Wills Clinic in Edgecombe County

Two SCSJ attorneys, four SCSJ legal interns, and four law student volunteers conducted a pro bono wills’ clinic July 9-11 in Tarboro, North Carolina. With a huge assist from the Edgecombe County Cooperative Extension office, attorneys and students discussed end-of-life issues with 13 Edgecombe County residents.
These discussion led to the production of more than 40 documents, including wills, living wills, powers of attorney, and health care powers of attorney, for residents who otherwise could not have afforded the services. “End of life planning is a key to preventing problems we frequently see in our office, such as heirs’ property and associated African-American land loss. This clinic was a great way of not only dealing with the source of these problems, but also providing pro bono legal assistance to an underserved community,” says SCSJ staff attorney Becky Jaffe, who coordinated the clinic.