* Cases
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The list below provides some (not all) of the cases for which pro bono attorneys are needed.

Assuming cases on a pro bono basis also provides attorneys with valuable litigation experience. Legal aid programsactively recruit, train, mentor, and co-counsel with volunteer (pro bono) attorneys to help them handle the many complex and changing legal issues unique to the practice of civil poverty law.

To volunteer pro bono service for any of the cases, simply telephone the"Contact" Click on office listed at the top of each case/project to view the local PAI ("Private Attorney Involvement") coordinator's name/contact information.

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Case Available for Pro bono:
LANC-WIlson Office, Consumer Rights (Wilson County)
PBO#: WILS-009-2008
DESCRIPTION: The client wished to buy a motor scooter from a dealer in Simms, NC. The dealer would not extend credit to him. On 6/6/08 a sales agreement was struck in which his employer was shown as the buyer. The total sales price for the scooter and the required helmet was $1900. The agreement states that failure to pay within 30 days of the due date will be considered a default and the scooter will be repossessed. The client authorized a payroll deduction of $200 to cover this purchase. On 9/11/08 the salesman came to the client's residence to repossess the scooter. The client asked to be allowed to call his employer for the September payment. The salesman said he would not accept the September payment, and that unless the balance of $900 was paid immediately, the scooter would be sold in 30 days. On 9/15/08 the client's employer drove him to the scooter shop with the $200.00 September payment. The salesman repeated that he would not accept anything except $900.00 to avert the repossession and re-sale in 30 days. It appears that the decision to repossess the scooter may have occurred after the client's employer informed the salesman that he no longer wanted to be the person "on the hook" in this arrangement.
DESIRED OUTCOME: To get the client his scooter or a refund of his payments.
CONTACT: Kin Thompson, PAI Coordinator. 1-800-682-7902
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Case Available for Pro bono:
LANC-WIlson Office,Birth Certificate(Lenoir County)
PBO#: WILS-008-2008
DESCRIPTION: This 88-year-old lady was born in 1919 in Kinston and now lives in NJ. She is having problems renewing her NJ driver's license because she has no birth certificate. She will also have problems obtaining a state ID and may not be able to get benefits or services such as food stamps, SSDI, Medicaid, etc. if she is not able to prove her identity. Because her parents were not married at the time of her birth, there may be some discrepancy as to whether her legal name at birth was her mother's maiden name or her father's surname. Legal Aid in NJ has done extensive research into this matter, and their findings are available.
DESIRED OUTCOME: To generate legally acceptable proof of client's date of birth and preserve her NC driver's license.
CONTACT: Kin Thompson, PAI Coordinator. 1-800-682-7902

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Case Available for Pro bono:
LANC-WIlson Office, Birth Certificate (Edgecombe County)
PBO#: WILS-007-2008
DESCRIPTION: The client is a 76-year-old lady in Rocky Mount, whose only income is Social Security payments of $637.00 per month. She needs a birth certificate to renew her driver's license, on which her continued self-sufficiency depends. When she tried to renew it this year, she was told that she would need to get proof of her date of birth due to conflicting information in several sources.The lady was born in Saratoga, NC (Wilson County). Her birth was attended by a midwife who incorrectly listed the client's mother's name on the birth certificate and did not put the client's name on it at all. This birth certificate that shows the client's date of birth 6/20/1932, which is the date the Social Security Administration lists as the client's date of birth. A 1940 U.S. Census record shows that she was 8 years old that year. Her family moved to Edgecombe County when the lady was small. Edgecombe County School records that would have recorded her date of birth were destroyed in the 1999 hurricane floods. Her marriage license shows that she was 22 on 12/23/1953. Her last driver's license showed her date of birth as 5/18/1931.
DESIRED OUTCOME: To generate legally acceptable proof of client's date of birth and preserve her NC driver's license.
