Charlotte Legal Aid

Charlotte has many resources for free legal aid, pro bono legal aid organizations, and legal assistance.

LSSP provides a wide range of civil legal assistance to eligible low-income persons in the Charlotte metropolitan area and west-central N.C. More.
http://www.lssp.org/

Legal Services of Southern Piedmont’s mission is to pursue justice for those in need.

LSSP provides a wide range of civil legal assistance to low-income people in the Charlotte metropolitan area and west-central NC.

Legal Aid of North Carolina - Charlotte LSC Funded
http://www.legalaidnc.org/about-us/offices/Pages/charlotte-office.aspx

Legal Aid of North Carolina (LANC) is a statewide, nonprofit law 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. The legal staff of Legal Aid of NC - Charlotte Office provides legal assistance in civil matters to eligible, low-income clients who have problems with their basic needs and live in Mecklenburg County.

General Contact Information
AddressLegal Aid of North Carolina - Charlotte
1431 Elizabeth Avenue (map)
Charlotte, NC 28204
Phone704-971-0180

  • Resources Associated with Duke Law
    • Duke Law School's Clinics
    • The North Carolina Center on Actual InnocenceThe North Carolina Center works in conjunction with Innocence Projects at both Duke and UNC Law Schools in providing assistance to inmates making claims of actual innocence. The assistance is limited to those convicted of North Carolina crimes who have already concluded their direct appeals from the convictions.

The North Carolina Bar Association sponsors a Lawyer Referral Service (919)-677-8574 or (800)-662-7660. People referred by this service commit to paying $30 for the first 30 minute consultation.

The North Carolina Advocates for Justice is a nonpartisan association of legal professionals dedicated to protecting people’s rights through community, education, and advocacy.
NCAJ’s online home is www.ncaj.com

Legal Aid of North Carolina, Raleigh Office

  • To Volunteer, Contact:

    Celia Mansaray
    919-828-4647
    CeliaM@legalaidnc.org

  • Organization Type: Nonprofit legal services provider

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 barriers to economic opportunity.  Legal Aid of North helps individuals, families and communities with legal problems affecting basic human needs such as family, housing, education, employment and income.
Legal Aid of North Carolina'sRaleigh office serves Johnston and Wake counties.

  • County(s) of Volunteer Opportunity: Johnston, Wake
  • Area of law: Civil Rights, Community Development, Consumer, Debt/Credit/Bankruptcy, Disability, Education, Elder Law, Employment, Family & Juvenile, Foreclosure, Health, HIV/AIDS, Homeless, Housing, Life Planning, Public Benefits, Veterans
  • Populations Served: Low Income
  • Opportunities For: Law school clinic, Law Students, Lawyers, Paralegals, Senior Lawyers, Small and medium law firm attorneys
  • Hours for Pro Bono Opportunities: Evenings, Flexible, Monday-Friday 9am-5pm, Weekends
  • Malpractice insurance is provided for volunteers: Yes
  • Training Provided: Yes
  • Training Required: No
  • CLE credit for trainings: No
  • CLE credit for pro bono: No
  • Mentoring or supervision offered: Yes
  • Volunteer lawyers need to meet a caseload or hours requirement: No
  • Types of projects in need of Pro Bono help: Client counseling (e.g., brief advice), Client intake and screening, Draft legal documents (e.g., briefs), Legal Research, Litigation: Support (e.g., discovery), Litigation: Trial/Direct Representation, Mentor volunteer lawyers or law students, Prepare legal education materials, Transactional work
  • Volunteers may participate long-distance: No
  • Legal Services of the Southern PiedmontLegal Services of Southern Piedmont (LSSP) provides legal assistance in civil matters to low-income persons in the Charlotte area and in west-central North Carolina. (Legal Aid of North Carolina - Charlotte also provides civil legal assistance in the Charlotte area. See Legal Aid of North Carolina for that contact information.)
  • Pisgah Legal ServicesThis office, located in Asheville with an office in Hendersonville, formerly received federal funds to provide legal services and was part of Legal Services of North Carolina. It is now an independent legal aid organization. Its primary service area includes seven counties: Buncombe, Henderson, Madison, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania and Yancey Counties, and it provides limited services in seventeen Western North Carolina counties. Buncombe and surrounding counties are also served by another organization -- the Asheville office of Legal Aid of North Carolina. That office serves indigent clients in Buncombe, Henderson, Madison, Polk, Rutherford, and Transylvania counties.
  • Disability Rights North Carolina (formerly known as Carolina Legal Assistance)This office provides legal representation for those with physical and mental disabilities. It is based in Raleigh and serves clients statewide.
  • Child Support EnforcementState governments provide help to parents seeking child support. In North Carolina, it is available in the NC Division of Social Services and in social services or special "IV-D Child Support Enforcement" offices around the state.
  • Public Defenders and the NC Office of Indigent Defense ServicesPeople accused of crime have a constitutional right to an attorney and an attorney will be appointed for those who cannot afford to pay. In some locations, Public Defenders are available and in other parts of the country, private attorneys are appointed to represent the accused. In North Carolina, the system is administered by the NC Office of Defense Services.
  • North Carolina Prisoner Legal Services"The mission of North Carolina Prisoner Legal Services, Inc. (NCPLS) is to provide legal services to people incarcerated in North Carolina to ensure that all prisoners are treated humanely and in accordance with the law. NCPLS strives to provide legal services of the highest quality in an efficient and effective way."
  • NC Black Lawyers Land Loss Prevention ProjectThis office represents farmers facing loss of land. It is based in Durham, but serves clients statewide. It is "a nonprofit, public interest law firm created by the NC Association of Black Lawyers to use legal expertise, community education, and advocacy skills to help land owners who face legal, economic and environmental challenges to their land ownership."
  • Council for Children's Rights (a merger of the former the Children’s Law Center and Council for Children)404 E. Trade StreetCharlotte, NC 28202-0242(704) 331-9474This organization has more than 30 attorneys who work "primarily in the areas of special education, abuse and neglect, mental health, custody, domestic violence and juvenile justice."
  • Southern Environmental Law Center"Founded in 1986 as a small groups of attorneys working on strategic cases to enforce environmental laws, SELC has grown into a multifaceted organization that is handling several broad-band, regional conservation initiatives to strengthen environmental protection laws and policies throughout the south and beyond."
  • North Carolina Justice CenterBudget & Tax Center | Immigrants Legal Assistance Project | NC Health Access Coalition | North Carolina Education & Law ProjectThe Justice Center is home to a diverse team of professionals that employs four main strategies to fight poverty and promote economic and social justice: litigation, research and policy analysis, legislative advocacy, and grassroots education and action. While Justice Center advocates maintain specialized knowledge and expertise in dozens on specific fields, we have five on-going substantive and strategy-based projects: Budget & Tax Center; NC Education & Law Project; NC Health Access Coalition; and the Immigrants Legal Assistance Project.
  • American Civil Liberties Union of North CarolinaGenerally, the ACLU takes selected cases focusing "on instances where government has infringed upon a person's privacy, religion, or speech or where the government has not followed proper procedures." See the ACLU's instructions on how to submit a request for help.

