PR O B O N O P R O G R A MANNUAL REPORT 2010 – 2011

With an eye on the economic climate, the Pro

Bono Program focused this year on serving

the state of North Carolina and encourag-

ing students to gain practical skills from their

pro bono work. This year, students completed

more than 14,000 pro bono hours and served

the citizens of North Carolina in 25 counties.

We kicked off the year by raising student

awareness of the need for pro bono work in

North Carolina with “Poor People’s Justice:

Denying Access in Civil Cases.” The panel was

co-sponsored by the UNC Center on Poverty,

Work & Opportunity and featured speakers

Janet Ward Black, former president of the North

Carolina Bar Association, and George Hausen,

executive director of Legal Aid of North Car-

olina. The panel, which focused on the needs

of North Carolinians and how lawyers and

law students can help address these concerns,

was moderated by Professor Gene Nichol,

director, UNC Center on Poverty, Work

and Opportunity.

Students completed projects spanning

more than 30 areas of law in Eastern and

Western North Carolina and the Triangle. The

Pro Bono Program also encouraged students

to use their pro bono work as career explo-

ration and to gain essential skills for develop-

ment as an attorney, including oral advocacy,

client interviewing and counseling, and writing

and research. To emphasize the practical skills

gained, students networked with and learned

from alumni at our program “Get the Inside

Scoop: How Firms Use Pro Bono in Inter-

views and Hiring.”

This year, our third annual Wills Project

expanded in size and outreach. Sixty students

served 129 clients and executed more than

300 documents. We visited some of North

Carolina’s most rural counties, including for

the first time, Alleghany, Avery, Halifax, Edge-

combe, Lenoir, Lee and Richmond Counties.

The Wills Project allowed us to serve areas of

North Carolina and Legal Aid offices that do

not traditionally receive pro bono volunteers;

this year we worked with the regional Legal

Aid offices of Ahoskie, Boone, Pittsboro and

Wilson, which serve 28 counties combined.

We also continued our dedication to serv-

ing the Triangle area. In addition to students’

individual projects, the Pro Bono Program

worked with community partners to host four

Triangle-area clinics. In partnership with the

UNC Center for Civil Rights, the Pro Bono

Program hosted the North Carolina call cen-

ter for the non-partisan Election Protection

program. More than 20 students were trained

in election law issues and answered voter

questions from poll opening to closing. In

partnership with Legal Aid of North Carolina,

the Pro Bono Program hosted two clinics to

benefit the homeless population of Chapel

Hill. Finally, with the help of Professor Beth

Posner and Legal Aid, the Pro Bono Program

hosted an in-house divorce clinic for clients in

Orange County.

Throughout this year, the goal of the Pro

Bono Program has been to encourage and en-

able our students, alumni, and the Carolina

Law community to reach out “beyond these

walls” to serve the citizens of North Carolina

and to gain practical skills that will better pre-

pare new lawyers. With exceptional enthusiasm

and dedication and the support of the faculty

and administration, our participants have truly

embodied our motto—they are “Students and

Lawyers Making a Difference.”

— Emily Wallwork 3L

Pro Bono Board Director

BOONE

SPARTA

CHARLOTTE

ASHEVILLE

HENDERSONVILLEGASTONIA

WINSTON-SALEM

GREENSBORO

PITTSBORO

BURLINGTONHILLSBOROUGH

BUTNER

ROCKINGHAM

JACKSON HAMLET

PEMBROKEJACKSONVILLE

WILMINGTON

RALEIGH

KINSTON

ROCKY MOUNTDURHAM

CARY

SCOTLAND NECK

ROANOKE RAPIDS

NEWLAND

CHAPEL HILL25 Counties25 Counties

14,000 Hours14,000 Hours

Beyond These Walls: sTudenTs serving norTh Carolina’s legal needs

graduaTing sTudenTs oF The yearrobert lamb

For three years, Robert Lamb has em-bodied the spirit and selflessness of the Pro Bono Program. He has completed 383 pro bono hours by assisting victims of Hurricane Katrina on the New Orleans trip, writing wills over his fall and spring breaks, and volunteering with many

student organizations. Lamb pursued his passion for criminal justice by volunteering at multiple public defender offices, the North Carolina Justice Center and the Innocence Project, and by participating in the Racial Justice Act study. Lamb stood as an example and a leader of the 3L class in pro bono and public service work.

angela spongAngie Spong has truly taken pro bono to the next level, serving more than 350 pro bono hours in her three years. She has served as the pro bono coordina-tor for the Lambda law students asso-ciation for the past two years and has organized two healthcare power of attor-

ney clinics for same-sex couples. In addition to her leadership of LGBT pro bono projects, Spong’s personal pro bono work includes participating in the Wills Project, researching for the National Health Law Program, answering voter concerns with Election Protection and completing free income tax returns with Volunteer Income Tax Assistance.