CONTACT: Kin Thompson, PAI Coordinator. 1-800-682-7902
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Case Available for Pro bono:
LANC-Pembroke Office, Consumer (Robeson County)
PBO#: PEMB-001-2008
DESCRIPTION: A disabled senior citizen on a fixed income entered into a home repair contract in April 2008. The contractor was to: take up and replace all damaged floors in her house; cut and replace sheetrock; take out and replace kitchen cabinets; take down kitchen bar; install a new dishwasher; install countertops; replace missing molding; paint inside of home; install new front door; install carpet and vinyl rug; install new front window; install back door; take down underpinning; and install insulation under the home. The contract price was $4,685 and client was to purchase the carpet and vinyl. In addition, to paying contractor $3,000 on this contract, client also paid him $1,200 to underpin her mobile home with brick, but does not have a written contract for this. Since this time contractor has brought some bricks to her home and has placed tar paper on the floor and plywood through about one-half of home. The client has been told the work must be redone, as it has been done incorrectly. He also installed the back door and a window incorrectly, leaving large gaps between the door, window, and walls. At this point the lady has made several unsuccessful attempts to contact contractor. Another contractor has given the client an estimate for $5,570 to repair the damage original contractor has done and to complete the repairs (except for the bricks).
DESIRED OUTCOME: Reimbursement of money paid to contractor and payment for any damages he did to her house.
CONTACT: David Richardson, Staff Attorney (Legal Aid of NC-Pembroke Office), 910-521-2831
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Case Available for Pro bono:
LANC-Greenville Office, Negotion of Payments to IRS (Carteret County)
PBO#GREV-006-2008
DESCRIPTION: A 63-year-old lady needs assistance in working out a payment arrangement with the IRS. She initially failed to file returns for 2000, 2003, 2005, and 2006, but she has now provided returns to the IRS for all those years. She was laid off from her job in November 2004 and began to receive unemployment benefits. She began self-employment as a web designer/graphic artist lived mostly off her savings. Her current monthly income is from her business andin Social Security benefits. She does not dispute the debt, but needs assistance in negotiating the matter with the IRS.
DESIRED OUTCOME: Manageable monthly payment with the IRS.
CONTACT: Ayanda Meachem, PAI Coordinator. (252) 758-0113 ext. 104
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Case Available for Pro bono:
LANC-Greenville Office, Negotion of Payments to IRS (Beaufort County)
PBO#GREV-005-2008
DESCRIPTION: Clients are an elderly married couple. They both have severe health problems. The wife is partially paralyzed and has been receiving disability payments for approximately 20 years; the husband has been on a feeding tube for two years. Their monthly payments for out-of-pocket medical expenses and their mortgage leave them almost no money for food. The IRS is levying her disability pension and his social security for payments due for the years 1997-2003. The clients don't dispute the debt, but would like to lower the monthly payments to the IRS. They are also worried about this debt passing on to their heirs and would like information on that subject. The clients are very nice and extremely cooperative.
DESIRED OUTCOME:Lower monthly payment with the IRS; advice about outstanding IRS debt for their heirs.
CONTACT: Ayanda Meachem, PAI Coordinator. (252) 758-0113 ext. 104

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Case Available for Pro bono:
LANC-Greenville Office, Insolvency Exemption-Elderly Couple (Nash County)
PBO#GREV-004-2008
DESCRIPTION: This 69-year-old client's husband received a deficiency notice in 2008 from the IRS for approximately $11,000. Client and her husband failed to file tax returns for 2001 through 2004 after her husband became extremely ill. Also around that time, the couple's 6 month old (now 8-year-old) great-granddaughter was placed in their care by Social Services. The IRS filed a substitute return for the couple for 2002. LANC had returns prepared for 2001 through 2003 and they have been submitted to the IRS. (If client had timely filed, she would have received refunds for each of those years.) The clients became insolvent and lost their home in 2004, and a resulting 1099 was sent to the IRS. The IRS is requesting a return be filed for 2004. The client needs assistance in requesting an insolvency exemption for 2004 and in dealing with any remaining balance (if there is one). The family's only income comes from Social Security and Social Security Disability. Clients are extremely cooperative and willing to help in any way they can.