Programs at North Carolina Central University
http://law.nccu.edu/clinics/resources/students/pro-bono-program/

Driver’s License Restoration Project
Under the supervision of volunteer attorneys, law students provide guidance to indigent North Carolinians on issues of license revocation and reinstating their revoked driving privileges. For more information, go to http://www.ncdlrp.org/.

Elder Law Project
Elder Law Project students, under the supervision of volunteer attorneys, prepare simple wills, durable powers of attorney, living wills, and health care powers of attorney for eligible clients in Durham and surrounding counties. To be referred to the Elder Law Project, call the Durham office of Legal Aid of North Carolina, 919-688-6396.

Foreclosure Prevention Project
Law students assist clients in Durham County threatened with foreclosure in preparing pro se motions to continue, negotiating loan modifications, and sending out qualified written requests. To be referred to the Foreclosure Prevention Project, call the Legal Clinic office at 919-530-7166 or contact Professor Timothy J. Peterkin.

Future Lawyers for Community Advancement (FLCA)
FLCA students provide mentoring to Durham middle and high school students with the goal of improving oral communication skills, increasing students’ awareness of how the law impacts them, and encouraging them to seek careers in the legal profession.

Hispanic Law Students Association (HLSA) Spanish Translators Initiative
Members of the Hispanic Law Students Association serve as translators and interpreters for non-English speaking clients at the local office of Legal Aid of North Carolina.

Innocence Project®
The NCCU Innocence Project® partners with the North Carolina Center on Actual Innocence to review, investigate, and evaluate innocence claims made by prisoners incarcerated in North Carolina.

Know Your Rights Immigration Law Project
Law students give presentations on immigration law to the community in English and Spanish. Volunteer immigration law attorneys are available to answer questions. To schedule a presentation at your organization, email knowyourrights.nccu@gmail.com.

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Project (VITA)
Law students trained and certified under the IRS-sponsored VITA program prepare and electronically file State and Federal income tax returns for taxpayers with family incomes of $49,000 or less from mid-January through March each year.

From LawhelpNC.org:

Free Legal Assistance Available for North Carolina Victims of Hurricane Matthew                                                                                 Click here

 

 

Family and Juvenile

Housing

Consumer

Government Benefits

Veterans and Military

Work and Jobs

Free Clinics

Child Custody and Visitation
Criminal Record Expunction
HCPOA & Living Wills
Simple Divorce
Tenant Rights​

 

Quick Links

Hurricane Matthew resources
Apply for legal help online
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Visit our self-help library
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