This trip was eye opening and an all-around incredible experience. Every person who played a part in this trip genuinely wanted to help others, which made it not only rewarding but a lot of fun as well. We were given the opportunity to help some amazing people from across eastern North Carolina. Every client we helped touched us in a special way and I feel like we learned as much from them and benefited as much from our interactions with them as they did from us.
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| Posted by William T. Ellis on Sat. March 16, 2013 11:50 AM
Categories: Eastern Wills Trip 2013
The setting: Room 401 of Halifax Community College, a large all-purpose room. The walls are made of cinderblocks and painted beige. On one wall, the phrase “Excellence through pursuit of knowledge” is written in blue block letters. Collapsible tables lined with blue plastic chairs are scattered throughout the room.
The scene: Against one wall, three women – two in their late 70s to mid-80s, the other in her mid-50s – are seated on matching blue plastic chairs. A paralegal with Legal Aid NC goes up to two of the women, speaks to them in a soft voice, and ushers them to a table where two law students are eagerly awaiting their first client. The students rise as their client arrives, introduce themselves, and shake her hand. The client, an 80 year-old woman with white permed hair, and her 55 year-old daughter, take their...
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| Posted by Rachel F. Braden on Fri. March 15, 2013 9:45 AM
Categories: Eastern Wills Trip 2013
As the pro bono trip comes to an end, I am reflecting on the trip and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to do this project. This was my first opportunity to help others in a legal setting and it was very rewarding to finally apply the training I received on how to draft these documents. On the first day, I was nervous to meet with my first client, but my partner and I made a great team and everything went really smoothly. Since then, my confidence has grown with every client I have worked with. Besides the actual experience of drafting the wills, this trip was awesome in many other ways. Meeting other law students, especially 2Ls and 3Ls, was fun. Our “cabin” in the mountains made the trip seem like a little vacation all at once, and my first experience with the card game Mafia was great. It was just really great to get out of my comfort zone and do some pro bono work, and I hope to do some again soon!
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| Posted by Kateri Tremblay on Wed. March 13, 2013 12:17 PM
Categories: Western Wills Trip 2013
After helping 22 clients create an amazing 57 legal documents today in the Avery County Senior Center, the Western Wills Trip enjoyed a fantastic early dinner at Dunn's Deli in Banner Elk. Despite numerous distractions (eagles, shaggy sheepdog, lost beagles, a GPS named Karen with a mind of her own) the three SUVs managed to make it back to the cabin. Not together, or following the same path, or necessarily using roads, but back!
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| Posted by Charlotte R. Stewart on Tue. March 12, 2013 11:16 PM
Categories: Western Wills Trip 2013
It was obvious that Mrs. Bell was a pastor—her endless energy was only matched by her rhetorical cadence. “That’s right. Yep, you heard it. Come on, now. Alright, where were we?”
Where we were was Lincoln Heights, a community of about four hundred people in rural Halifax County. The community is among the poorest in the state. As Mrs. Bell—a local pastor and unofficial mayor—toured us through the neighborhood, we encountered this poverty on nearly every street. Dilapidated homes, barely standing, remained on lots long ago abandoned. Trash lingered on the sides of the streets, the remnants of an old landfill, where a variety of waste had been dumped for years...
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| Posted by John E. Harris on Tue. March 12, 2013 4:37 PM
Categories: Eastern Wills Trip 2013
This is incredibly important work. While there are many drivers of structural poverty, one of the simplest ways to preserve existing wealth is to provide for orderly property transfer from one generation to the next...
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| Posted by Christopher S. Dwight on Tue. March 12, 2013 4:11 PM
Categories: Eastern Wills Trip 2013
Courtesy of Christopher Dwight, Rachel Braden, James Jolley, and Munashe Magaria:
In wills we preserve
Land and private property.
Title transfer bliss.
Towns where we write wills:
Weldon, Pembroke, and Greenville
Will-less death be damned!
Meeting new people
Legal jargon and knowledge
Spring break memories
Advance directive
And power of attorney
Vital documents
Spring break means drinking,
and getting rid of tan lines.
Or you could write wills.
All we do is wills
wills wills no matter what;
and other things, I guess.
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| Posted by Christopher S. Dwight on Tue. March 12, 2013 2:44 PM
Categories: Eastern Wills Trip 2013