Overheard in Committee
Article Date: Monday, April 09, 2012
The Community Relations Committee recently participated in the Ask-A-Lawyer Day service event. The goals of the Ask-A-Lawyer program are: (i) to provide legal services and information to the community, especially to those who may not have access to legal assistance otherwise; (ii) to provide a positive image of young lawyers and the legal profession as a whole; (iii) to educate the general public about our legal system; and (iv) to give young lawyers practical experience in counseling clients. This year’s Ask-A-Lawyer Day was held on Feb. 4, 2012 in the following cities and/or counties: Asheville, Burlington, Chapel Hill, Fayetteville, Greensboro, Hendersonville, Raleigh, Wilmington and Winston-Salem. The committee also incorporated a Spanish-speaking component at several of the locations which proved to be very well received. Each event was extremely successful, with many sites assisting over 60 members of the public. The committee appreciates all the young lawyers who volunteered their time and expertise in making the 2012 Ask-A-Lawyer Day a huge success.
The Community Relations Committee also participated in and helped to sign-up YLD members as volunteers for the 4ALL 2012 Statewide Service Day. The 4ALL Statewide Service Day was held on Friday, March 2, 2012. Operating from seven call centers across the state, approximately 500 volunteers fielded 8,648 calls. The call centers operated from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m., except the Cary call center, which operated from 8:30 am until 5:30 p.m. The committee appreciates all the young lawyers who committed their time to this important public service event.
The Minority Focus Committee is sponsoring a Writing Workshop for law students and recent law graduates on April 14, 2012. The workshop will be held from 9:30 a.m. until noon at the North Carolina Bar Center in Cary. The goal of the workshop is to prepare law students for their summer internships, and recent law graduates for their first legal jobs. To RSVP for the workshop, please send an email to sections@ncbar.org with the following information: name, law school, year in law school or year of graduation, email address, and telephone number.
The Pro Bono and Poverty Issues Committee is pleased to announce that the Call 4ALL project has released an explanatory video describing how beneficial this program is for Legal Aid, underrepresented citizens of North Carolina, and the attorneys involved. The committee encourages you to review the video at: http://www.ncbar.org/public-pro-bono/call-4all.aspx and sign up for the project.
The Pro Bono and Poverty Issues Committee asks young attorneys interested in volunteering for the “Board Match Program” to email Bryan Scott at bscott@spilmanlaw.com. This program seeks to have young attorneys serve as directors for non-profit organizations.
The Pro Bono and Poverty Issues Committee has planned a pro bono panel for 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 10, 2012 in the New Hanover County Public Library in Wilmington. The committee is also finalizing dates for pro bono panels in Boone, Winston-Salem and Charlotte. For more information on these panels, or if you are interested in volunteering, please contact Elleveve Donahue at edonahue@bsp-pa.com for Raleigh and Durham events; Bryan Scott at bscott@spilmanlaw.com for Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Boone, and Asheville events; or Oliver Carter III at oliver@carterandcarterlaw.com for Wilmington and Charlotte events.
On Feb. 18, 2012, the Wills for Heroes Committee held a successful event in Raleigh at the Campbell University School of Law. Over 80 volunteers drafted 510 wills, health care powers of attorney and durable powers of attorney for 170 first responders and their spouses. The Raleigh event came on the heels of the committee’s first ever Wills for Heroes event in Boone. The Boone event, held at the Caldwell County Community College and Technical Institute, had 26 volunteers assisting 24 first responders and their spouses. The 25th Wills for Heroes event, and the final event of the 2011-2012 bar year, will be held on Saturday April 21, 2012 in Charlotte at the Charlotte Police and Fire Training Academy located at 1770 Shopton Road. For more information, contact co-chairs Heidi Royal (hroyal@rbh.com) or Jillian Brevorka (jebrevorka@pjblaw.net). •
Tyler Russell lives in Greenville and is a member of the Creditors’ Rights practice group of Ward and Smith, P.A.
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