Legal services programs to consolidate as "Legal Aid of North
Carolina"
June 24, 2002 Media Release
(Raleigh, NC) - On Monday, July 1, 2002, low-income and elderly
North Carolinians will be able to access a new, statewide law firm:
Legal Aid of North Carolina (LANC).
The new, nonprofit organization is the result of a multi-year
planning effort by 15 federally funded, legal services programs and
multiple supporting and/or affiliate groups in North Carolina. Legal Aid of North Carolina will operate from 25 offices and serve all 100
counties in the state.
"Basically, legal services programs across the state, with their
rich histories and traditions of service, have consolidated as one,
statewide program," announced George R. Hausen, Jr., LANC’s
executive director. "With some 100 attorneys, 30 paralegals and a
total staff of 240 employees, Legal Aid of NC will be one of the
largest law firms in our state. In addition, we anticipate that more
than 3,000 attorneys from the private bar will continue to provide
pro bono services for our eligible clients."
The Legal Aid NC administrative office will be located in Raleigh.
Offices will be supervised by managing attorneys. Advisory boards
will help set substantive law priorities on a local and regional
basis.
Legal Aid of NC will offer free legal representation in civil
matters to low-income North Carolinians whose income falls at or
below 125% of federally established poverty levels. LANC may also
serve others whose income is below 185% of federally established
poverty levels in cases where a public benefit is at issue.
The organization will be supported by foundation grants, donations
and federal and state funds. Approximately fifty percent of its
funding will come from the federally funded Legal Services
Corporation.
The formation of Legal Aid of North Carolina represents the
fulfillment of recommendations provided in a 1998 report from the NC
Commission on the Delivery of Civil Legal Services, an independent
commission appointed by the NC State Bar and NC Bar Association. That commission suggested that legal services in North Carolina be
reorganized as a single corporation governed by a central, statewide
board of directors and take advantage of reduced costs through
centralized administrative services and state-of-the-art technology.
Over the past 15 months, a transition board has negotiated the
consolidation of the legal service programs’ resources, bylaws and
corporation status for the new, statewide nonprofit organization. The transition board also hired Hausen as the first executive
director of Legal Aid of NC. Hausen was formerly the interim
executive director of Legal Services of NC.
Among the legal services offices that will fully consolidate into
Legal Aid of NC are: Appalachian Legal Services (Asheville);
Catawba Valley Legal Services (Morganton);
Central Carolina Legal Services (Greensboro
and
Lexington); Cumberland County Legal Aid (Fayetteville);
East Central Community Legal Services (Raleigh,
Sanford and
Smithfield); Eastern Carolina Legal Services (Wilson,
Goldsboro and
Rocky Mount); Legal Services of the Blue Ridge (Boone);
Legal Services of the Coastal Plain (Ahoskie);
Legal Services of the Lower Cape Fear (Wilmington);
Lumbee River Legal Services (Pembroke);
North Central Legal Assistance Program (Durham);
North State Legal Services (Hillsborough);
Pamlico Sound Legal Services (New
Bern and
Greenville); and Western North Carolina Legal Services (Sylva).
New offices will also be opened in
Charlotte,
Concord,
Gastonia,
Monroe and
Winston-Salem to provide one-on-one legal services as allowed
under federal funding. The existing legal services programs, Legal
Services of Southern Piedmont (Charlotte) and Legal Aid Society of
Northwest NC (Winston-Salem), will no longer receive federal funding
through the Legal Services Corporation and will focus their efforts
on advocacy using tools or remedies that are unavailable to
federally-funded programs.
The Legal Aid of NC board of directors includes
geographically elected client representatives and appointed
attorneys serving as representatives of legal associations across
North Carolina, including: NC Bar Association, NC State Bar, NC
Academy of Trial Lawyers, NCBA Hispanic & Latino Lawyers Committee,
NC Association of Defense Attorneys, NC Association of Black
Lawyers, NC Gay and Lesbian Attorneys and NC Association of Women
Attorneys.
"The broad representation on the Board will be an asset to our
efforts to provide equal justice across the state and will set
appropriate policy for Legal Aid on a statewide basis," notes
Hausen. "We will also have regional advisory boards that will focus
on fundraising and pro bono legal services development."
The new Legal Aid of NC will meet with the transition board on June
28th to finalize details of the consolidation. Full
consolidation will officially take place on July 1, 2002.
Legal Aid of North Carolina is a 501(c)3, nonprofit organization
that provides free, legal representation in civil matters to
eligible clients in all 100 counties of North Carolina and strives
to ensure equal access to justice in North Carolina.
# # #
CONTACTS:
Dock Kornegay (Director, Public Relations & Development,
LANC,
Raleigh, NC),
919-856-2564
George Hausen (Executive Director, LANC, Raleigh, NC)
919-856-2564
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.