For information about the courts, North Carolina Courts: 919-890-1000
For referrals to lawyers who practice within Mecklenburg and surrounding counties: MeckBar.org/LRS. For those unable to afford counsel, see Pro Bono Resources below.
For referrals to lawyers who practice outside of Mecklenburg and surrounding counties, North Carolina Bar Association LRS: 800-662-7660 or 919-677-8574. For those unable to afford counsel, see Pro Bono Resources below.
For referrals to lawyers who practice in South Carolina, South Carolina Bar LRS: 1-800-868-2284 ; For Richmond or Lexington Counties call: 1-800-799-7100. For those unable to afford counsel in the state of South Carolina: South Carolina Legal Aid.
For those unable to afford counsel,
FIND LEGAL HELP HERE or see the list of resources outlined below or contact
info@meckbar.org for resource information and/or information about the MBA's Pro Bono & Legal Recruitment Committee.
NC Pro Bono Go
North Carolina legal professionals can use Pro Bono Go to find and sign up for pro bono opportunities provided by the state’s leading civil legal aid and public interest organizations.
Access to Justice Project
Provides legal services to qualified individuals based on their ability to pay. Practice areas include: Criminal Defense, Post-Conviction Relief, Civil/Human Rights, Consumer Protection, Sexual Assault and Title IX, Family and Domestic Matters, Housing and Tenants Rights, Tax-Exempt Organizations and Administrative Law.
Carpool Lane
Provides unrepresented parents and spouses who cannot afford counsel an opportunity to resolve domestic cases outside of court and without legal fees. The program is based on collaborative family law, a form of alternative dispute resolution. Practice Area: Family Law.
Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy 704-376-1600
Provides legal assistance in civil matters to low-income persons in the Charlotte area and in west-central North Carolina. Our mission is to provide a full measure of justice for those in need. Practice Areas: Consumer Protection, Domestic Violence Protection, Ex-Offender Re-Entry, Driver's License Restoration, Healthcare Access, Home Preservation, Immigration, Income Security, Simple Estate Planning, Tax Disputes, and Veteran's Affairs.
Represents children in high conflict custody cases through its Custody Advocate Program. Volunteer attorneys are needed to serve as Custody Advocates. There are also programs to assist children who are facing suspension and expulsion from CMS, ensuring that these children get due process at these disciplinary hearings. MCB assists the CFCR by managing a twice yearly recruitment drive among Bar members for the Custody Advocate Program. Practice Areas: Delinquency Defense, Mental Health Representation, Custody Advocacy, Guardian ad Litem, and Special Education Representation.
Dispute Settlement Program (DSP) 704-336-2903
The DSP is a program of the City of Charlotte offering Charlotte-Mecklenburg residents an avenue to resolve disputes outside of the courtroom. The DSP provides such services in matters ranging from misdemeanor criminal complaints to conflicts between co-workers to landlord-tenant concerns and more.
Promotes international understanding by serving as a center for diversity, advocating for people of diverse national backgrounds and facilitating professional and cultural exchange programs. Home to
four core programs, including an Immigration Law Clinic.
LawHelpNC.org is a joint project of Legal Aid of North Carolina, the North Carolina Equal Justice Alliance, the North Carolina Bar Association Foundation and Probono.net. LawHelpNC.org seeks to provide users with helpful, easy-to-understand legal resources and information in North Carolina. Topics Covered: Family & Juvenile, Housing, Money & Taxes, Government Benefits, Veterans & Military, Work & Jobs, Criminal Law, Health & Disability, Disaster Assistance, Economic Development, Education & Schools, Farmworkers, Immigration, Individual Rights, Wills & Life Planning, The Legal System,
and More.
The staff of Legal Aid of North Carolina - Charlotte Office provides legal assistance in civil matters (non-criminal matters) to eligible, low-income clients who have problems with their basic needs and live in the area surrounding Mecklenburg County. Practice areas: Consumer, Employment, Domestic Violence (and DV/Child Custody), Government Benefits, Housing,
and More.
The Mecklenburg Bar Association's Pro Bono & Legal Recruitment Committee oversees the MBA's Pro Bono for Nonprofits program. This program offers non-profit organizations in Mecklenburg County the opportunity to be matched with volunteer lawyers willing to provide pro bono service on a range of transactional matters, which may include legal service relating to contracts, tax exemption, real estate, banking, incorporation, trademarks, employment, and other areas of business law. Contact Shelby Benson at
sbenson@meckbar.org for more information or
click here for the Pro Bono for Nonprofits Application.
Offers a variety of services that help people who are blind or visually impaired improve their quality of life and become more independent. Services include legal document conversion to braille and large print.
North Carolina Department of Justice - Attorney General Robocall Hotline: 884-8-NO-ROBO , All Other Complaints: 877-5-NO-SCAM , Outside NC: 919-716-6000 , En Espanol: 919-716-0058
Provides opportunities for residents of North Carolina to submit consumer complaints related to robocalls and telemarketing, price gouging during emergencies, vehicle purchases, services and repairs, Medicare and Medicaid fraud and abuse, student loans and animal abuse. Please note that the Attorney General's Office will not provide you with legal counsel or advice, and your complaint(s) may be subject to public record.
Practice areas: Consumer Protection
North Carolina Free Legal Answers (NCFLA) - This website allows you to ask a lawyer a specific legal question. By using this website, you are asking a lawyer to give you legal help on your specific legal questions but this does not mean they will represent you in court. They will be your lawyer for this limited purpose and will not do anything for you other than provide this help.
NCPLS is a nonprofit law firm dedicated to ensuring access to the courts for people incarcerated in North Carolina state prisons. NCPLS attorneys work to correct unlawful criminal sentences and advocate for safe, humane, and constitutional prison conditions.
The North Carolina Pro Bono Resource Center is the statewide clearinghouse linking lawyers to meaningful pro bono opportunities.
Provides hope and healing to those impacted by domestic violence and sexual assault by providing a continuum of critical crisis services to those victimized by domestic violence or sexual assault. They offer 24-hour crisis lines, shelter, hospital accompaniment, case management, systems advocacy, support groups, court advocacy and accompaniment, and counseling for victims and survivors.
26th Judicial District SelfServe Center (SSC) has been open since 1999. They began by providing forms for simple divorce to litigants who are representing themselves (pro se). The SSC now offers scores of forms in English and Spanish, clinics, videos and research resources for pro se litigants. The MeckBar worked with the center to establish the Attorney for the Day program, in which volunteer attorneys meet with pro se litigants to help them with custody, visitation and divorce cases.