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 us...
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
Pam Hemphill (PAI Coordinator, LANC-Morganton
Office) received
her 30 Years Service Award at the
June 25, 2010 LANC Board of
Directors Meeting in
Wilmington, NC. [pictured here (è) receiving her
award from George
Hausen, LANC Executive Director.]
Andrew Cogdell (Senior Managing Attorney,
LANC-Morganton Office)
received
his 25 Years Service Award at the
June 25, 2010 LANC Board of Directors
Meeting in Wilmington, NC.
Pam Hemphill named Burke County BPW's "Woman of the Year"
(October 8, 2009 article, News Herald)
Lisa Morgan elected Chair of LANC Board of Directors
(June 30, 2009 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 Law
...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 [Pro
bono Service]
...The LANC-Morganton Office's
Private
Attorney Involvement (PAI) Coordinator refers eligible
clients (with certain kinds of cases) to private attorneyswho have agreed
to take such cases. Legal Aid of North Carolina 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, pro bono attorneys are needed either for
their special expertise and/or to help us with our large case load.
To volunteer pro bono service in
Alexander County,
Burke County,
Caldwell County, Catawba
County or
McDowell County, contact our
local
PAI ("Private Attorney Involvement") coordinator.
Staff
Andrew Cogdell, Senior Managing Attorney
Barbara Degen, Senior Managing
Attorney
Niya T. Fonville, Staff Attorney
Pamela Hemphill, Paralegal/PAI Coordinator
Susan Janney, Staff Attorney
Jennifer Prince, Intake
Specialist/Receptionist
Heather Seals, Judge Samuel J. Ervin, III 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.
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.