Elon Law students excel at Legal Aid

Atkins was the Martin Luther King, Jr. summer intern for the LANC-Greensboro office. She successfully juggled two domestic violence protective orders on her last day at the LANC-Greensboro office.

In addition, Atkins represented a client in a contested hearing where the defendant was represented by counsel. This client had been the victim of years of abuse and had sought prior protection of the courts through both civil and criminal remedies. Atkins won the hearing, getting the client everything she had requested.

Beal was the MLK intern for the LANC-Ahoskie office. Within the first three weeks of his internship, Beal had his first hearing before the Clerk of Court in Northampton County. He presented a Petition for a Delayed Birth Certificate by client’s Affidavit, and was granted an Order for a Birth Certificate signed by the Clerk.

Later in July, Beal filed a Small Claims action against a landlord who refused for 6 months to return a client’s $500 security deposit. He demanded a full refund for the landlord’s willful failure to refund, plus attorney’s fees. Once again, Beal came back with a victory and received the full deposit from the landlord.

Summer law interns at LANC gain experience working in a public interest setting, engaging in a wide range of law-related activities that many law student experience only after law school. Additionally, the MLK program places talented law students into the real world of legal aid advocacy working on actual cases.

LANC is a statewide, nonprofit law firm that provides free legal services in civil matters to low-income people in order to ensure equal access to justice and to remove legal barriers to economic opportunity. MLK interns experience client contact, courtroom participation and legal research and writing on actual cases under the supervision of seasoned legal aid attorneys.

By Danielle Appelman, L’12