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Reflections on the 2024 Public Interest Internship Program: Max Parker

University of North Carolina law student Max Parker talks about serving with Legal Aid of North Carolina in the mountain communities of Sylva and Murphy.

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As the Chief Justice’s North Carolina Commission on Professionalism and the wider North Carolina legal community work to address the shortage of attorneys practicing in many rural areas across the state, NC IOLTA has reestablished the Public Interest Internship Program, which funds summer internships for North Carolina law students .

Following their summer work, 2024 interns including Max Parker, a second-year law student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, gathered in Raleigh to reflect on their experiences. Below, Parker talks about working alongside Legal Aid of North Carolina attorneys in the Smoky Mountain offices in Sylva and Murphy. 

Read more about the 2024 program in our annual report story, “The Most Rewarding Thing I’ve Ever Done”: Interning in a Legal Desert. Enjoy hearing from other PIIP interns on our Stories page.

University of North Carolina law student Max Parker talks about working in Legal Aid of North Carolina’s Smoky Mountain offices in the summer of 2024 through NC IOLTA’s Public Interest Internship Program.

Legislation passed by the North Carolina General Assembly on July 9, 2025, bars NC IOLTA from grantmaking from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026. Consistent with the legislation, our 2026 funding cycle has not been opened.

NC State Bar Executive Director Peter Bolac provided an update to members of the Bar on Nov. 6, 2025. Details are available here. The NC State Bar and NC IOLTA continue to seek a resolution to preserve funding for civil legal aid, which plays a critical role in building a legal system that works for everyone, breaking down barriers and creating strong communities across North Carolina.