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Pro Bono Winners Selected

The winners of the North Carolina Bar Association’s 2019 Pro Bono Awards have been selected. The recipients were chosen by members of the Pro Bono Activities Committee and will be recognized during the NCBA Annual Meeting, scheduled June 20-23 at Biltmore in Asheville.

This year’s recipients and their awards are:

William Thorp Pro Bono Service Award
Brent Torstrick – Robinson Bradshaw, Charlotte
Presented to an NCBA member attorney who has provided significant and extended legal services with no expectation of receiving a fee to a client who could not otherwise afford legal counsel.

Deborah Greenblatt Outstanding Legal Services Attorney Award
TeAndra Miller – Legal Aid of North Carolina, Raleigh
Presented to a legal services lawyer who has made exemplary contributions to the provision of legal assistance to help meet the needs of the poverty population in North Carolina.

Outstanding Collaborative Pro Bono Award
City of Durham – Durham Expunction and Restoration Program
Presented to a local, district, or statewide bar organization whose members have engaged in significant and notable legal services or have contributed outstanding support and assistance to the maintenance of pro bono legal services for low-income individuals. Honorees have demonstrated a commitment to pro bono service by engaging a group of attorneys in a cooperative pro bono effort that has deep impact on the lives of low-income North Carolinians.

Law Firm Pro Bono Award
Stone & Christy, P.A., Black Mountain
(for work with the Mountain Area Volunteer Lawyer Program at Pisgah Legal Services)
Presented to a law firm in recognition of its commitment to pro bono service through the contribution of pro bono hours, the percentage of billable hours devoted to pro bono work, the number and percentage of firm attorneys providing pro bono legal service, the firm’s creative approach to pro bono engagement, the consistency and sincerity of its pro bono program, and the presence of a law firm culture that is grounded in the observance of Rule 6.1 (Voluntary Pro Bono Publico Service) of the Rules of Professional Conduct.

Law School Pro Bono Service Award
Campbell University, Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law, Raleigh
Service Animal Project
Presented to an outstanding law student group whose pro bono project advanced access to justice in North Carolina.

YLD Pro Bono Award
Manisha Patel – Law Office of Manisha P. Patel, PLLC, Greensboro
Presented by the NCBA Young Lawyers Division to a YLD member who has demonstrated a significant commitment to pro bono service by providing exemplary legal services that increased access to justice on behalf of persons of limited means and/or charitable groups or organizations.