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    North Carolina

    The ABA Directory of Children's Law Programs is compilation of children's law programs across the country.

    Advocates for Children's Services

    201 West Main St., Ste. 400
    P.O. Box 2101
    Durham, NC 27702
    Telephone: (919) 226-0052 / (919) 226-0053
    Fax: (919) 226-0566
    Email: [email protected]

    100% Children's Law
    Does Use Volunteer Attorneys

    Advocates for Children's Services (ACS) is a statewide project of Legal Aid of North Carolina. ACS focuses on providing free legal representation for children primarily in education cases such as long-term suspension, expulsion, repeated short-term suspension, denial of enrollment, suspended students facing criminal or delinquency charges, discrimination on the basis of race, national origin, gender, or disability, inadequate Personal Education Plans (PEPs) or Individualized Education Plans and special education. ACS does work with volunteer lawyers.

    The agency accepts calls from children and the public who are seeking legal information

    Center for Adolescent Health & The Law

    PO Box 3795
    Chapel Hill, NC 27515
    Telephone: (919) 968-8850
    Fax: (919) 968-8851
    Email: [email protected]
    Website: www.cahl.org

    100% Children's Law

    The Center for Adolescent Health & the Law is a unique national organization that works exclusively to promote the health of adolescents and their access to comprehensive health care. The Center addresses a broad range of complex legal and policy issues that affect access to health care for the most vulnerable youth in the United States. The Center provides information and analysis, publications, consultation, and training to health professionals, policy makers, researchers and advocates who are working to protect the health of adolescents.


    Children’s Law Center of Central North Carolina

    8 West 3rd Street, Ste M6
    Winston-Salem, NC 27101
    Telephone: (336) 831-1909
    Fax: (336) 831-1910
    Website: http://www.childrenslawcenternc.org/

    Does Use Volunteer Attorneys

    The mission of the Children's Law Center of Central North Carolina (CLC) is to provide children with quality legal advocacy focusing on domestic violence issues, high conflict custody cases and ensuring access to education. CLC’s ultimate goal is to enable children to grow up in safe environments and to become emotionally healthy adults. CLC is committed to making Forsyth County and Central North Carolina a safer place for children - one family at a time.

    The CLC provides a voice for these vulnerable children in court proceedings and advocates for safe placement and counseling in the following types of situations.

    • Children in Domestic Violence: Protecting the best interests of children in domestic violence cases where a protective order has been filed and there is a question of child custody and safety. CLC can be appointed to serve as Guardians ad Litem in "Chapter 50B" cases.
    • High-Conflict Custody: Protecting the best interests of children in high conflict custody cases, called "Chapter 50" cases. The CLC tries to shield children from the psychological and emotional damage caused when children are caught in the middle of adult conflicts.
    • Educational Issues: Protecting the best interests of children of indigent parents with issues involving the public school system.

    Children's Law Clinic

    Duke University Law School

    Box 90360
    Durham, NC 27708
    Telephone: (919) 613-7169 / (888) 600-7274
    Fax: (919) 613-7262
    Website: www.law.duke.edu/childedlaw

    100% Children's Law

    The Children's Law Clinic is a community law office that provides free legal advice, advocacy, and legal representation to low-income children. The clinic assists clients with special education issues and student discipline. The law students in the clinic advocate for children in the public schools when parents have been unable to obtain appropriate educational services for their children. In addition, the law students represent public school students facing suspension.

    The Children's Law Clinic is an active partner in the Medical-Legal Partnership for Children in Durham. This partnership creates a collaboration between lawyers and doctors to enhance the overall health and well-being of area children.

    Council for Children's Rights

    601 E. Fifth St., Ste. 510
    Charlotte, NC 28202
    Telephone: (704) 372-7961
    Fax: (704) 943-5941
    Email: [email protected]
    Website: www.cfcrights.org

    100% Children's Law
    Does Use Volunteer Attorneys

    The Council for Children's Rights 30-person strong professional staff of attorneys and advocates provide a full range of research, advocacy and legal services for children and serves thousands of children in the community ever year. The Clients are referred from the courts, schools, social service agencies, health care professionals and other attorneys. Lawyers and community members are welcomed as volunteers.

    The Council has several different projects to help clients. The Individual Advocacy Program helps 4,000 children each year receive the educational, health and mental health or other services they need. The Custody Advocacy Project has provided guardians at litem for high conflict custody cases. The Larry King Center for Building Children's Futures supports work being done in three areas: school readiness, child abuse and neglect, and access to health and mental health care. The Center provides research and evaluation, strategic and community planning, and public policy impact. The Children's Defense Team assists youth in criminal cases.

    Medical-legal Partnership for Children in Durham

    4020 N. Roxboro Rd.
    Durham, NC 27704-2120
    Telephone: (919) 668-4000
    Fax:  (919) 681-8927
    Website: www.law.duke.edu/partnershipforchildren

    Launched in 2007, the Partnership is a collaborate relationship between local pediatricians and local lawyers to benefit low-income children. The legal team consists of lawyers, a paralegal, and law students from Duke Children's Law Clinic and Legal Aid of North Carolina. The medical team consists of pediatricians and pediatric clinicians at Duke Medical Center, Duke Primary Care for Children and Lincoln Community Health Center. Pediatricians and their staff consult with the legal team and refer patients who have legal needs. The first year, 76 individuals were served. Legal assistance is provided in the areas of housing, government benefits, domestic violence, family law, consumer law, employment law and education law.

    North Carolina Guardian Ad Litem Program

    P.O. Box 2448
    Raleigh, NC 27602
    Telephone: (919) 733-7107
    Fax: (919) 733-1845
    Website: www.nccourts.org/Citizens/GAL/Attorneys.asp

    100% Children's Law
    Does Use Volunteer Attorneys

    The North Carolina Guardian Ad Litem Program was created in 1983 when the state legislature passed legislation requiring the appointment of a guardian ad litem (GAL) together with an attorney advocate. These two individuals work as a team to promote the best interests of any child who comes before the courts because of abuse or neglect by his or her parents or caretakers. Every district court in the State of North Carolina has an office through which GAL volunteers can be trained and put to work. Currently approximately 90 part-time attorneys work and are paid as attorney advocates. These attorneys worked with nearly 5,000 GAL volunteers last year, handling over 17,000 cases

    The GAL Program also created the Pro Bono Project, which specifically trains attorneys to advocate for children in abuse, neglect and dependency matters. Currently, the greatest need is for pro bono attorneys to handle appellate cases. Whether serving as a GAL or working on appeals, attorneys receive free CLE training and stay updated on current legal events through GAL publications.