3l sTudenT oF The yearlauren gebhard

Lauren Gebhard has demonstrated an enduring commitment to pro bono work during her time at Carolina Law. Gebhard has devoted 336 hours of pro bono service, 192 of which have been during her 3L year. Devoted to indigent defense, Gebhard has done pro bono

work for the Chatham and Wake County Public Defenders, the Fair Trial Initiative, the Federal Public Defender, the NC Capi-tal Defender, the Innocence Project, and the Orleans Public Defenders. She has written wills for poor landowners on the Spring Break trip, worked for equal education with the Mis-sissippi Center for Justice, and spearheaded educational programming through the Death Penalty Project. Gebhard says she most enjoys pro bono work because she is able to work with her peers to reach out to communities in need.

2l sTudenT oF The yearMary irvine

With more than 282 hours of pro bono work, 135 of which have been during her 2L year, Mary Irvine exemplifies what it means for lawyering to be a service profession. During her 2L year, Irvine not only served as a guardian ad litem (GAL), but also arranged to host GAL

training for UNC students interested in joining the program. As

the pro bono chair for the Education Law and Policy Society, Irvine organized training and created a curriculum for a Stu-dents’ Rights Pro Bono Project, a program that distributes in-formation about special education services, school discipline protections, and advice on advocating for children in schools to parents and individuals who work with students. She also participated in pro bono projects sponsored by other student organizations, including the Lambda health care power of at-torney clinic, the Women in Law mock trial, and the Spring Break Wills Project in Eastern North Carolina. As her classmate described, “Mary’s service work has been far reaching and has impacted both the North Carolina and UNC Law communities.”

1l sTudenT oF The yearadam Parker

Adam Parker has shown himself to be a student with a vision. He saw a need for pro bono services in Kinston, N.C., and did not stop working toward that goal until the Pro Bono Program had its most successful wills clinic during the Spring Break trip. Parker completed more than

100 pro bono hours in his first year of law school and was an active participant in the New Orleans and Eastern North Carolina trips. He sees Pro Bono Work not only as a way to serve clients in need, but also as a way to gain practical legal experience, to recharge his batteries, and to see the class-room come to life.

ProFessor oF The yearholning lau

In his first two years with UNC, Professor Lau has distinguished himself amongst the faculty by his commitment to involv-ing students in his pro bono work. “He filled a void at UNC for students inter-ested in LGBT advocacy,” says Angie Spong 3L. Lau has created pro bono

opportunities for social justice-minded students and has supervised those projects in order to make them as mean-ingful and enriching for student volunteers as possible. Last year, he supervised 10 students on an international compila-tion of LGBT opinions to be used as a reference for human rights attorneys. This year, he supervised a team of students in analyzing discriminatory Hong Kong statutes for use by equal rights advocates in the fight for same-sex marriage rights. Lau serves on the board of directors for the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina, where he advises on legal strategy and has worked as a member of the legal team on several cases. Through this position, he has provided students with the opportunity to work on historic North Carolina cases, such as the second-parent adoption case that was heard by the NC Supreme Court. Lau also serves as an advisor to two workplace equality organizations in Hong Kong. His passion for these causes inspires a meaningful connection with the subject matter for students in his classes.

aluMna oF The yearMandy hitchcock ’07

Mandy Hitchcock ’07 is a former director of the Pro Bono Program. After graduation, she joined the Washington, D.C. office of Goodwin Procter, where she earned the commendation of the partners and her peers for devoting hundreds of hours to the firm’s volun-

tary pro bono program. She worked on appeals and amicus briefs for death row inmates and worked with the Federal Pub-lic Defender. In addition to her work, Hitchcock persuaded a number of her coworkers to take on pro bono cases and was, in the words of a Goodwin Procter partner, “instrumental” in the firm’s ability to provide pro bono services to needy clients. Hitchcock recently served as the Pro Bono Coordinator at The Catholic University of America. In one year, she quadrupled the number of law students participating in pro bono projects. She worked to create relationships with attorneys and organi-zations, to create pro bono clinics, and to increase Catholic’s responsiveness to local pro bono needs. Hitchcock has served as the chair of the Alumni Committee on Public Service and has taken the time to advise and support the Pro Bono Pro-gram on our alumni outreach throughout the year. She recently traveled from Washington, D.C. to educate UNC Law students on using pro bono in the job search through one of our pro-grams. Hitchcock is someone that the Pro Bono Program can always count on for support, and a stellar example of how to take the Carolina commitment to pro bono work into a career.