DESIRED OUTCOME:Assist clients in requesting an insolvency exemption for 2004 and in dealing with any remaining balance they owe the IRS (if any).
CONTACT: Ayanda Meachem, PAI Coordinator. (252) 758-0113 ext. 104

______________________________________________Case Available for Pro bono:
LANC-Wilmington Office, Real Estate/Deed. (New HanoverCounty)
PBO#WILM-002-2008
DESCRIPTION: Client is a 98-year-old widow, who appears to be incompetent. Her adult daughter is acting on her behalf through a durable power of attorney. The daughter has discovered that the title to her mother's very modest house is clouded because: (1) deeds to it have been granted to third parties, and (2) the client granted the property to her grandson after she became incompetent.
DESIRED OUTCOME: To establish the client as the legal owner of this property.
CONTACT: Lisa Sorenson, PAI Coordinator, 1-800-672-9304

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Case Available for Pro bono:
LANC-Durham Office, Estate/Real Estate. (Durham County)
PBO#DURH-005-2008
DESCRIPTION: A 74-year-old widow has been paying property taxes on a 15-acre parcel of land in Roxboro since 1961. She thinks she inherited the lot by intestacy from her husband, who died in the 1960's. She thinks her husband and his now deceased brother inherited the property by intestacy from their mother. The brothers had 11 children between them. It appears that the land has most likely passed by intestacy multiple times in 87 years. Client would like to leave her interest in the land to both brothers' offspring.
DESIRED OUTCOME: Establish, record and protect client's interest in the property in question.
CONTACT: Sharon C. Council, PAI Coordinator. 1-800-331-7594
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Case Available for Pro bono:
LANC-Durham Office, Landlord's Unlawful Property Conversion. (Durham County)PBO#DURH-004-2008
DESCRIPTION: Client is the mother of three minor children. Her former landlord obtained a judgment evicting her from his property. Before the 10-day period lapsed in which the client had the legal right to remove her belongings, the landlord and his associates removed all her property from inside the house and took her car. The car was sold for scrap. The disposition of the rest of the client's property is not known. The client has great difficulty keeping her job and caring for her children without her car. Legal Aid of NC attorney Roger Cook would like to collaborate on this case, as he is handling a similar one and can share valuable information about landlord/tenant law and access to Legal Aid "go by" pleadings.
DESIRED OUTCOME: Client's compensation for her property, in excess of $10,000.
CONTACT: Sharon C. Council, PAI Coordinator. 1-800-331-7594

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Case Available for Pro bono:
LANC-Greensboro Office, Chapter 7 Bankruptcy. (Rowan County)
PBO#GREE-002-2008
DESCRIPTION:Client is a 42-year-old single gentleman. In 1996, he was disabled as the result of a work-related accident when he was caught in the extrusion machine at a rope factory. A plate was surgically placed in his neck. His medical bills were paid, he received a settlement of $18,000, and he signed a release. While he was waiting to collect disability benefits, he ran up large credit card bills. His health has deteriorated, with blown disks and polyps in his back. He would like to file a Chapter 7 bankruptcy to protect his manufactured home and land against possible future judgments.
DESIRED OUTCOME:To file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection.
CONTACT:Renee Gabriel-Alford, PAI Coordinator. 336-272-0148.
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Case Available for Pro bono:
LANC-Greenville Office, IRS/Earned Income Tax Credit. (Beaufort County)
PBO#GREV-003-2008
DESCRIPTION: Client owes the IRS approximately $12,000 for the 2002 through 2007 tax years because he was denied the Earned Income Tax Credit for those years. He and his wife resided together with the minor children for all of the tax years in question. According to the client, he was living with his wife and their two children in New York in 2002 and 2003 and filed as married filing separately for those two years. He says that although their living situation did not change, they changed their filing status to married filing jointly for tax years 2004-2007. The client has provided the IRS documentation regarding the minor children two times. The IRS says that the documents he has already sent to them are insufficient to claim the tax credit. The client needs assistance in negotiating this matter with the IRS.
