NC Pro Bono Resource Center: Helping You Overcome Hurdles to Pro Bono Work

One of the ways NCAJ members serve NCAJ’s mission of protecting people’s rights is through their commitment to pro bono work. This past spring, over 20 NCAJ members were recognized by the North Carolina Supreme Court for having reported over 50 hours of pro bono legal services work in 2017. We are so proud of, and grateful for, these NCAJ members’ pro bono participation!

When we talk to attorneys across the state, we consistently hear that attorneys want to do pro bono work and deeply value the service element of our profession. In fact, most of the attorneys we speak with chose to become lawyers in order to “make a difference” in the world. However, given the demands that accompany our profession, it not always easy to do pro bono work.  Common barriers to pro bono include an inability to find pro bono projects, feeling overworked and unable to commit the time necessary to do pro bono, and feeling unequipped to handle a pro bono project outside of one’s regular practice area.

We are here to help you overcome these hurdles!

Launched in 2016 by the NC Equal Access to Justice Commission, the NC Pro Bono Resource Center is a statewide pro bono resource center ready to help YOU with your goals to increase pro bono work. The NC Pro Bono Resource Center serves as a clearinghouse for pro bono projects, provides trainings and CLEs to assist attorney volunteers and nonprofit service providers, and recruits and connects volunteers directly to projects. We also work with our legal and community partners to create impactful pro bono clinics and other pro bono projects which directly serve North Carolinians who would not otherwise have representation.

Let us help you find pro bono projects in your community, in your area of expertise, and that fit into your schedule! We can also help you become trained in a new area of law so that you can confidently assist pro bono clients and, perhaps, expand your practice area.

Visit ncprobono.org to learn more about available pro bono opportunities, including:

Triangle Area
NC Justice Center Driver’s License Restoration Project

Mecklenburg Co Area 
Custody Advocacy Program

Western NC
Mountain Area Volunteer Lawyer (MAVL) Project is administered by Pisgah Legal Services

 Anywhere in NC
Catholic Legal Immigration Network’s BIA Pro Bono Appeals Project

Don’t forget that voluntary pro bono reporting from the previous year occurs from January 1- March 31. Keep track of your hours throughout the year and log them during this time at ncprobono.org/volunteer/reporting/.

*Rule of Professional Conduct 6.1 encourages each NC attorney to provide 50 hours of pro bono legal services each year to those unable to afford them without expectation of a fee.