Content
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.
In the News
LANC
elects new directors
(July 3, 2008 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"
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Gaston County VLP honors 7 attorneys for service!!! |
|
(Pictured above, l-r)
Shantel Boone; Laura Crawford; James R. Martin; Sonya C.
McGraw;
and Jeannette R. Reeves
[not pictured: Dennis Lorance; Geoffrey A. Planer]
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|
Seven attorneys participating in the local
Volunteer Lawyers
Program (VLP)
affiliated with the
Legal Aid of North Carolina-Gastonia Office received
outstanding service awards at their local bar meetings in
Shelby on March 31 and in Gastonia on April 1. The awards
were presented by
VLP Coordinator, Becki
Lowder.
Jeannette R. Reeves (of
Teddy and Meekins in Shelby)
and
Sonya C. McGraw
(of
Ferguson
and McGraw in
Gastonia)
received the VLP
Distinguished Service Awards. Both attorneys
provided more than 50 hours of service to their VLP clients
during 2008, with Ms. Reeves providing the greatest number
of attorney hours to clients in the three county service
area of Gaston, Cleveland, and Lincoln counties. Both
Reeves and McGraw have received VLP service awards in the
past and continue to provide outstanding legal assistance to
the pro bono
clients routed to them through the VLP.
James R. Martin (of
Mullen Holland Cooper),
R. Dennis Lorance
(of Katzenstein and Lorance),
Shantel Boone of
(Mullen Holland Cooper), and
Laura Crawford
and
Geoffrey A.
Planer, both solo practitioners, received
VLP Service Awards.
All the recipients received awards in past years for their
participation in the local program and their outstanding
contributions to individual clients.
The total contribution made by the group of award recipients
exceeded 290 attorney hours, equaling a monetary
contribution of approximately $58,000.
Attorneys participating in the VLP agree to represent
clients who have been screened for financial eligibility and
type of case by the local Legal Aid office for no fee. The
main types of cases coming through the program currently are
unemployment benefits appeals cases, custody cases, and help
with wills, powers of attorney, and advance medical
directives.
more on LANC-Gastonia's
Volunteer Lawyer Program
|
Staff
Sharon S. Dove, Managing Attorney
Rachel J. Allgood, Staff Attorney, DVPI
Claudette Harvey, Legal Assistant
Becki Lowder, PAI Coordinator
(Private Attorney Involvement Program)
Jeffrey Lopez, Legal Assistant
Missy Phelps, Staff Attorney
Melanie Tarrant, Staff Attorney
Local Advisory Council
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.