DESIRED OUTCOME: Prove to the IRS that client is entitled to the EITC for 2002-2007.
CONTACT:Ayanda Meachem, PAI Coordinator. (252) 758-0113 ext. 104.
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Case Available for Pro bono:
LANC-Greenville Office, IRS/Earned Income Tax Credit. (Craven County)
PBO#GREV-002-2008
DESCRIPTION:The father of three young children (ages 5, 3 and a newborn) needs to provide proof to the IRS that his children lived with him. In 2005, he received the EITC for the five year old and the three year old. The problem arose when the new baby arrived and was claimed on his 2006 tax return. Client was told by the tax preparer that he could only claim the youngest two children on the 2006 tax return, although the five-year-old continued to live with him. Now the IRS is withholding his EITC payment until he can prove that the children lived with him. Client is very cooperative and says he will have no trouble collecting documents to prove the children have lived with him.
DESIRED OUTCOME:Assist client with collecting his 2005 EITC payment.
CONTACT:Ayanda Meachem, PAI Coordinator. (252) 758-0113 ext. 104.
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Case Available for Pro bono:
LANC-Greenville Office, IRS/Late Filing. (Greene County)
PBO# GREV-001-2008
DESCRIPTION:Client failed to file tax returns for 2001 through 2006. Returns for each year have been completed now. She needs assistance working out an installment agreement with the IRS for the amounts that she owes for 2004, 2005, and 2006. She is very nice and extremely cooperative. No travel should be necessary, as typically cases of this sort are resolved via phone calls and faxed messages with the IRS.
DESIRED OUTCOME:Assist client in negotiating a payment plan with the IRS.
CONTACT:Ayanda Meachem, PAI Coordinator. (252) 758-0113 ext. 104.
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Case Available for Pro bono:
LANC-Durham Office,Termination of Parental Rights/Adoption. (Durham County)
PBO#DURH-003-2008
DESCRIPTION:Client is a referral from Duke Pediatric Care Center. She is in the process of adopting a 2 month old baby boy who has been in her physical custody since birth. The baby's biological mother is a willing participant in the adoption, because she conceived the baby as the result of a gang rape. She has signed a consent for adoption form already. The client is working through a private adoption agency in Charlotte, through which she has already adopted a child. She would like assistance with obtaining the termination of the unknown biological father's parental rights so that she can complete this adoption application, which she feels she can do alone, as she did before.
DESIRED OUTCOME:Terminate the parental rights of unknown sexual assailant.
CONTACT:Sharon C. Council, PAI Coordinator, 1-800-331-7594
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Case Available for Pro bono:
LANC-Wilmington Office, Handicapped Access.(New Hanover County)
PBO#WILM-001-2008
DESCRIPTION:A 39-year-old widowed, disabled mother was refused service at two businesses-a restaurant and a riverboat--in Wilmington because both facilities refused to admit her service dog. The client was actually visiting Wilmington from Colorado, where she still resides, but she can arrange for travel to NC as necessary to assist with her case. The client has pulmonary complications, severe arthritis, impaired hearing, limited vision and bi-polar disorder.
DESIRED OUTCOME:Investigate client's claim of illegal discrimination and pursue it as indicated.