sTudenT grouP oF The yeardriver’s license restoration ProjectOver the past two years, UNC School of Law students have worked with alumni, community members, and North Carolina Central School of Law to establish the Driver’s License Res-toration Project. Not having a driver’s license inhibits many struggling citizens from getting to work and getting along with their lives. With this project, students help indigent North Caro-linians develop a plan for reinstating their driver’s licenses fol-lowing revocation. This project is a successful collaborative ef-fort, uniting the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, NCCU, and UNC. At UNC, 24 students have gained valuable traffic law training, client interviewing experience, and have found a tangible way to serve their community at large. The project received the Law Student Group Pro Bono Award at the 2011 NCBA Annual Meeting. Special recognition is due to Meghan Jones 3L, who coordinated the project for the last two years, and project co-founders Jeff Neiman and Matt Suczynski, as well as Jane Kerwin, who manages client intake.

3Trips

129ClientsServed

325DocumentsProduced

60Student

Participants

414

Student Participants

14,179

Hours of Service

2010-2011 Pro Bono Program StatiSticS

Pro Bono WillS Project StatiSticS

UNC SCHOOL OF LAW 2010–2011 PRO BONO PUBLICO AWARDS

P R O B O N O P R O G R A MANNUAL REPORT 2008 – 2009

Class oF 2013

400+Emily Wallwork

300+Jabeen AhmadLauren GebhardRob LambAngie Spong

200+Shelly AnandDaniel BehrendAndrew BruchVictoria PerezEddie ThomasLakisha Williams

100+Bradley AycockLucy BarriosJeffrey BeelartSarah BennettAtiya BoddieStephanie CantuErin DeignanErin EdwardsMerab FaulknerLauren FelterAlex Finamore*Andrew GattShayla GuestRegina HinsonAaron JacobsonBrandi Jones

Jonathan JonesMeghan JonesKyle KaplanNoor KapoorAlicia KerrCatherine LaffertyJennifer LozanoDaniel MangualLouis MassardMarina MontesAshley MorrisonJohn NoorPaige O’HaleKatie OppenheimerHeather PowellJustin PuleoJennifer Richelson

Ana RodriguezDaniel RoseCatherine SamGuhan SanthappanClaire SaulsStacey ShobeVanessa SmartLorea StallardKaitlin StollbrinkBrett ThompsonChristie TriceJoe VossenDestyni WilliamsHeather WilliamsJeremy WilsonDouglas WinkCindy Zakary

75+Najib AzamMeghan DeutschMatthew DunandLindsey GoehringJennie GravesTarik JalladPeter KimAnna LinebergerNadia LuhrHillary LyonMolly MaynardTiffany McMillian-

McWatersMeagan MirtenbaumJohn VillalonAllison Whiteman

50+Andrew AtkinsLynne BahramiRachel BlunkKristen ComerfordRoss CookMargaret DavisMorgan DavisStephanie DelgadoMichael ElliotKristen EmersonDaniel HaviviAshley HolmesColin JusticeMaureen KlaumMatt LewisJackson Mabry

Christine McArthurJason McGuirtWill NazalAlly ParkerLindsay SchafferJessica WestIndia WhedbeeBen Wildfire

25+Stacey AllredCassandra AndersonKatelynn BradleyAllison BucknerAustin EllisJonathan EspinolaRhonda Evans

Rebecca FlatowElizabeth GregoryNathan KelvyTom KimJohn KivusIsaac LewAddie McKinneyYuanye MuJenna NiedringhausChristian OhanianJoshua PattonHeather PayneLynn PerryLaura RossSteven SaundersCooper StricklandNora Sullivan

John TaylorLindsay TraskoJoel WhiteJeffrey Widmayer

*deceased

250+Mary IrvineNhi Nguyen

200+Bethan EynonDrew KukorowskiJoe PolichAmelia Thompson

150+Kimberly BurkeRyan CabanCarla HermidaWilliam JohnsonErika JonesCade LavertyVirginia Niehaus

