RALEIGH, N.C. – The Reentry Project, an initiative of the Campbell Law School Pro Bono Council, has been selected to receive the 2015 Law Student Group Pro Bono Award from the North Carolina Bar Association (NCBA). The accolade marks the first time that a group from Campbell Law has collected the honor.
The award will be formally presented in June during the 2015 NCBA Annual Meeting in Asheville.
“I am immensely proud of our students, faculty, and staff members that have taken part in the Reentry Project,” said Campbell Law Dean J. Rich Leonard. “Our pro bono program has significantly grown over the past two years, and we will continue to make service to the community a vital part of the Campbell Law experience.”
The Reentry Project assists citizens who may qualify for relief from the collateral consequences stemming from a criminal record, which often include barriers to employment opportunities and affordable housing.
Students participate in training provided by the North Carolina Justice Center and Legal Aid of North Carolina, and learn about the collateral consequences of having a criminal record and the criteria for expunctions and certificates of relief under state law. Students also learn how to review criminal records and participate in practice exercises to apply the law and determine eligibility for relief.
Following training, and under the supervision of Legal Aid staff attorneys and volunteer attorneys, students participate in mobile clinics to interview clients and identify those who may be eligible for relief. More than 100 clients have been served by 23 Campbell Law students since the program’s inception in the fall of 2013.
“The project has a tremendous impact on people in the community who are suffering from the consequences of a criminal record and who may be eligible for relief,” said Campbell Law Director of Student Life & Pro Bono Opportunities Beth Froehling. “The Reentry Project helps them to remove barriers to obtaining gainful employment and affordable housing.”
The NCBA Law Student Group Pro Bono Award is annually presented to an outstanding law student group whose project benefits low-income North Carolinians.
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Since its founding in 1976, Campbell Law School has developed lawyers who possess moral conviction, social compassion and professional competence, and who view the law as a calling to serve others. The school has been recognized by the American Bar Association (ABA) as having the nation’s top Professionalism Program and by the American Academy of Trial Lawyers for having the nation’s best Trial Advocacy Program. Campbell Law boasts more than 3,650 alumni, including more than 2,500 who reside and work in North Carolina. In September 2009, Campbell Law relocated to a state-of-the-art building in downtown Raleigh. For more information, visit http://law.campbell.edu.
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