CONTACT:Lisa Sorenson, PAI Coordinator, 1-800-672-9304
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Case Available for Pro bono
LANC-Wilson Office,Unfair/Deceptive Trade Practice. (Nash County)
PBO# WILS-006-2008
DESCRIPTION:A 20-year-old single mother, whose only income is $623/month in disability benefits, purchased a car jointly with a friend from a Rocky Mount dealership. They made a down payment of $1,800. The total cost of the car was supposed to be $6500. The purchase agreement given to the client did not specify a purchase amount, amount financed, or down payment amount, and it was blank in the boxes for Truth in Lending Disclosures. The payment book the ladies later received showed that they had purchased the car for $11,000.00, with a $4,800.00 down payment, and that they were making payments on a net balance of $6,200. The dealer has produced another copy of the purchase agreement, with the Truth in Lending Disclosures and price, interest, and down payment amount now included-and showing 45 monthly payments due in the amount of $275, for a total financed amount twice as high as the purchasers were told they would pay.
DESIRED OUTCOME:To investigate this matter for evidence of unfair and deceptive trade practices and obtain any remedy to which the client is entitled.
CONTACT: Kin Thompson, PAI Coordinator, 1-800-682-7902

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Case Available for Pro bono
LANC-Greensboro Office, Landlord's Conversion of Property. (Randolph County)
PBO#GREE-001-2008
DESCRIPTION: A young family--husband, wife and 3 children--while in the process of moving from one residence to another, stayed one night at the new residence. The following day when they went to collect the rest of their belongings from their previous apartment, they found the house empty and all of their belongings missing. Some of their property was outside where it had been damaged by the rain or by being thrown on the ground. A witness saw one of the clients' two former landlords remove the items, and also saw people stopping on the side of the road to go through them. One of the landlords admits to entering the home and removing the property.
DESIRED OUTCOME:Compensation to client in an amount between $3800 - $7500 for loss of his belongings.
CONTACT:Renee Gabriel-Alford, PAI Coordinator, 336-272-0148, ext. 319
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Case Available for Pro bono
LANC-Wilson Office, DMV/Family Law. (Wilson County)
PBO# WILS-005-2008
DESCRIPTION: A 93 year old lady in Wilson needs a birth certificate to renew her NC driver's license. (Staff at the Legal Aid of NC office in Wilson vow that this lady could pass for 60 anywhere on Earth!) The client passed her most recent license renewal test. However, due to new DMV requirements, she must produce a birth certificate by the end of July. Her problem is that it doesn't appear that a birth certificate was ever filed for her. Further, her dates of birth shown on several public documents do not match up. The birth date on her current license is March 15, 1924. The Social Security Administration has a birth date of August 5, 1914, which is the same date she gave the Legal Aid staff. An application for Social Security Account Number, completed on September 22, 1949, lists her birth date as August 27, 1921. She has school records with birth dates of August 18, 1920 and September 16, 1920. The family Bible containing family birth records was destroyed in a fire. This lady's only income is $662.00 per month in Social Security benefits, so she clearly cannot afford to pay for legal help.
DESIRED OUTCOME: Generate legally acceptable proof of client's date of birth and preserve her NC driver's license.
CONTACT: Kin Thompson, PAI Coordinator, 1-800-682-7902

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Case Available for Pro bono
LANC-Wilson Office, Contract/Insurance (Wayne County)
PBO#WILS-004-2008
DESCRIPTION:The client's mother died in November 2007. The company from whom she purchased life insurance is refusing to pay the proceeds, alleging that thedecedent made a material misrepresentation on the insurance application involving "a stroke and left side paralysis." The client's mother was temporarily paralyzed in 1996 after being assaulted, but she regained her ability to walk after surgery. She was not diagnosed as having a stroke. It does not appear that the client's mother intentionally made any material misrepresentation, if in fact she did at all.
DESIRED OUTCOME:To dispute the insurance company's decision to deny payment of the $10K provided by her deceased mother's life insurance policy.
