Wake County District Court Judge Ashleigh Parker Dunston talks about the impetus for creating the center, which provides forms, information and assistance for common pro se issues like family law and housing.
Wake County Legal Support Center: A Model for Helping Pro Se Litigants
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The Wake County Legal Support Center opened its doors on Jan. 13, 2023. The center provides resources to individuals who cannot afford a lawyer but are trying to navigate the complexities of the judicial system in Wake County on their own.
The Support Center was, in many ways, the brainchild of Wake County District Court Judge Ashleigh Parker Dunston. Working with such partners as Wake County, the City of Raleigh, the NC Judicial Branch, the NC Equal Access to Justice Commission and NC IOLTA, Judge Parker Dunston was instrumental in making a vision into a reality.
This summer, the Journal interviewed Judge Parker Dunston about the center and how it came into existence.
What does the Wake County Legal Support Center do?
The Wake County Legal Support Center serves as a destination to access civil legal information and resources for the substantial number of Wake County residents who manage the judicial system without any legal representation. Additionally, the center is a hub for organizations to provide wrap-around services and pro bono opportunities for members of the 10th Judicial District Bar.
The center, which is run by Equal Access to Justice Center staff and volunteers, provides legal forms and informational packets that address common problems like family law and housing issues. Additionally, individuals are provided one-on-one assistance with filling out the packets and information regarding the next steps. They are also assisted in navigating Odyssey, the new e-filing system.
Through the Attorney of the Day program, attorneys from the 10th Judicial District Bar meet with individuals and provide free limited legal representation.
The center is available to anyone regardless of their income or educational level.
Pro se litigants who receive assistance from the Legal Support Center are better able to represent themselves in court, understand what is happening when they go to court and feel more confident about their participation in the legal system.
Why did Wake County need a legal support center?
According to the 2021 Civil Legal Needs Assessment, 11% of Wake County residents live in poverty and do not have the means to hire an attorney. Additionally, there is only one Legal Aid attorney for every 10,000 individuals in NC in need of an attorney for their civil needs. From a practical standpoint, this means that thousands of Wake County citizens and North Carolinians are forced to navigate the legal system without representation. This can and does result in delays and denials of their claims, all because they could not afford an attorney. In short, the need for the center was well overdue. Mecklenburg County has had one for over 24 years!
What did you do personally to get the project started? Did you have a team of helpers and, if so, who were they and why did you ask them to help?
While this was theoretically six years in the making, it took a lot of time and effort because once the ball was rolling, it came together in about six months. I was grateful to have the assistance of my PINC (Partner in Non-Criminal) Activity, Jennifer Lechner, the executive director of the North Carolina Equal Access to Justice Commission. Together, we pulled together stakeholders such as Chief Justice Newby and the Administrative Office of the Courts, Wake County courthouse leadership, 10th Judicial District/Wake County Bar Association leadership, Wake County commissioners, Wake County’s county manager and staff, NC State Bar, Campbell Law School and so many others who were invested in this project. I wanted to involve the most amount of people because I knew that this would need to be a collaborative effort to be successful. I was definitely proven right, because without each of these organizations, this project would not have come to fruition.
What was your initial vision for the legal support center? Has that come to fruition?
When I became a judge, I was assigned to handle matters in our domestic courtrooms, specifically child support and child custody. I quickly realized that the majority of our children end up in the adult system due to the lack of access to parents. Many parents wanted to assist with the rearing of their children but didn’t have the financial resources or legal acumen to navigate the civil system and have their case heard. I truly believe that an educated community is an empowered community, and we were doing a large demographic of people a disservice by not assisting them with navigating our complex legal system simply because they didn’t have the financial resources.
Visitors to the Wake County Legal Support Center use tablets from the Administrative
Office of the Courts to access eCourts.
The center has exceeded my vision of providing access to restore families and help people with their housing issues. Thanks to phenomenal staff under the leadership of the center’s director, Anh LyJordan, it has become a “home base” of the Wake County courthouse. Judges, clerks, staff, deputies, etc., are able to point people to a location that can try to help answer the questions that they can’t. It’s a one-stop shop where people can fill out their packet, get it notarized and file it correctly, which has truly helped all of us be more efficient. I have received numerous messages about how the center has positively affected so many lives in just the few short months that it’s been open, and I’m so grateful that it’s here.
Have you seen a decrease in the problems related to pro se representation since the support center opened?
Navigating the legal system as a pro se litigant can be overwhelming and confusing, and based on responses to our post-visit surveys, pro se litigants have shared that they found the assistance in the Legal Support Center was helpful in understanding the legal system and what steps they needed to take. We have found that pro se litigants who receive assistance from the Legal Support Center are better able to represent themselves in court, understand what is happening when they go to court, and feel more confident about their participation in the legal system. For example:
- “I was provided with the correct tools and the right legal advice with no attitude or nastiness. I felt welcomed, while dealing with a stressful situation.” — Jerry
- “This is an awesome service that has been implemented to serve individuals, particularly individuals who do not know how to navigate the courts and the different processes. This is also great as you may not always need an attorney to assist with basic services. Thank you, Wake County, for implementing a service of necessity for the people.” — Erica
Wake County Legal Support Center Program Coordinator S.M.
Kernodle-Hodges assists pro se litigants with informational packets.
What have you learned from your advocacy for the Wake Legal Support Center?
We immediately learned that the need we anticipated was real, as evidenced by the numbers. In the first six months, the Legal Support Center assisted over 2,500 visitors, and that is despite the fact that we are only open four hours a day. We also learned that access to legal information and resources definitely helps bridge the gap in access to justice, but there remain issues where information is not enough and only access to legal representation will ensure meaningful assistance. That’s why we established the Family Law Attorney of the Day program where pro bono attorneys from the area’s best firms provide legal consultations at no charge. This program has been so successful that we have been looking to expand it into other areas of need, such as housing, estate administration and more.
What were the biggest impediments to getting the Legal Support Center?
The biggest impediment to getting the center was convincing some individuals about the absolute necessity behind this venture and the amount of funding needed to accomplish it at the level of excellence that we wanted it to have. Thankfully, this wasn’t a huge task, because there were so many people who believed in this project and wanted to support its existence.
How is the support center financed?
The center is funded by numerous partners including Wake County, the City of Raleigh, NC IOLTA, the Wake County Bar Association Foundation and private funders. Additionally, the Administrative Office of the Courts has graciously provided all of the equipment and technical services for the center.
What are the next steps for the support center? Will it grow and, if so, how? Where will the funding for growth come from?
Our goal was always expansion. We created the Wake County Legal Support Center to serve as a template with the hope that a version will be available in all 100 counties for citizens to receive assistance. The Administrative Office of the Courts has been extremely supportive of these efforts, and hopefully the legislature will assist us with this goal, understanding that not every county is able to afford to staff a center.
Learn more on the center’s website.
This story originally appeared in the Fall 2023 issue of the North Carolina State Bar Journal and has been lightly edited for style.