Over the past year, Parker Poe's pro bono efforts have included helping clients drive community impact, representing the interests of children and families in appellate courts, and mobilizing legal resources for disaster relief.
Those are just a few ways our attorneys used their unique skills to serve our communities by offering free representation to those who need it. Below are additional details on those efforts and other examples of our pro bono impact from the past year.
Helping Clients Drive Community Impact
For the fourth year, we teamed up with Duke Energy and the Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy to create simple wills, powers of attorney, and advance directives for Mecklenburg County residents age 60 and older. Duke Energy attorney Alex Castle and Parker Poe Raleigh partner and former Pro Bono Committee Chair Michael Crook led the efforts in the project, with support from manager of community engagement and talent Crystal Jones. In addition, our team included partners Adrianne Chillemi, Jeff Morris, LaToya Parker, Charles Raynal, and Elizabeth Trenary; counsel Brie Maris; associates Blair Carpenter, Alexandria Hill, Ethan Johnson, Laura Merriman, Zaire Reid, Devon Rhodes, and Michael Youssef; and director of attorney recruitment Susan Campbell.
We also continued our yearslong support of Charlotte Triage, which brings together companies and law firms to identify the city's greatest pro bono needs and coordinate services. Charlotte partner Dena King and associate Charlie Middlebrooks served as champions for Charlotte Triage's expunction work in 2025. They help recruit, train, and support volunteers who represent low-income clients in expunging their criminal records and broadening their opportunities with work and housing. Dena and Charlie represent expunction clients directly as well.
Coordinating Pro Bono Services at State and Local Levels
Pro Bono Committee Chair Tiffany Burba worked with others across North Carolina to define the state's pro bono needs and coordinate efforts to meet them. She was part of the NC Pro Bono Coordinators' Network. It brings together legal services providers, law firms, businesses, law schools, and nonprofits to address unmet legal needs in North Carolina and increase access to justice.
Our Atlanta office helped meet a variety of local needs by hosting two clinics under the American Bar Association's "Free Legal Answers" program. The program helps low-income clients obtain legal advice in relation to housing, custody, eviction, employment, and other areas. Our team included partners Ashley Akins, John Amabile, Traci Bransford, Sherry Culves, Rob Florence, Nina Gupta, John Moye, Reagan Sauls, Cheryl Shaw, Ellen Smith, and Elizabeth Story; counsel Kathryn Ams and Angela Robinson; associates Eli Awbrey, Ashlynn Hutton, Olivia Landrum, Sheneka Lodenquai, Erika Love, Cullen McDonough, Megan Naioti, Nemonie Nooks, Caroline Scalf, and Lexi Trumble; and business professionals Hushai McKenzie and Shequesha Goss.
Mobilizing Legal Resources for Disaster Relief
Raleigh associate Jeremy Locklear provided leadership and direct services in relation to disaster recovery in the continuing aftermath of Hurricane Helene. As part of the executive committee of the Young Lawyers Division of the North Carolina Bar Association (NCBA), he helped coordinate efforts among the NCBA, North Carolina Bar Foundation, American Bar Association, the American Red Cross, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Pisgah Legal Services, and Legal Aid of North Carolina to provide disaster legal services. Jeremy also took part in a pro bono clinic to advise residents on disaster-related legal issues such as landlord-tenant disputes, foreclosure, and consumer protection.
Raleigh partner and former Pro Bono Committee Chair Michael Crook handled a FEMA appeal for a client in the North Carolina mountains. Her property was accessed via a private road and private bridge that were wiped out in Hurricane Helene. Her FEMA benefits were insufficient to pay for the repairs, so Michael represented her in appealing the benefits determination to obtain the necessary funding for the repairs.
Protecting Children and Families
Raleigh partner Steve Carey coordinates the cases Parker Poe handles in North Carolina through the state's Guardian ad Litem (GAL) program. Many of our attorneys represented abused and neglected children through the program before appellate courts, including partners Will Esser, Tom Griffin, Daniel Peterson, Deb Stern, and Bruce Thompson; associate general counsel Maya Engle; counsel Cristina Stam; and associates Hailey Klabo, Laura Merriman, Andy Tabeling, and Cassie Zietlow.
Washington, DC, partner Joe Fiorill and counsel Debbie Edney are representing the mother of a 5-year-old girl in a custody case against the girl's father. The client has already had to obtain a civil protection order against the father because of his alleged abusive conduct. They accepted the case through Volunteer Legal Advocates, through which Joe regularly provides pro bono services. Earlier in Debbie's career in North Carolina, she frequently represented children through the GAL program and won an award for her impact.
Atlanta counsel Bob Stubbs represented Wellroot Family Services in the acquisition of property to provide holistic services for youth and families on their path to stability, including as many as 50 residences for young adults who have aged out of foster care. His counsel included advising the nonprofit on using the federal New Markets Tax Credit program to help reduce the cost of the development and to coordinate the annexation of the property into an adjoining city to facilitate this development.
Charlotte associate Julia Vaughan-Jones and partner Brian Cromwell defended an indigent single mother against an ejectment letter based on false allegations related to one of the mother's teenage sons. They guided the client through the process, challenged the ejectment, and engaged with the landlord's counsel who ultimately withdrew the letter.