100+Jennifer Anderson

Jane AtmatzidisLorelle BabwahAdam BatenhorstEmily BurnettMichael DanielsonAndrew DarcyShonaka EllisonMacy FisherRaina HaqueDanyeale HensleyJenna HoelerBarrett HollandScott LibfraindZac LongZachary MarquandHector MelecioElizabeth MorganStephanie MurrSonya RikhyeMeredith RoseKristin Wouk

75+Michelle CunninghamJared ElostaHaley EssigRachel FaultersackVarsha GadaniLeann GerlachKarl GwaltneyBeth HopkinsPatrick HunterLauren JoyMargaret KoppKendra LeghartCarolyn MayerRyan OstrowAdam PhillipsLiz RuizMaria RuteckiKate SaleebyGrace Salzer

Devin SchoonmakerJane SmartLindsey SpainPearry TarwasokonoMichael TorralbaJonathan Wells

50+Andy AndrewsLauren AriailLisa ArthurKatherine BarnesHilary BlackwoodDavid BoazErin BrinkmanNoah BrisbinOrla Buckley Heather BurlesonHannah CollinsLauren CranfordParin Desai

Sam DiamantHector DiazErika EisenoffPhil FeaganJessica HardenWilliam HarrisonJamie HesterLauren HobsonAlyssa IglesiasMary Pat KenyonJosh LawsonDerek LohMeghan MelloyAnika NavaroliElizabeth OvercashAnand PatelAsanka PathirajaKavita PillaiBrooks PopeLeah RichardsonJason Richie

Eric RoehrigSarah RotheckeerNikki ShafferHayleigh StewartMorgan StewartMolly ThebesLisa ValdezMatthew Weissman-

VermeulenKelley WhiteJudson Wood

25+Alex AbramovichFreddy AkroucheSheyna AlterovitzSarah ArenaJackie AzisTessa BenjaminAaron BiekCrystal Boni

Kimberly BrowEbony BurnsGeorge CarterKimberly ClearyTravis CochranGraham Corriher Matson CoxeFranklin DavisAshley DeanChristopher DetwilerChristopher DodgeNicole DowningCody GilliansMelynn GlusmanAndrew GreenwoodDavid HerringJohn HoltonKevin JoyceMaria JuambeltzCharles Kabugo-

Musoke

Andrew KasperRick KleinDavid LanierJoseph LambertLindsey LynskeyStephanie MachKimberly McGannPavan MehrotraSara MilsteinKara MurphyArijit PaulMatthew PentzKatherine PerrettaDanielle PiñolSara QuickWill QuickTziporah SchwartzRobin SeelbachChannell SinghJoanna SpruillAnne Stewart

Douglas ThieVal VanTilburgTheresa VieraJamille WadeErnie WashingtonStuart WestAlex Wilson

Class oF 2011

Class oF 2012

200+D.J. Dore

100+Meriwether Evans Andrew Hennessy-

Strahs Adam Parker Nathan Schaal

WilsonFallon Speaker

75+Kandace DavisYolanda Fair Jeremy Freifeld Frederick Johnson Ashley Klein Zachary KohnAdam Lanier Ruth Sheehan Asher Spiller

50+Jean Abreu Jaha Avery Amy Bruch Amit Bhagwandass Sarah ChangVivian Connell Cameron EllisKelsey FeeheleyDanielle GonderingerChristopher Heaney Elizabeth Hill

Gideon Kaplan Joshua Kinard Jonathan MassellSonya Mochegova Nicole OlveraAgata Pelka Heather Petrovich Megha Shah Laura SloanJeremy SpearsNicolas ToscoJeffrey Trousdale

Maren Werts 25+Marc AllenAndrew Arnold Mark BowersRachel BradenAllison Brandt Andrew BrownMatthew Nigriny

Chesson Robert Crawford

Christina Cress Alexander CovingtonCaitlyn Culbertson Alexander DadokZackary Dawson Marshall DworkinAmanda Gladin-

Kramer Andrew Gregory Julie GrimleyRachel Hall Joshua Hayes

Elizabeth Hodge Brett Holladay Melissa HylandElizabeth Ireland Jennifer Kanzelberger Katherine KirtleyAleksandra Kozlowska Justin Lalor Elizabeth Ligon Sarah MillsJoseph Nienaber Zachary Padget

Ashley PayneMargaret Pishko Natalya RiceRobert Rivera Melody RowellHolly Safi Rachel Sasser William ScottDaniel Siegel Meghan SpearsKatherine Slager Hillary Smith

Holly Smith Lauren TapsonJessica Thaller Elizabeth Turgeon Casey Turner Margaret Walters Rebecca Williams Tansy Woan Rebecca Yang

Thank you,

Class of 2011, for

completing more than

14,000 hours of pro

bono service over

3 years!