CONTACT:Kin Thompson, PAI Coordinator, 1-800-682-7902
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Case Available for Pro bono
LANC-Fayetteville Office, Elder Abuse/Real Estate. (Cumberland County)
PBO# FAYE-001-2008
DESCRIPTION:Client (an 83-year-old) divorcee permitted her daughter (who is now in her fifties) to move into her home some years ago along with the daughter's then minor daughter. The client at the time was the sole owner of the property. Eventually, under pressure from her daughter, that may have included the abuse described below, the client put the house in a living trust with herself as trustee and her daughter as sole beneficiary. In 2000, after the daughter promised to assist with the mortgage and other bills, the client added her daughter's name to the deed. In 2007 the daughter was evicted from the property pursuant to a court order after repeatedly threatening the client and assaulting her, sometimes with dangerous weapons. The violence escalated when the client's 90-year-old sister moved into the house. The daughter did not assist with the bills as promised, even letting the electricity get turned off in the winter of 2007 in retaliation for her eviction. After the first eviction the daughter, aided by her daughter, reentered the client's house in violation of the Domestic Violence Protection Order. Legal Aid helped the client get a restraining order that is now in place until December 2008.
DESIRED OUTCOME: To remove client's daughter's name from the deed to client's house so that the daughter cannot legally resume residence there.
CONTACT: Tina Dicke, PAI Coordinator. 1-800-824-5340
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Case Available for Pro bono
LANC-Wilson Office,Criminal Record Expungement. (Wilson County)
PBO# WILS-003-2008
DESCRIPTION: Client is the 40-year old mother of two children. In March 1999, her children's father was visiting from California. While he was at the client's house, he was arrested for possession of marijuana. The client was also charged with possession with intent to sell/distribute marijuana only because the arrest occurred at her residence. The charge against her was dismissed. She has been employed since 1999, and this offense has never showed up on any criminal record check. However, she is now a student in a nursing program. When her school recently did a background check, the offense showed up as a felony that was voluntarily dismissed. Client needs to get the record expunged because she is afraid that she will be dropped from the nursing program and denied suitable employment in the future.
DESIRED OUTCOME: To expunge the client's criminal recordpursuant to N.C.G.S. § 15A-146.
CONTACT: Kin Thompson, PAI Coordinator, 1-800-682-7902
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Case Available for Pro bono
LANC-Raleigh Office, Landlord/Tenant Matter. (Wake County)
PBO# RALE-007-2008
DESCRIPTION: A 42-year-old blind single-again mother with 2 teenagers rented a townhouse from a Raleigh couple in November 2007. It is one of 7 properties the couple owns in Wake County. The landlords promised to make many repairs that were not made. Some of the damaged areas pose a threat to the client because of her blindness. An interior door has already fallen, injuring a child. The landlords say everything that can be done for the property has been done, and if the client doesn't like the condition of the place, she can leave. The client is current on her rent and has paid to have some cleaning and repairs done--work that was supposed to have been done before she moved in. She had nowhere else to go with her children when she discovered that the place had not been made habitable.
DESIRED OUTCOME: Make landlord bring the rental unit up to code, and get client restitution of money she spent for repairs and cleaning--and a rebate if that seems in order.
CONTACT: Celia Mansaray, 919-863-1446
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Case Available for Pro bono
LANC-Raleigh Office, Social Security Benefits Matter. (Wake County)
PBO# RALE-006-2008
DESCRIPTION: The client is a 48-year-old single disabled woman with Stage 4 breast cancer who is not expected to live much longer. Her income consists only of her monthly SSI payments if $434. She lives with her mother whose only income is $830/month in Social Security Retirement benefits. The Social Security Administration is decreasing the client's monthly SSI check by 1/3 because they allege that she is getting in-kind support. The client and her mother live in a dilapidated manufactured house owned by the client's brother. They pay about $100 in lot rent per month. The client pays some of the expenses and gives her mother money for food and other items. The client must show that she is either paying rent or that she is contributing her "fair share" toward the cost of maintaining the household, in accordance with the SSA formula and procedures in 20 CFR 416.1131 et seq.
DESIRED OUTCOME: To have client's SSI check restored to its full amount--of less than $700/mo.
