article goes on to provide an overview of LANC,
interspersing comments from LANC-Durham Office staff. Excellent
article and wonderfully done job by our
Durham
spokespersons!
[Article:
"Finding a way"
Oct 1, 2007, NC Lawyers Weekly]
[Article:
"Summit's potential impact starts with combining talent, resources,"
Oct 1, 2007,
NC Lawyers Weekly]
[Media Release, NCBA:
"Summit on Access to Justice held Oct. 12," October 15, 2007]
[Also see
"NC Equal Access to Justice Commission" webpage on the LANC Internet
website.]
-
10/04/07
- Congratulations to
the
LANC-Winston-Salem Office for its successful
litigation of the Amos Case.
Several months ago, our
client, a mentally ill vet living in public housing, was arrested and
charged with possession and use of cocaine. He was away from the Housing
Authority site at the time of arrest. The client had NO criminal record of
any kind. His criminal case was dismissed based on a psychological
evaluation that declared that he was unable to
stand trial. After several hearings the court ruled yesterday to dismiss
the HAW's case because it failed to give proper notice. Thanks to trial
litigator Susan Gottsgen, the pre-trial work of Liza Baron, and all who played any role (Yvette,
Tracy, Barbara and the HEEC Unit)
in the successful litigation of this case. This tough hard fought
case had a wonderful outcome.
[see the 10/07/07 Winston-Salem Journal article,
Defendant wins his case; HAWS also gets a victory.]
[also see the 07/26/07 Winston-Salem Journal article,
Evicted man back
home, waiting for his day in court.]
-
09/27/07 - After close
to three years of litigation, Vilma Suarez
(Managing Attorney, LANC-CIU and formerly of the
LANC-Smithfield Office) and our pro bono attorneys, Tom Berkau and
Robert Spence, Jr., obtained an important victory for
an 80-year-old client. Our client's son had
apparently forged her signature in the deed to her house. Then he
had mortgaged the
house. Suarez had to withdraw from the case because she ended up being a
witness. Not only our forensic documents expert showed that the
signature was not our client's, but Suarez was deposed to show that our
client was in her office at the same time that she allegedly signed the
deed.
Superior Court Thompson ruled in Summary Judgment that the deed was
procured by fraud and declared the deed and the deed of trust null and
void. As a result our client gets back her house free of any
encumbrance. We are very grateful to attorneys Tom Berkau and Bob Spence,
Jr. for their help.
-
09/27/07 -
S. Quon Bridges, a former staff member
of the Durham office, has been appointed to serve as a
District Court Judge in the Ninth Judicial District.
Bridges was a Reginald Heber Smith Fellow, a paralegal and a staff
attorney with the Henderson office of the North Central Legal Assistance
Program (NCLAP) from 1980 through 1988. Bridges served on the
Board of Directors of NCLAP from 1990 through 1996. He was a
member of the Volunteer Lawyers Program (VLP), providing co-counseling
and consultation to legal aid staff. He has continued to be a
supporter of Legal Aid and other organizations for change in the
Henderson area.
[also see 09/14/07 News & Observer article,
"Replacement picked for 9th district judge."]
-
09/17/07 - Congratulations to
Monica Savidge
(Staff Attorney,
LANC-Wilmington Office)
as the lead counsel on an
outstanding win in her client's appeal in Wake County Superior Court.
The Superior Court Judge ruled that the NC Crime Victims
Compensation Commission was wrong in refusing to pay for the medical
bills for psychiatric treatment of a 14-year-old rape victim.
Jim Wall (Senior Managing
Attorney,
LANC-Wilmington Office) reports: "This
was the case of SM v. North Carolina Crime
Victims Compensation Commission, Superior Court, Wake
County. SM is
the mother of
a 14-year-old girl
(CM) who was taken
by a friend to her first "high school party" at a mobile home in a rural
area. Five men, 18-
and 23-years-old were there. The
client and her friend were the only girls. The men gave the girls
alcohol, and later marijuana. CM became
intoxicated, and a 20-year-old
male began to ask her to have sex with him. CM refused, and the men
continued to ply her with alcohol until she became unable to resist. The
20-year-old male then had
sex with CM. CM's mother applied to the NC
Crime Victims Compensation Commission for assistance in covering CM's
hospital and psychiatric bills. The Commission refused because CM had
been participating in a non-traffic misdemeanor at the time of the rape.
We appealed, and a State Administrative Law
Judge, after hearing all the evidence, ruled that CM's conduct (drinking
and marijuana use) were not the proximate cause of the rape. The
full Commission refused to follow the ALJ's decision, and we appealed to
Superior Court in Wake County. Judge
R. Allen Baddour, Jr., reversed the Commission and ordered them
to pay benefits, finding that the conduct of CM could not have been the
proximate cause of her rape by a man more than five years her senior.
An appeal by the Commission is possible,
but the case is a strong one."
[Note: Also see 09/15/07 article from the News & Observer,
"State must pay rape victim's medical bills."]
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.