2010–2011 PRO BONO PROgRAm PARtICIPAtINg StUDeNtS

sTudenT organizaTionsAmerican Constitution SocietyCarolina Street LawChild ActionChristian Legal SocietyCommunity Legal ProjectDeath Penalty ProjectDomestic Violence Action ProjectDriver’s License Restoration ProjectEducation Law and Policy SocietyEnvironmental Law ProjectHispanic and Latino Law Students AssociationImmigration Law AssociationLambda Law Students AssociationLaw Students for Reproductive JusticeNational Lawyers GuildStudent Animal Legal Defense Fund UNC Innocence ProjectVolunteer Income Tax AssistanceWomen in Law

laW FirMs & organizaTionsCenter for Death Penalty LitigationChapel Hill Police DepartmentDisability Rights N.C.Everett & EverettFair Trial InitiativeGlenn, Mills, Fisher & Mahoney, P.A.Indigent Defense ServicesInternational Medical Graduate Task ForceLaw Office of Hannah GarstLaw Office of James T. BryanLaw Offices of Glenn GerdingLeeAnne QuattrucciLegal Aid of N.C.Mississippi Center for JusticeThe N.C. Center on Actual InnocenceN.C. Equal Access to Justice CommissionN.C. Justice CenterN.C. Lawyers for Entrepreneurs Assistance ProgramN.C. Department of Justice - Transportation SectionN.C. Prisoner Legal ServicesNicholsonPhamN.C. Office of the Capital DefenderOrange County Public DefenderOrrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLPSouthern Coalition for Social JusticeUNC School of GovernmentUNC School of LawUNC Center for Civil Rights

YoUr giFt can maKe a DiFFerence!

Gifts to the Pro Bono Program are used to fund programming, fall, winter and spring trips, and new projects.

Thank you to the many alumni and friends of the program who donated funds over the last 14 years. If you would like to support the pro-gram, please send a check payable to UNC School of Law to the address on the back cover of this report or visit www.law.unc.edu/alumni/support/gift and on the online form, choose the Pro Bono Program gift designation.

Top Right: Orange County Chief District Court Judge Joe Buckner ’87 with Ramyn Atri 3L during a divorce hearing held in the UNC courtroom. Photo by Tom Fuldner.

Below: Neil Bagchi ’03, center, discusses how firms use pro bono in interviews and hiring with Ryan Ostrow 2L and Carla Hermida 2L at the alumni networking event “Get the Inside Scoop.” Photo by Nick Miller Above: Students visited Jackson, Miss., to work with the

Mississippi Center for Justice. Amelia Thompson 2L, center, assists plaintiffs involved in a civil suit against a housing authority that increased rent without notifying tenants.Photo by Katherine Kershaw.

PARtICIPAtINg StUDeNt ORgANIzAtIONS, LAW FIRmS & ORgANIzAtIONS

The UNC School of Law Pro Bono Program

is proud to announce an exciting new part-

nership with the Legal Assistance Office at the

Camp Lejeune Marine Corps military base

in Jacksonville, N.C. Michael Archer, regional

legal assistance officer with the Marine

Corps Installations East in Camp Lejeune,

N.C., will be working with UNC Law stu-

dents to protect Marines and their families

from consumer fraud. The Service Mem-

bers Civil Release Act is a federal law that

allows service members to be released from

contracts such as cell phones and credit cards

when they are deployed. The Judge Advocate

General is having a difficult time enforcing

this relatively new law, however, and viola-

tions are rampant. Service members and their

families are also particularly vulnerable to

predatory and dishonest business practices

around military bases. By utilizing law stu-

dent assistance in interviewing and preparing

affidavits from defrauded service members,

the Legal Assistance Office will be able to

enforce the Service Members Civil Release

Act and better business practices upon busi-

nesses and companies who take advantage of

service members.

MiliTary ConsuMer ProTeCTion ProjeCT

John Holton 2L assists a caller with election questions.