Representing the Accused and Incarcerated
Raleigh associate Jack Belk, with support from Raleigh partner Robb Leandro, represented a nurse aide in successfully challenging the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services' decision to ban her from working in healthcare for life. The client, who was a star employee set to be promoted to unit manager, was falsely accused of abuse by co-workers who wanted to prevent her from becoming their supervisor. After multiple years of litigation, including a successful appeal and reversal of an order dismissing her challenge and then a victory after a multiday bench trial, an administrative law judge cleared the client's name. She is now enrolled in nursing school with plans to work as a registered nurse after graduation.
Columbia associate Mike Stover assisted three inmates currently serving life sentences with the parole process. This included creating and presenting parole summaries to the S.C. Parole Board, coordinating letters of support and in-person supporter appearances, appearing alongside the inmates during their hearing, and, where appropriate, bringing appeals to challenge the denial of parole.
Atlanta partner John Moye represented a federal prison inmate through a pro bono referral through the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. The inmate had developed an infection while incarcerated that spread throughout his body and eventually resulted in emergency surgery and other health impacts. John brought a claim against the federal government for medical mistreatment.
Providing Immigration Counsel
We partnered with the Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy in a clinic to provide individuals with powers of attorney and other emergency documentation in the event they were detained or deported. Our team who worked the clinic included partner Michael Chen; counsel Brie Maris; associates Blair Carpenter, Laura Merriman, and Olivia Osburn; paralegal Johanna Gervet; and manager of learning and development Angie Gumucio.
In Atlanta, we partnered with Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) to represent undocumented minors, including in a case that continues to play out in immigration court. Our team was led by Atlanta counsel Lauren Foster and included partner John Amabile and associates Megan Naioti, Eli Awbrey, Ashlynn Hutton, and Deepa Balavijayan.
Advising Low-Income Entrepreneurs and Small Businesses
We continued our partnership with the Charlotte Legal Initiative to Mobilize Businesses (CLIMB), which provides free legal services to low-income entrepreneurs and small businesses. Raleigh partner and Pro Bono Committee Chair Tiffany Burba, Raleigh associate Seth Morris, and Charlotte associate Chelsea Rush advised various low-income entrepreneurs with respect to startup business documentation, commercial contracts, and intellectual property matters.
Atlanta associate Sheneka Lodenquai reviewed employment-related agreements, a proposal agreement template, and other agreements for low-income entrepreneurs, including a small business focused on photography.
Meeting the Legal Needs of Nonprofits
Raleigh partners Will Cannon, Sloan Carpenter, Tasneem Dharamsi, and Eva Frongello; Atlanta partner Rob Florence; and Raleigh paralegal Jenna Noble assisted many pro bono clients with trademark prosecution and maintenance of their trademarks/trademark portfolios, including a kids museum, a performing arts organization, a food ministry, and a wildlife nonprofit.
Greenville partner Tim St. Clair and paralegal Laura Hensel provided trademark assistance to Long Covid Families Inc., which supports families and raises awareness by providing comprehensive support to families navigating the challenges of pediatric Long Covid. Tim and Laura are assisting the nonprofit in preparing and filing USPTO trademark applications.
Atlanta partner Alonzo Llorens concluded his pro bono service as general counsel of the American Association of Blacks in Energy. Alonzo served as the top legal officer for approximately three years for the national association of energy professionals who work to ensure that energy policies are developed with the input of Black people and other minorities.
Charlotte partner Brian Cromwell led our ongoing support of Safe Alliance, which supports survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. This work included advice, reviews, updates, and rewrites of the organization's bylaws and supporting governance documents. Charlotte associate Blair Carpenter also reviewed and drafted protective order pleadings. Safe Alliance honored Parker Poe with its Corporate Allies for Justice award in 2025, which Charlotte partner Nicholas Lee (who previously served on Safe Alliance's Men for Change Committee) accepted on the firm's behalf.
Charlotte associate Remington Jackson advised the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture on a comprehensive update of its charter and bylaws. Remington serves on the Gantt's executive board and governance committee, and he led a team effort to update the Gantt's governance documents. Remington drove the approximately nine-month process over which the Gantt's executive board unanimously approved and adopted the new charter and bylaws.
About Parker Poe's Pro Bono Committee
Parker Poe maintains an active Pro Bono Committee that spearheads and coordinates initiatives across all eight of the firm's offices. The firm also partners with clients and legal services nonprofits on pro bono opportunities, working closely with them to identify needs in our communities.
Bar associations have recognized our firm and individual attorneys for "outstanding achievements" in pro bono work. In 2023, for example, the North Carolina Bar Association honored Parker Poe with the Law Firm Pro Bono Award and the Outstanding Collaborative/Group Pro Bono Service Award. The awards recognized our overall commitment to pro bono work, as well as the collaborative role we played in helping Afghan refugees in 2022.
For any clients, nonprofits, or friends of the firm who are interested in partnering on pro bono efforts, please contact Pro Bono Committee Chair Tiffany Burba.