CONTACT: Celia Mansaray, 919-863-1446
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Case Available for Pro bono:
LANC-Wilson Office,Consumer (Wilson County)
PBO# WILS-002-2008
DESCRIPTION: This client is the improverished mother of 3 young children. In June 2007, the clothes dryer in her apartment caught fire. A Kentucky law firm has written the client saying she owes the landord's insurance company $8,261.48 in damages. The client has written a responsive letter denying culpabity for the fire.
DESIRED OUTCOME: To establish that the client is not responsible for a fire in her apartment, and not legally liable for $8,261.48 in damages resulting from it.
CONTACT: Kin Thompson, PAI Coordinator, 1-800-682-7902
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Case Available for Pro bono:
LANC-Raleigh Office, Consumer Matter (Wake County)
PBO# RALE-005-2008
DESCRIPTION: Client is the 40-year-old divorced, disabled mother of two special needs teenagers. She recently learned that the car she bought/financed in September 2007 had been in an accident that required the frame to be repaired. She was told that if she were to get into an accident in the car, basically it would crumble. DMV records show that the car was involved in an impact with another car on 7/24/04. The dealership that sold the client this car did not disclose this information.
DESIRED OUTCOME: To get the client released from the sales contact on grounds of unfair/deceptive trade acts and practices.
CONTACT: Celia Mansaray, PAI Coordinator,919-828-4647
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Case Available for Pro bono:
LANC-Raleigh Office, Consumer Matter (Wake County)
PBO# RALE-004-2008
DESCRIPTION: A 70-year-old divorced lady in Wake County got behind on her mortgage payments when she became disabled. While she was pursuing options to at least collect her equity in the residence, a married couple of real estate speculators paid the balance due on her mortgage with RBC Centura. There was no signed agreement/promissory note for them to do this. The speculators then sued the client and her real estate agent for over $2600 when the house remained on the market. They admitted in the Complaint that Ms. S did not sign a note. The client was ill the morning of the Magistrate Court's hearing and did not attend, though she did notify the Clerk that she would not be able to come. The speculators have obtained a judgment against the client and her real estate agent for $3100.78. The staff at the Raleigh Legal Aid office helped the client perfect her appeal in a timely manner. She now needs someone to help her pursue the appeal.
DESIRED OUTCOME: Represent client in appeal of Small Claims Court decision.
CONTACT: Celia Mansaray, PAI Coordinator, 919-828-4647
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Case Available for Pro bono:
LANC-Raleigh Office, Family Matter (Wake County)
PBO# RALE-003-2008
DESCRIPTION: The client is a 38-year-old man. His maternal grandmother adopted his (now) 15-year-old half-brother in 1997 when the youth was 5 years old. (The men have the same biological mother, different biological fathers.) The birth certificate was amended to show his grandmother as the boy's mother. The client doesn't know who his brother's father was. Their grandmother/adoptive mother died in October 2007. Their birth mother died a week later. Client wishes to become either the legal guardian or legal custodian of his brother.
DESIRED OUTCOME: Assist client in becoming the legal guardian or legal custodian of his brother.
CONTACT: Celia Mansaray, PAI Coordinator, 919-828-4647
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Case Available for Pro bono:
LANC-Raleigh Office, Consumer Matter (Wake County)
PBO# RALE-002-2008
DESCRIPTION: Client is a 47-year-old wheelchair-bound single man. At the end of December 2007, he moved into a house owned by a married couple, who promised to make the necessary adjustments to adapt the apartment to the client's special needs before he moved in. The adjustments were not made; only a few were begun, and they were not finished. The client fell out of his wheelchair trying to adjust a water intake valve on the toilet that had been tightened due to constantly running water. He sustained injuries as the result of this fall, along with medical expenses for treatment, which he can document. The client left the house after a few days due to these problems and the landlords' refusal to address them. He incurred extra moving and storage expenses as a result. The landlords refuse to return his $1100 security deposit. They claim he owes at least half of it for an electrical contractor they say they hired to do work on his residence.
DESIRED OUTCOME: To recover client's security deposit and extra moving and storage expenses.