Phot

o by

Em

ily W

allw

ork

2010 eleCTion ProTeCTion

On November 2, the UNC School of Law Career Services Office was temporarily

converted into a call center for the election. In conjunction with the UNC Center for

Civil Rights and the national non-partisan Election Protection program, more than 50

law students staffed the phone bank from 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Students answered ques-

tions on polling places and absentee voting standards, and worked with local county Elec-

tion Boards to ensure that polling places were open on time and functioning.

Mark Dorosin, managing attorney of the UNC Center for Civil Rights, held a training

session on election law issues and prepared students to answer the wide array of ques-

tions that arose. Election Protection is a nationwide, non-partisan effort to assist voters in

exercising their right to vote. UNC School of Law served as the primary call center for

the state and fielded nearly 250 calls throughout the day.

An article published by The American Independent captured the students’ satisfaction

in seeing the power of law. “To be able to connect to someone who had their right to

vote denied them, either face to face or over the phone, and to inform them of the law

and of their rights, there’s just something very direct and empowering about that no mat-

ter who they’re voting for,” says Jeff Lakin 2L.

The Pro Bono Program would like to recognize and thank our supervising attorneys:

Yolanda McGill, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law

Carrie Hartley, DLA Piper, Raleigh, N.C.

Bob Hall, Democracy N.C.

John Kasprzak ’05, UNC School of Law

Mark Dorosin ’94, UNC Center for Civil Rights

Peter Gilbert ’09, UNC Center for Civil Rights

Elizabeth Haddix ’98, UNC Center for Civil Rights

WillS Project

This Fall Break, 20 UNC Law students

traveled to Moore and Richmond Counties

and met with clients at various work sites.

Students provided 37 clients with 122 ad-

vanced directives. Over Spring Break, the Pro

Bono Program sent 20 students to Eastern

North Carolina (ENC) and 10 students to

Western North Carolina (WNC). The ENC

students worked in a variety of communities

including Lenoir, Nash and Halifax Counties.

These students met with 71 clients and draft-

ed more than 150 documents. The WNC stu-

dents met with 30 clients in Watauga, Avery

and Alleghany Counties and drafted more

than 70 wills and advanced directives.

Not only were our students able to pro-

vide a valuable legal service for these clients,

but they were also able to gain practical le-

gal experience. With the help of supervising

attorneys, students met with clients, drafted

the desired documents and then reviewed the

various advanced directives with their clients

before the documents were executed.

“It feels good to know that I have writ-

ten documents that will have a real effect on

someone’s life,” says Fred Johnson 1L. Students

across the board expressed a similar sentiment.

meDical -legal PartnerShiP

The UNC School of Law Pro Bono Pro-

gram, Legal Aid of North Carolina’s Medi-

cal Legal Partnership and Mike Steiner, M.D.,

medical director of outpatient clinics at

UNC Children’s Hospitals, have partnered

to determine what legal issues might ex-

ist in conjunction with a patient’s medical

care. For example, if a child has a chronic

asthma problem as result of mold growing

in a rented apartment, there is a legal issue

where the landlord has a responsibility to

provide safe, habitable living conditions. By

working together, the teams hope to solve

the legal issue which has led to the medi-

cal issue and the medical issue itself. Other

potential legal issues include creditor-debtor

problems, issues with utilities companies, and

educational needs.

To carry out this work, UNC Pro Bono

has been fortunate to find a community part-

ner in Legal Aid of North Carolina (LANC).

LANC can help lead future pro bono work

both by supplying supervising attorneys and

providing oversight through its broad knowl-

edge base. LANC is especially eager to devote

its resources to solving problems attendant to

patients’ medical needs and to reach a new

client population through UNC Hospitals.

Future pro bono activities for UNC Law

students include: assisting with client intake,

researching particular legal issues, develop-

ing a pro se materials bank, helping with pro

se clinics, and assisting with the training of

hospital medical staff in identifying potential

legal problems. The partnership has also cre-

ated a summer internship position to assist in

researching potential models for the medical

and legal teams to employ, such as a patient

needs assessment questionnaire. We expect

this to be a long-term project with huge

growth potential out of these initial stages.

BroaD legal Ser v ice oPPortUnit ieS

This year, a total of 132 students participated

in 171 individual student projects. These two

projects in particular reflect the wide range

of pro bono opportunities available to our

students to serve the legal community.

