Campbell University Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law
Campbell University
Law School Pro Bono Programs
Contact Information
Evin L. Grant
Assistant Dean of Student Life and Pro Bono at Campbell Law School.
[email protected]
(919) 865-4696
Category Type
A Formal Voluntary Pro Bono Program Characterized by both a Referral System with a Coordinator and by Administrative Support for Student Group Projects
Description of Programs
There is a Pro Bono Council comprised of students that coordinates Campbell's Pro Bono and public service opportunities. In furtherance of Campbell Law School's mission and the acknowledgment that the practice of law is a profound calling, the overall objective of the Pro Bono Council at Campbell Law is to engage and educate students on the nature and importance of serving the underserved. Pro bono and volunteer opportunities provide students with hands-on opportunities to develop legal skills, provide much needed legal services to the community, instill a sense of professional responsibility early in the students' careers, affirm the legal profession as a profession of service, and enhance Campbell Law School's ties with the community and alumni.
Location of Programs
Campbell Law School
225 Hillsborough Street, Suite 304
Raleigh, NC 27603
Staffing/Management/Oversight
Pro Bono Council (student led)
Director of Student Life and Pro Bono Opportunities (Staff)
Pro Bono Publico Committee (faculty led)
Funding
Office space and necessary office equipment is provided to student pro bono group projects.
The Pro Bono Council has dedicated office space at the law school and is provided with supplies and equipment. In addition, each pro bono project is funded to support project trainings and events and provide necessary materials and supplies.
Student Run Pro Bono Groups/Specialized Law Education Projects
Campbell Law Innocence Project (CLIP):
The Campbell Law Innocence Project (CLIP) partners law students with personnel at the North Carolina Center on Actual Innocence to review, investigate, and make recommendations on criminal cases.
Capital Area Teen Court Project (CATCP):
Teen Court gives first-time youthful offenders a second chance, while also holding them accountable. Students volunteer to play the various roles in the court system.
Child’s Permanency has merged with The Childs Advocate Pro Bono Project:
Law students assist pro bono attorneys in representing children in high-conflict custody cases referred to The Child’s Advocate/Legal Aid of North Carolina by the Wake County Family Court. Additionally, students have an opportunity to write appellate briefs that respond to child placement appeals from the Juvenile Abuse, Neglect and Dependency Court.
Death Row Visitation Project:
In collaboration with the Center for Death Penalty Litigation, students are paired with death row inmates housed at Raleigh’s Central Prison. Students become temporary members of the inmate’s legal team and meet with the inmate regularly.
Domestic Violence Advocacy Project (DVAP):
Students are certified by the State Bar under the three-semester practice rule to represent victims of domestic violence in domestic violence protective order hearings in Wake County. This project is in collaboration with Legal Aid of North Carolina (Raleigh office) and the private bar who serve as supervising attorneys.
Education Law Project:
In collaboration with Legal Aid of North Carolina’s “Lawyer on the Line” Program, the Education Law Project allows students to assist clients and gain valuable experience in the field of education law.
Service Animal Pro Bono Project:
The Service Animal Project, in partnership with Disability Rights North Carolina, provides law students an opportunity to learn about disability laws surrounding service animals and to provide workshops to local organizations and government entities on how best to accommodate service animal users, while also minimizing their own risks arising out of the presence of a service animal.
Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project (IRRP):
The Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project (IRRP) allows students the opportunity to work with local immigrant and refugee assistance programs to foster a better understanding of laws and regulations impacting immigrants and refugees.
Expunction Project:
The Reentry Project is a mobile initiative that interviews North Carolina citizens who may qualify for relief from the collateral consequences of having a criminal record. This project is in collaboration with Legal Aid of NC and the NC Justice Center
Veteran’s Project:
The Veterans Project, in collaboration with Supervising Attorney Nathan Ulmer of Atlantic Coast Law and The Veterans Consortium, gives students the opportunity to assist veterans with less than honorable discharges through the Discharge Upgrade application and hearing process.
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA):
The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Project partners with the IRS to assist individuals who meet certain income qualifications to prepare and file tax returns. The program certifies Campbell Law students through an online certification course and exam.
Social Justice Pro Bono Project:
The Social Justice Project, in collaboration with Legal Aid, private attorneys, and the Justice Department, allow students the opportunity to work on cases impacting social justice issues, including criminal matters, fair housing, policy initiatives and more.
Election Protection Pro Bono Project:
The Election Protection Pro Bono Project connects students with election-related volunteer opportunities to be active in our democratic voting process by being registered to vote, knowing voting status and polling places, volunteer opportunities and more.
