The North Carolina Pro Bono Resource Center is proud to highlight the work of attorneys making a difference through pro bono.
Graham, who joined McGuireWoods in 2013, first became involved in pro bono work through the Council for Children’s Rights (CCR) in 2014. He received training from CCR and began to help provide legal representation to children with custody, abuse and neglect, and other concerns.
Now Graham leads a monthly consumer relief clinic for the Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy. The clinic provides legal assistance to low-income individuals on consumer disputes like unfair debt collections, car repossessions, and other predatory and fraudulent practices. In addition to serving an average of 50 clients a year, the clinic he leads frees up staff resources that allow the Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy to serve more clients.
In September, Graham helped a client keep her new vehicle after a car dealership threatened to repossess it. In April, he helped a client win a default judgment and an award for treble damages in a case against a construction company that allegedly performed shoddy work on her mother’s home without a permit.
“While some cases are not a matter of life and death, they still have a real impact on people,” Graham said. “I recognize the cases we handle at the consumer clinic are not going to make the headlines, but, hopefully, we make headlines in our clients’ lives and that’s what matters.”
In 2016, Graham spent over 120 hours on pro bono matters. He was inducted into both the first and second class of the North Carolina Pro Bono Honor Society in 2016 and 2017 through the NC Pro Bono Resource Center.