SBi cr ime laB rev ieWIn March 2010, Attorney General Roy

Cooper ordered an investigation of blood

evidence in cases after an FBI investigation

found that agents of the State Bureau of In-

vestigation (SBI) repeatedly aided prosecutors

in obtaining convictions over a 16-year pe-

riod, mostly by misrepresenting blood evi-

dence and withholding critical information

from defense attorneys. Under the supervi-

sion of alumna Chris Mumma ’98 with the

N.C. Center on Actual Innocence, six Caro-

lina Law students completed internal research

on cases that were under review as a result of

the SBI Crime Lab’s investigation, potentially

helping to exonerate innocent prisoners.

orricK , herrington & SUtcl iFFe llP In New York City, alumnus Rene Kathawala

’96 of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP

supervised three students on a research proj-

ect with the Commonwealth Human Rights

Initiative to ensure that Indian authorities

adequately disclose information under the

Indian Right to Information law passed in

Over fall break, UNC law students, including Danielle Gonderinger 1L, center, with clients, traveled to Moore and Richmond Counties to help draft wills for low-income clients. Photo by Bethan Eynon.

BROAD LegAL SeRvICe OPPORtUNItIeS

2005. Public information officers, information

commissioners, and judges of the high court

in India will review the briefing paper com-

piled from the students’ collective research.

Divorce cl in ic

This year, the UNC School of Law Pro Bono

Program partnered with Legal Aid of North

Carolina to provide eligible clients with

simple divorces. Orange County Chief District

Court Judge Joe Buckner ’87 approached Beth

Posner, adjunct professor of law and Legal Aid

of N.C. attorney with the idea of helping pro

se litigants that were having difficulty navigat-

ing the divorce process.

“The divorce clinic was formed to meet

needs of low-income people who do not have

access to the resources necessary to obtain a

divorce … and to provide students with the

opportunity to represent real clients in court,”

says Posner. Students interview clients, prepare

pleadings and represent clients in a hearing be-

fore a judge.

This year, the clinic assisted eight clients.

neW orleanS tr iP anD hUrricane Katr ina oBSer vance event

Twenty-four students offered legal services in

New Orleans, La., during the Pro Bono

Program’s sixth annual NOLA trip over win-

ter break. Students worked with the Orleans

Public Defenders Office, the New Orleans Pro

Bono Project and Southeast Louisiana Legal

Services to work on cases involving intestate

successions, divorces, contractor fraud and

criminal law. Students learned about the chal-

lenges the city has faced post-Katrina through

one-on-one client interaction, and experi-

enced first hand the economic progress the

city has made in the past five years.

In remembrance of the fifth anniversary

of Hurricane Katrina, Pro Bono Board mem-

bers Shelly Anand 3L, Emily Morgan 3L and

Emily Wallwork 3L, along with pro bono

student volunteers, participated in a lunch-

time roundtable discussion at the Center for

the Study of the American South on Sept. 10,

2010. During the discussion, “Providing Legal

Assistance in Low-Income, Rural Communi-

ties in the South,” the students drew on their

experiences to explain the challenges associ-

ated with delivering pro bono services to low-

income families throughout the South and to

explore the ways the legal community can

continue to make progress.

PovertY center Panel

On Thurs., Sept. 16, 2010, the UNC Center

on Poverty, Work & Opportunity and the

UNC Law Pro Bono Program co-sponsored

a panel discussion entitled “Poor People’s Jus-

tice: Denying Access in Civil Cases.” The panel

featured Janet Ward Black, former president

of the North Carolina Bar Association and

North Carolina Trial Lawyers Association, and

George Hausen, executive director of Legal

Aid of North Carolina. Gene Nichol, professor

of law and the director of the UNC Center

on Poverty, Work & Opportunity, moderated

the discussion. The panel focused on the dif-

ficulties the poor face in accessing the civil le-

gal system, and what can be done to remedy

this problem.

lamBDa PoWer oF attorneY cl in ic

The Lambda Law Students Association seeks

to educate the Carolina Law community

about the legal, political and social issues fac-

ing the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and

questioning community. One of the ways

Lambda accomplishes this goal is by holding a

power-of-attorney clinic.

The clinic, which was held on Thursday,

Febuary 17, 2011, began with Lambda’s ex-

tensive North Carolina-specific “Know Your

Rights” presentation. This presentation cov-

ered topics including estate planning, protect-

ing children, navigating separations without

the procedures of divorce, and employment

discrimination, including the status of the

“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal.

After the presentation, 50 trained law

student volunteers worked with 23 same-sex

couples to complete health care power-of-

attorney paperwork. A local estate planning at-

torney supervised all of the work. In total, the

law students helped the clients execute a total

of 46 healthcare power of attorney documents.