Wills for Heroes Project:
The Wills For Heroes Project pairs law students with private attorneys volunteering with the North Carolina Bar Foundation to interview clients and assist with drafting appropriate documents.
Faculty and Administrative Pro Bono
The current law school Faculty Handbook includes as an element for evaluating faculty members for advancement in rank for service to the University, the School of Law, the Bar and the general community.
Each student organization has a faculty advisor.
Currently, law school faculty are evaluated on their annual service to the University, the School of Law, the Bar and the general community.
Awards/Recognition
The following Pro Bono Awards are presented annually at the Campbell Law Day Awards Banquet:
- Outstanding Student Achievement in Pro Bono and Public Service
- Outstanding Student Organization in Pro Bono and Public Service
The faculty nominate a graduating student each year to receive the Pro Bono Publico Award presented at the commencement ceremony.
Campbell Law participates in the North Carolina State Bar's Annual Student Pro Bono Service Award by nominating one student each year.
Campbell Law participates in the North Carolina Bar Association's Certificate of Appreciation Program for students who complete 75 or more hours of pro bono service.
Community Service
Campbell Law students participate in community service projects and fundraisers to support local charities that are organized by student groups and the SBA Community Cares Committee.
Recent examples of community service at Campbell Law School include:
- Delta Theta Phi's "Canned Immunity" canned food drive to benefit the local food bank
- Black Law Student Association's Christmas Party for children in the Loaves and Fishes after school program. All of the law school's student organizations purchase gifts for the children they were assigned. At the event, dinner, games, and gifts are provided to the children in the program and their family members.
- Participation in the annual North Carolina Bar Association's Feeding Frenzy to fundraise and collect food to benefit the local food bank; Campbell Law came in first place in the law school competition in 2013 and second place in 2014
- Women in Law participated in the Gail Parkins Memorial Ovarian Cancer Walk & 5K
Law School Public Interest Programs
Contact Information
Evin Grant, JD
Assistant Dean of Student Life and Pro Bono
Campbell Law School
225 Hillsborough Street, Suite 304
Raleigh, NC 27603
919-865-4696
Fax 919-865-5886
[email protected]
Certificate/Curriculum Programs
Public Interest Centers
Public Interest Clinics
Gailor Family Law Litigation Clinic:
The Gailor Family Law Litigation Clinic will address challenging family law issues including divorce, property distribution, paternity, child custody, child support and elder law among other family law issues where it is often difficult to representation for low-income individuals. The needs assessment just completed by the Chief Justice’s Commission to Access on Justice found this to be the greatest area of unmet need for legal services among North Carolinians of modest resources. While working in the clinic, students will learn a client-centered approach to the practice of family law by engaging in client counseling, case strategy, negotiation and, if necessary, assist with trial of family law cases under the ‘Student Practice Rule.” The clinic also provides students with the opportunity to work on various types of family law cases with several different clients during their semester in clinic and beyond.
Restorative Justice Project
The Juvenile Justice Project (JJP) is a collaborative effort of the Campbell School of Law and the Tenth Judicial District, which is comprised of Wake County. The program receives referrals from the juvenile justice system, the court system, and the school system for juveniles who are accused of criminal activity or disruptive behavior. JJP strives to bring victims and offenders together in an effort to foster collaborative healing, rather than specifically seeking punishment. Campbell Law students engage all involved parties in dialogue to address the specifics of a violation, how it occurred, why it occurred, and what happened as a result. The project aims to discover how people and communities are hurt as a result of crime, and seeks to find the best solution to repair the damage that has been done.
Blanchard Community Law Clinic
The Clinic partners with non-profit agencies in the community (including Alliance Medical Ministry, StepUp Ministry, the Raleigh Rescue Mission, and Urban Ministries) to provide solutions to legal problems encountered by clients of those agencies. The clinic, which was launched in September 2016, has made a tremendous impact in the Raleigh community within a short period. From its launch through the end of January 2018, the Blanchard Community Law Clinic has handled more than 100 cases, including expunctions, family disputes, domestic violence protection orders, landlord/tenant issues, and many others. Recently, the clinic received its first monetary settlement as a result of a landlord violating the Fair Housing Act. Legal services are provided by Campbell Law students, under the supervision of clinic director, Ashley H. Campbell. Students handle cases with a high level of independence and conduct client interviews, prepare motions, oversee case management, and make court appearances. Through this experience, students gain important practical legal skills and an appreciation for the challenges faces by citizens living in poverty. This program prepares students to be resourceful and practice-ready upon their entrance into the profession. The clinic is located off-site at the historic Raleigh landmark, the Horton-Beckham-Bretsch House.
