Morganton Office

211 East Union Street, Morganton, NC 28655-3449    MAP
828-437-8280; 1-800-849-5195 (toll-free; for clients only)
FAX: 828-437-9397

About Morganton, NC...

The staff of Legal Aid of North Carolina - Morganton Office provides legal assistance in civil matters (non-criminal matters) to eligible, low-income clients who have problems with their basic needs and live in the five-county area surrounding Morganton, NC: Alexander County, Burke County, Caldwell County, Catawba County or McDowell County .

In the News

LANC elects new directors
    (July 3, 2008 media release)

Office Hours

8:30 AM - 5:00 PM (Monday-Friday)

Intake Hours: Call the Morganton Office, 828-437-8280, and we will arrange for you to meet with an attorney or paralegal.

Types of Cases Accepted

In many cases, the LANC-Morganton Office can only offer consultation and referral. Legal Aid of North Carolina cannot help people with criminal cases, traffic cases or cases that could generate a fee for a private attorney. However, the LANC-Morganton Office can help people with civil cases, including legal advice, representation and/or self-help training in the following areas:

  • HEALTH
    ...Problems with access to health care including problems with Medicaid, Medicare, WIC and EPSDT, and problems getting emergency or special services.
  • HOUSING
    ...Foreclosures, self-help evictions, lease terminations, housing code violations and discrimination. Problems with federal housing programs, including public housing, Section 8 and other subsidized housing.
  • GOVERNMENT BENEFITS
    ...Problems with Work First Family Assistance, food stamps, Social Security, SSI, veteran's benefits, and energy assistance.
  • DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
    ...Assist victims of domestic violence in obtaining protective orders.
  • CONSUMER
    ...Debtor's rights and relief, including protection of homes, cars and other essential property.
  • EMPLOYMENT
    ...Problems with wage claims, unemployment compensation and discrimination.
  • OTHER MATTERS
    ...such as community economic development will be individually reviewed and accepted, if possible.

Special Projects

Senior Citizens Law Project (SCLP)
...Offers free civil legal services to older Americans, specializing in the problems and needs of senior citizens and offers legal information, advice and representation to persons 60 years of age or older who qualify and live in Alexander, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba or McDowell County. SCLP is funded by Title III of the federal Older Americans Act.

Private Attorney Involvement (PAI) Program
...The Morganton Office employs a Private Attorney Involvement (PAI) Coordinator who refers eligible clients with certain kinds of cases to private attorneys, who have agreed to take such cases.

Staff

Andrew Cogdell, Senior Managing Attorney
Barbara Degen, Senior Managing Attorney

Emma Clark, Staff Attorney
Niya T. Fonville, Judge Samuel J. Ervin, III Fellow, Attorney
Pamela Hemphill, Paralegal/PAI Coordinator
Susan Janney, Staff Attorney
Jennifer Prince, Intake Specialist/Receptionist
David Richardson, Ervin Fellow/Attorney
Michael Shay, Staff Attorney
Pearl Younce, Administrator

History

The Morganton Office of Legal Aid of North Carolina has been in operation since 1979.

Originally incorporated as "Catawba Valley Legal Services" (CVLS) on February 15, 1979, the office operated as an independent, nonprofit law firm that provided free legal help in non-criminal law matters to low-income residents of Alexander, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Cleveland, Lincoln and McDowell counties, receiving funding from the federal Legal Services Corporation (LSC), a State of North Carolina appropriation, the NC IOLTA program and other sources.

In 1999, CVLS and 12 other local legal services programs merged with Legal Services of North Carolina (LSNC) , a nonprofit legal services program that served 83 of the 100 counties in North Carolina.

In 2002, CVLS (and LSNC) consolidated with other federally-funded (LSC) legal services programs in North Carolina to form "Legal Aid of North Carolina" (LANC), a nonprofit law firm that serves eligible, low-income persons in civil matters in all 100 counties of North Carolina. At that time, the Morganton Office changed its name from "Catawba Valley Legal Services" to "Legal Aid of North Carolina - Morganton Office" and continues to serve low-income clients in a seven county area of Northwestern North Carolina: Alexander, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Cleveland, Lincoln and McDowell Counties.

The LANC-Morganton Office is overseen by the Board of Directors of Legal Aid of North Carolina and also receives input from a local board of advisors. The office is staffed by lawyers, paralegals, a private attorney involvement coordinator and support staff.

 

 

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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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