Educate
Poverty is a significant problem in North Carolina. Legal Aid of North Carolina provides attorneys for people who live in poverty up to certain federal income guidelines. Almost three million North Carolinians are eligible for services through Legal Aid. However, Legal Aid only has 122 lawyers in the state. Thousands of eligible clients with meritorious claims must be turned away simply because there is insufficient staff to help. Most of the North Carolina legal community and public are unaware of the lack of attorneys to serve this population. The "4ALL" campaign will seek to educate North Carolinians lawyers about poverty in North Carolina and the inability of Legal Aid of North Carolina to meet that need at current staffing levels.
One means of educating the legal community will include the showing of a seven minute film about Legal Aid of North Carolina. The film will be shown at continuing legal education courses sponsored this year by the North Carolina Bar Association Foundation and at law firms across the state. The video can be accessed through this website. To arrange a presentation to your organization, civic group or law firm about the 4ALL campaign, email Ray Ruppert at rruppert@ncbar.org.
Another means of educating the legal community and the public will be a public summit on October 12, 2007 which is being convened by the Honorable Sarah Parker, Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court. The summit will help educate the judiciary, the legal community, law makers and the public about the critical need for legal services and the economic effect on communities and the state. This summit will be sponsored by the Chief Justice’s Equal Access to Justice Commission. For more information about the summit or the commission, click here or contact Michelle Cofield, Executive Director of the commission at 1-800-662-7407 or mcofield@ncbar.org.
To learn more about Legal Aid of North Carolina, visit http://www.legalaidnc.org/.
Education of the legal community and the public about poverty in North Carolina and the need to provide adequate legal services to serve that population is the goal of "Educate."
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Last Update: Tuesday, January 15, 2008