“I was blown away by the breadth of infor-

mation at the ‘Know Your Rights’ presentation.

It broke down some huge, scary topics into

manageable synopses with easy take-home

messages,” says client Lauren Thie. “In the last

month alone, I have used the knowledge I

gained at the presentation in a variety of ways.”

With respect to the execution of the

healthcare power of attorney, Thie says she left

knowing where to disseminate copies and the

next steps to take. “I feel empowered and a

great deal more knowledgeable on basic issues

affecting me and my partner. I will definitely

recommend this clinic to couples I know.”

Divorce Clinic. First row, from left: Noor Kapoor 3L, Orange County Chief District Court Judge Joe Buckner ’87, Adjunct Professor of Law Beth Posner’97. Second row: Ryan Caban 2L, Rhonda Evans 3L, Parisa Haghshenas 3L, Rachel Blunk 3L. Third row: Alberto Montequin 3L, Ramyn Atri 3L, Alicia Kerr 3L, Jessica West 3L, Assistant Dean for Public Service Programs Sylvia Novinsky. Photo by Tom Fuldner.

2010 – 2011 Pro Bono Boarddirector: Emily Wallwork 3L alumni Coordinator: Hilary Blackwood 2Lattorney Projects Coordinator: Lauren Felter 3Lgroup Projects Coordinator: Elizabeth Morgan 2LPublic relations Coordinator: Nicholas Miller 2Lspecial Trips Coordinator: Bethan Eynon 2L

and Daniel Mangual 3LWinter Break/spring Break Coordinators:

Lauren Cranford 2L and Raina Shah 2L3l Class Coordinator: Shelly Anand 3L2l Class Coordinator: Carla Hermida 2L1l Class Coordinator: Meriwether Evans 1Ladvisor: Sylvia Novinsky, J.D., Assistant Dean

for Public Service Programs

2011 – 2012 Pro Bono Boarddirector: Bethan Eynon 3Lattorney Projects Coordinator: Yolanda Fair 2Lalumni outreach Coordinator:

Danielle Gonderinger 2Lgroup Projects Coordinator: Elizabeth Morgan 3Lnew Projects development Coordinator:

Lauren Cranford 3LPublic relations Coordinator: Jaha Avery 2Lspecial Trips Coordinators:

Adam Parker 2L and Andrew Brown 2LWinter Break/spring Break Coordinator:

Shonaka Ellison 3L3l Class Coordinator: Carla Hermida 3L2l Class Coordinator: Meriwether Evans 2Ladvisor: Sylvia Novinsky, J.D., Assistant Dean

for Public Service Programs

aBouT The unC laW Pro Bono PrograM

The mission of the UNC School of Law Pro Bono Program is to assist attorneys

who provide high-quality, low-cost legal services to individuals in need and to create

a lifelong commitment to pro bono work among UNC School of Law students. The

program began in the fall of 1997 and since then has filled thousands of placements

with attorneys in non-profit organizations, private practice, and North Carolina’s legal

services organizations. The program is administered by 12 law students who work to

match students with placement needs.

The program is the central point for all pro bono activities at the law school and

maintains a database to keep track of student pro bono work. When students complete

50 hours of pro bono service, they receive a letter of recognition from the dean. Stu-

dents performing more than 75 hours of pro bono service receive a certificate from

the North Carolina Bar Association and the law school acknowledging their service at

the end of their third year. At graduation the law school recognizes students who have

performed more than 100 hours of pro bono service. Furthermore, all students with

more than 50 hours of pro bono service earn a notation on their transcript. The Pro

Bono Program operates primarily from August to April, with special projects occurring

during the fall, winter, and spring breaks.

For more information please contact:

UNC School of Law Pro Bono Program, CB# 3380

Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3380 | Phone: 919.962.5685

www.law.unc.edu/studentlife/probono

van Hecke-Wettach Hall 160 Ridge Rd., CB # 3380Chapel Hill, NC 27599www.law.unc.edutwitter.com/unc_law

unC law Pro Bono Program Students and Lawyers Making a Difference

Back row, from left: Assistant Dean for Public Service Programs Dean Sylvia Novinsky, Emily Wallwork 3L, Bethan Eynon 2L, Shelly Anand 3L, Raina Shah 2L, Daniel Mangual 3L, Carla Hermida 2L, Hilary Blackwood 2L, Lauren Cranford 2L

Front row, from left: Elizabeth Morgan 2L, Lauren Felter 3L, Meriwether Evans 1L, Nicholas Miller 2L