WardBlackLaw, protecting people's right

Janet Ward Black, president of the North Carolina Bar Association, announced this weekend the launching of the NCBA’s “4ALL” campaign to improve access to legal services for North Carolina’s poor.  The campaign has a year long calendar of activities, which will culminate in a state wide legal services day on April 4, 2008. On that day, North Carolinians will be able to call a toll free number and ask questions of attorneys all across the state for free.

“4ALL” is an updated twist on “one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all” in the Pledge of Allegiance. “Justice for all,” Black said, “is a cornerstone of our democracy.”

Legal Aid of North Carolina provides attorneys for low income North Carolinians. It has 122 lawyers in 24 regional offices to serve almost 3 million people in the state.  “Legal Aid is unable to provide the necessary representation at current staffing levels,” Black said.

The “4ALL Campaign” will educate lawyers and the public about poverty in North Carolina and the shortcomings of current legal aid resources to serve that population. It will work with NC Supreme Court Chief Justice Sarah Parker who is convening the first ever public summit on the provision of legal services to the poor on October 12th in Raleigh. “Chief Justice Parker’s summit will focus attention on this important issue for the legal community, the public and North Carolina lawmakers.”

North Carolina has a population of 8.2 million people as of the 2005 Census, having doubled since 1950. Of these people, 2.9 million qualify for legal services under federal poverty guidelines.

Currently, Legal Aid of North Carolina’s 122 lawyers have the resources to serve only about 20% of those eligible for services because of inadequate staff.  The other 80% must deal with issues such as domestic violence, child custody/support, predatory lending, consumer fraud, without legal help.

The average income of Legal Aid clients is only $9,100 annually.  Of the people Legal Aid is able to help, 80% are the working poor and 75% are women.

Black said in her inaugural remarks which kicked off the campaign this past weekend:  "The result of an eighty percent unmet need is small children unprotected from family violence; parents who can’t collect child support or avail themselves of legal solutions to remove themselves from abuse. Senior citizens, many victims of predatory lending, lose their homes to foreclosure.  Seriously ill children are denied medical treatment because of a mass of public benefit red tape they can’t wade through.  Every North Carolinian deserves access to justice, not just those who can afford it.”

For more information on the 4ALL initiative at the North Carolina Bar Association website, click here.

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