Emergency Legal Services Program
Resources for Victims of Violence
Elon Law’s Emergency Legal Services Program seeks to drastically reduce gaps and unmet needs for legal advocacy and support for victims of domestic and sexual violence seeking services at the Family Justice Centers of Guilford and Alamance counties.
A grant from the North Carolina Governor’s Crime Commission funds emergency legal services, victim advocates, and specialized legal services in the fields of family law, immigration, and elder abuse to ensure a victim’s immediate physical and psychological health and safety.
The Emergency Legal Services Program also assists in securing stabilization and a safe environment for victims of crime and their children.
The Family Justice Centers in Greensboro and Burlington, North Carolina, describe themselves as “one stop shops” for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, and elder abuse. It brings together law enforcement, medical, and social service professionals to coordinate access to vital services and information with a special focus on victims of domestic and sexual violence.
About the Director
A graduate of Howard University School of Law, Margaret Dudley moved to North Carolina in 1974 to work on a prisoners’ rights project for the state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union and as a legal researcher for a Greensboro law firm. She was hired as a deputy county attorney in 1977, working for the next seven years with Guilford County departments focused on social services.
Dudley moved to private practice in 1984 and set out as a solo practitioner in 1994. She has focused much of her work on civil litigation with an emphasis on family law and throughout her time in the city has served on several community and civic boards, including Central Carolina Legal Services, the Greensboro branch of the NAACP, the Greensboro Citizens Association, and the N.C. Black Women’s Political Caucus.