Additional Pro Bono Projects

This is a virtual legal advice portal where income-eligible individuals can ask civil legal questions. On the ABA Free Legal Answers Federal site, attorneys with VA accreditation can sign up to volunteer to answer veterans questions about VA benefits, discharge upgrades, and similar veteran legal issues. To answer state-specific legal questions, such as a family law or housing question, visit the main ABA Free Legal Answers website and sign up with your State.

The ABA Military Pro Bono Project offers attorneys two ways to help: (1) Sign up to stay updated about pro bono case opportunities to provide representation to military members; and (2) Register with Operation Stand-By to receive calls or emails from military attorneys or other pro bono attorneys in need of attorney-to-attorney guidance.

Partnership between the ABA Commission on Immigration and HIAS. Links to pro bono opportunities with partner organizations (such as Human Rights First and American Immigration Lawyers' Association); free webinar series provides training to attorneys to help asylum seekers. Malpractice insurance through HIAS for application preparation. Volunteers would need alternate coverage if they choose to represent a client at an interview.

The Appellate Pro Bono Project seeks pro bono attorneys to help pro se litigants for cases before the NC Court of Appeals or the NC Supreme Court that meet the following requirements: (1) The appeal involves one or more pro se litigants who would qualify for in forma pauperis status, as set out in N.C. Gen. Stat. § 1-288, regardless of whether the litigant has applied for in forma pauperis status; (2) The appeal presents at least one non-frivolous issue; and (3) The pro se litigant consents to be represented by a pro bono attorney and an attorney, chosen from a list maintained by the NCBA’s Appellate Practice Section, consents to represent the litigant free of charge. The Program will be coordinated by the Pro Bono Committee of the N.C. Court of Appeals, which will consist of Court of Appeals judges selected by the Court, and by the NCBA’s Appellate Practice Section and its Pro Bono Committee.

We provide pro bono support on a wide variety of cases, from asylum to green card defense to 212(h) waivers to habeas petitions. Types of cases include: Children’s Asylum Your pro bono role would include preparing the application and submitting it to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”), accompanying the child to an asylum interview by a USCIS official and appearing in Immigration Court to inform the Court of the USCIS process. Adult Asylum Your pro bono role would include applying for asylum, “withholding of removal” and/or protection under the “Convention Against Torture” using the I-589 form, client and country conditions documents, a legal brief and appearing in Immigration Court for a merits hearing. Special Immigrant Juvenile Status Your pro bono role would include appearing in state family court to obtain an order that the child meets the requirements for SIJS, preparing and submitting an SIJS application package with USCIS, and appearing with the child at a USCIS interview, if required. (must be licensed in Maryland or Virginia) Green Card Defense Your pro bono role would include preparing an application that demonstrates the LPR’s qualification for Cancellation of Removal and highlighting the positive equities of the client’s background and appearing in Immigration Court for a merits hearing. Family Hardship Defense Available to noncitizens who have been present in the U.S. for at least 10 years. It is a one-time chance to obtain a Green Card upon establishing that they have good moral character and that denial of their application would result in extreme hardship to a parent, child, or spouse who is a U.S. citizen or a Green Card holder. Federal Habeas Corpus A special form of relief available to noncitizens that face prolonged or indefinite detention, with the goal of securing their release. The habeas petition is filed in the federal district court near the detention facility that holds the client. Our pro bono teams represent both adults and children in habeas proceedings. Board of Immigration Appeals A BIA appeal asks the Board of Immigration Appeals to review a decision issued by an Immigration Judge. These cases are adjudicated entirely on the papers, beginning with the form EOIR-26 and then through a written brief. Motion to Reopen A motion to reopen (MTR) asks the Immigration Court to reopen proceedings after the Immigration Judge has rendered a decision, so that the Immigration Judge can consider new facts or evidence in the case. These are decided entirely on the papers and take between 2-5 months. T Visas Your pro bono role would include preparing an application and submitting the paperwork along with form I-914 to USCIS. Adult applicants must also include a certification from law enforcement officials. There is no interview or hearing. U Visas Your pro bono role would include securing a certification from law enforcement officials that the applicant was helpful and submit the certification with form I-918, a cover letter, and a personal statement to USCIS. There is no interview or hearing.

Need family law attorneys to volunteer do complete 1 Custody with Visitation or Child Support Modification case per year.

Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy helps people in the Charlotte, North Carolina, region who cannot afford legal services, but desperately need them. Without legal representation in civil matters, thousands of families can lose access to financial security, healthcare, housing and opportunity. Through its Community Redevelopment Project, Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy helps low-income N.C. residents get their criminal records expunged. Expunctions remove past dismissed charges and convictions of misdemeanors and minor felonies on eligible criminal records by a court order. We are seeking pro bono attorneys to take on expungement cases. Without pro bono volunteers, these would otherwise appear on background checks when applying for housing and employment. More than one in five North Carolinians has a criminal record. Too often, individuals are automatically denied employment, housing, and other opportunities, based on past involvement with the criminal justice system, including dismissed charges and long-ago convictions. Through our individual representation and advocacy, we seek to help people with a criminal record have a fair chance at productive citizenship. We offer trainings to attorneys outside of their practice area. We also provide a tool kit with the necessary materials to take the case. The Advocacy Center staff provide ongoing assistance and co-counsel is welcome and encouraged! You would enjoy expunction work if: You want to work directly with clients. You are excited about eliminating barriers to opportunity in North Carolina. You want to volunteer but have limited or inconsistent time to do so. You want to learn more about re-entry and criminal justice reform.

The Compass Center is an organization that provides domestic violence and self-sufficiency services to survivors throughout the triangle area. Compass Center understands how financial barriers negatively impacts survivors of domestic violence and seeks to provide accurate and accessible legal information to clients at no cost to them. The Community Legal Project connects Compass Center clients to UNC law students who draft memoranda providing information about a client's specific legal needs, relating to family law or landlord/tenant claims. The program maintains a directory of volunteer attorneys who review student memos before transmission to clients. Not only does the program provide an important service, but it also has the benefit of exposing attorneys to potential clients. The program thrives off of the generosity of our volunteer attorney reviewers, and we are in great need of new volunteers for this vital pro-bono opportunity.

Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy helps people in the Charlotte, North Carolina, region who cannot afford legal services, but desperately need them. Without legal representation in civil matters, thousands of families can lose access to financial security, healthcare, housing and opportunity. Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy is dedicated to ending the debilitating cycle of poverty and helping local families build wealth and prepare for the future. By protecting consumers from fraudulent practices that can take away a family home, income and transportation, Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy promotes economic mobility for all in the community. Consumer protection cases preserve individual rights and income against bad actors in the marketplace. Pro bono cases include home and auto fraud, protection from predatory loans, bankruptcy, landlord-tenant cases, etc. There are several areas of need in our community, all of which offer great opportunities for longstanding commitments to clients and to learn about a variety of legal issues. All of this work ensures safe housing, family security, and stable income. We offer trainings to attorneys outside of their practice area. We also provide a tool kit with the necessary materials to take the case. The Advocacy Center staff provide ongoing assistance and co-counsel is welcome and encouraged! You would enjoy consumer protection work if: Longstanding client-attorney relationships are important to you. You are excited about preserving client livelihoods in Charlotte-Mecklenburg. You enjoy being challenged and learning about new practice areas.

The Custody Advocacy Program is appointed by Mecklenburg County Family Court Judges to advocate for the best interests of children in custody cases in which the issues of and/or between their parents threatens to impede the judge’s inquiry into and determination of the children’s best interests. What We Do: CAP accepts court appointments to represent the best interests of children whose parents are engaged in high-conflict custody cases in Mecklenburg County. These cases can involve allegations such as sexual or physical abuse, substance abuse, parental alienation, mental health issues, living conditions, and domestic violence, and are often some of the most difficult cases to resolve. Our program utilizes a structured team approach to investigate each case. Each team consists of a staff attorney, a volunteer attorney, and a lay custody advocate. We investigate all the circumstances and the facts of the case by interviewing clients and collateral witnesses, conducting home visits, and gathering a variety of records and documents, which enables us to take a position regarding what is in the children’s best interest. What We Don’t Do: We are unable to take custody related cases over the phone as we only take court-appointed cases. We cannot answer custody questions or hear about a case that we have not been appointed to because this can compromise our neutrality if a judge later appoints us to become involved in the case. When we are court appointed to a case, we never represent adults or parents involved. We only represent the best interests of the child(ren) involved.