Stubbs Bankruptcy Clinic
Working under the supervision of clinic director Ciara Rogers the students gain experience in areas such as client interviewing and fact gathering, client counseling, analyzing options and potential outcomes, observing deadlines, and client communication. As opportunities arise, students may also appear in court on behalf of their clients. In short, students have the chance to use the skills and knowledge they learn in law school to help real clients with real problems.
The clinic receives referrals from legal services, private attorneys, the bankruptcy trustees, as well as the court when a person’s pro se efforts appear to affect the proper administration of justice.
Students have a unique opportunity to engage with debtor and creditor attorneys, courtroom staff, trustees, the Bankruptcy Administrator’s office, federal judges, and, most important, real clients. This opportunity is enhanced by the clinic’s location in the Century Station Federal Building on Fayetteville Street in Raleigh, where the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina holds court.
Externships/Internships
The Externship Program at Campbell Law School gives every student the opportunity to achieve meaningful educational experiences in the public-service environment, including nonprofit organizations, public organizations, law firms, and with corporate counsel.
Campbell law externs serve in a variety of areas:
Public service
- Nonprofit organizations
- Corporate counsel
- Private practice Pro Bono
Recent externship placements include:
- Federal judges, prosecutors, public defenders, and agencies
- State district attorneys, public defenders, and legal aid
- State trial and appellate courts
- State agencies, commissions, and boards
- Bankruptcy judges and courts
- Local, State, and Federal governments
- Medical / health care
- Corporate counsel, trade associations, and nonprofit organizations
- Pro Bono work with private law firms
Classes with a Public Service Component
Campbell Law offers a class/mission trip each spring semester entitled Panama: Study and Service . The course is broken up into two components: (1) a classroom portion conducted primarily at Campbell Law School; and (2) a travel portion in Panama during spring break. Topics covered during the classroom portion include:
- International law
- Civil Law
- Panamanian Law, History, and Political Structure
- Adoption Law and Policy (national and international)
- Foster Care Law and Policy (national and international)
- Orphan Care Law and Policy (national and international)
- Human Rights
During the travel portion of the class, students work with Heart's Cry Children's Ministry, a non-profit founded by Campbell Law alum Misty Hedspeth to create efficiencies for orphan care around the world, beginning in Panama, Central America ( http://www.heartscrychildren.com/).
Public Interest Journals
PI Career Support Center
The Career Center and Campbell Public Interest Law Student Association host an annual Public Interest Law Expo to connect students with employers.
Loan Repayment Assistance Programs (LRAP)
Campbell Law Graduates have been recipients of loan repayment assistance through the North Carolina Legal Education Assistance Foundation. (NC LEAF). For eligibility guidelines, see www.ncleaf.org.
Post-Graduate Fellowships/Awards
Law School Funded:
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Sources:
Term Time Fellowships/Scholarships
Law School Funded:
Graduate Student Funded
Other Funding Sources:
Summer Fellowships
Law School Funded:
The purpose of Campbell Law School's Public Interest Law Summer Grants is to enable law students to practice public interest law by providing financial support to students who secure certain qualifying unpaid summer employment.
Funding support of the Public Interest Law Summer Grant Program is provided by two organizations. The first group is the Campbell Public Interest Law Student Association (CPILSA). This is a student organization that enables students to live out a spirit of service through the practice of law. The group raises funds year-round to support this grant program, primarily through an annual Silent Auction event.
In addition, the A.J. Fletcher Foundation has provided a generous grant to promote the Public Interest Law Grant program by providing summer fellowships to students. The Foundation supports not only the promotion of higher education, but also the care and support to those persons in underserved populations.
Graduate Student Funded:
Other Funding Sources:
Public Interest Law Initiative - student summer fellowship
Extracurricular and Co-Curricular Programs
The Career Center partners with the Campbell Public Interest Law Student Association on public interest initiatives and special events throughout the year. In addition, the Pro Bono Council and other student groups offer programs and events with a focus on public interest law and issues.
Student Public Interest Groups
Black Law Student Association
Campbell Public Interest Law Students Association
Delta Theta Phi
Hispanic Law Student Association
Lambda Law
Phi Alpha Delta
Military Law Student Association
Student Animal Legal Defense Fund
Women in Law
6/2/2021