CONTACT: Celia Mansaray, PAI Coordinator, 919-828-4647
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Case Available for Pro bono:
LANC-Raleigh Office, Consumer Matter (Wake County)
PBO# RALE-001-2008
DESCRIPTION: Client is the 32-year-old employed single-again employed mother of two teenagers. Her niece's two infant children also live in the household. Client rented a house in Johnston County from a Durham realty company. She moved out after 3 months because of the landlord's refusal to make needed repairs to the place. For instance, she could not lock the exterior doors because they were improperly hung. The Durham realty company has sued the client in Wake County for $5000, alleging she owes rent, late fees and legal fees for breaking the lease. The proper venue for the case would be Johnston County, because that is where the residence was, and the client lives in Johnston County now. A Johnston County law law firm has agreed to represent the client in that county if someone will get the client a change of venue from Wake.
DESIRED OUTCOME: To pursue a motion for a change of venue from Wake to Johnston County.
CONTACT: Celia Mansaray, PAI Coordinator, 919-828-4647
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Case Available for Pro bono:
LANC-Durham Office,Consumer Matter (Durham County)
PBO# DURH-002-2008
DESCRIPTION: Client's home was sold in foreclosure in 2007. A surplus of $7,000 was paid into the office of the Durham County Clerk of Superior Court. In order for client to petition the court for his portion, client is required to provide a title certification. The title must be researched to show that, prior to the foreclosure, client was one of the true owners of the property.
DESIRED OUTCOME: Client wants assistance in obtaining the surplus funds from a foreclosure sale.
CONTACT: Sharon Council, 919-688-6396; 1-800-331-7594 (Toll-free)
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Case Available for Pro bono:
LANC-Durham Office,Family/Consumer Matter (Granville County)
PBO# DURH-001-2008
DESCRIPTION: Client and his ailing wife have been married for 25 years. During that time, client lived with his wife in a home that she owned prior to their marriage. However, client added a deck to the home and, on occasion, paid the utilities and telephone bills. Client's wife recently obtained a mortgage on the property and was solely responsible for paying the note. Client's wife also owned, prior to marriage, two other rental properties. Client would collect rent for said properties and make repairs on his wife's behalf. Due to the size of her estate, client's wife had a POA drawn up in 1994 in which she named her daughter -in-law her attorney in fact.In April 2007, client's wife suffered a stroke and required nursing home care. Client signed an Admission Agreement authorizing her care and, since then, client's wife has lived in the nursing home. After his wife's hospitalization, the client's step-children padlocked him from the property and began enforcing the daughter-in-law's Attorney in Fact duties.The client is now living elsewhere and recently received notice from the nursing home to pay a $30,000 bill for his wife's care.
DESIRED OUTCOME: Client wants assistance from a family law attorney who will advise him regarding his marital rights to the home and/or the rest of the marital estate; his rights as a separated individual; and whether or not he should pursue divorce.
CONTACT:Sharon Council, 919-688-6396; 1-800-331-7594 (Toll-free)
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Case Available for Pro bono:
LANC-Wilson Office,Home Ownership/Mortgage Loan(Edgecombe County)
PBO# WILS-001-2008
DESCRIPTION: Client is a 78-year-old lady who was widowed in December 2007. In November 1999 her husband got a mortgage loan in his name only from a national financial lender. The clienthas been making the monthly payments on the loan. The deed of trust on the property is listed in the names of both her and her late husband. The lender has written the client that she needs to have the house listed in her name alone, or they will attempt foreclosure. The lender has also written her to advise that the loan has been "charged off on our systems ass a non-performing loan." The lender refuses to discuss the matter with the client because the loan is not in her name. The client is fearful of losing her house, her home for the past 46 years.There is a balloon payment due on the account effective in November 2014.
DESIRED OUTCOME: To clarify the client's account status with the lender; possibly to open an estate in probage court for the client's late husband.
CONTACT: Kin Thompson, PAI Coordinator, 1-800-682-7902
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