On the second day of our Wilmington trip, we
reconvened at the New Hanover Public Library to review the client data from the
previous afternoon. We learned that morning that Erika Jones, a New Hanover
Assistant District Attorney (and UNC Law alumna!) would be meeting with each of
our interview teams throughout the afternoon. Although Ms. Jones had already
done some preliminary research into each client file, our role was to advocate
for each of the clients and relate the information in the affidavits and impact
statements into a compelling argument in favor of dismissing the clients’
charges.
Read More... (Wilmington Spring Break Pro Bono Trip - Days 2 and 3 by Sam Spalding)
| Posted by Kelly Hebrank on Tue. May 1, 2018 10:59 AM
Categories: Spring Break 2018
Leading up to the
Spring Break Trip to Wilmington, I was so excited when I received an email
stating that I was one of the ten students selected to participate in the trip.
The main reason for excitement was my anticipation of the impact our efforts to
restore someone’s license, a seemingly mundane task, could have on someone’s
overall quality of life. Needless to say, I was not disappointed.
Read More... (Wilmington Spring Break Pro Bono Trip - Day 1 by Lashieka Hardin)
| Posted by Kelly Hebrank on Tue. May 1, 2018 10:21 AM
Categories: Spring Break 2018
The personal cases that unfolded during the trip brought to reality the emotionally sensitive cases we read about in law school and see on TV. Yet, it was surreal to see clients' emotions up close. In these tender moments we learned how to build trust with clients. While we realized there was a specific task at hand--to prepare the desired legal documents, nothing trumped the power of human emotion. As good attorneys, we should draft thorough and accurate documents, but we must never forget the importance of counseling that comes with our position.
Read More... (Experiential and Cultural Learning on the Cherokee Trip, By: Jon Leonard)
| Posted by Rana J. Odeh on Fri. January 12, 2018 5:28 PM
Categories: Winter Break Trip 2017
Lawyers are often described through a variety of words: attorney, mediator, advocate, litigator, counselor, judge, prosecutor, defender, and many more. Through the Pro Bono trip to Cherokee, in my view, three more terms emerged as even better descriptions of the potential a lawyer can have on others. A lawyer is a learner, a problem-solver, and simply, a fellow human being.
Read More... (Heels Tread New Ground with UNC Law Pro Bono Program’s Most Remote Project Yet, By: Ashle Page)
| Posted by Rana J. Odeh on Fri. January 12, 2018 4:59 PM
Categories: Winter Break Trip 2017
Before
applying to be part of this Pro Bono Trip to Cherokee, North Carolina, I was
warned by multiple 2Ls and 3Ls that, over the course of my first long, arduous
semester in law school, it becomes easy to lose sight of why one comes to law
school to begin with. They warned that a typical 1L’s desire to join a
profession to help others often gets supplanted by a strong desire to get the
highest grades possible, and that I should participate in Pro Bono work over my
first Winter Break in order to remind myself why I wanted to become part of the
legal profession to begin with. Fearing that I was actually slipping into this
“1L trap” halfway through the semester, I applied to this Pro Bono project at
the urging of those who participated in this trip previously because it would
allow me to directly interact with clients and help them solve some of their family’s
legal problems. I am so glad they recommended I do so—it truly was such an amazing
experience.
Read More... (Carolina Law Truly has A “Will”ingness to Help Others, By: Michael Peretz)
| Posted by Rana J. Odeh on Fri. January 12, 2018 4:13 PM
Categories: Winter Break Trip 2017