On Saturday, November 12, Alston & Bird partnered with Duke Energy and Legal Services of the Southern Piedmont to provide free wills, estate planning and powers of attorney for Charlotte Mecklenburg School employees. "Wills for Schools" was a one-day event modeled after the "Wills for Heroes" program, a successful project that the North Carolina Bar has been running for several years that serves first responders—fire fighters, police and EMT. Wills for Schools served people on the front lines of our public schools—teachers and school support staff.
“When we first discussed a pro bono project with Duke Energy, CMS was an easy choice,” says Brian Ellsworth, Alston & Bird partner and Pro Bono Chair of the Charlotte office. “Our public schools are under tremendous pressure, and CMS employees are often asked to make do with extremely limited resources. Donating our time to help them is one small way of thanking them for their hard work and dedication.”
This event brought together approximately 79 volunteers from Alston & Bird (34 volunteers), Duke Energy (22 volunteers), Legal Services of Southern Piedmont (six volunteers), Charlotte School of Law (nine volunteers) and other local enterprises (eight volunteers) to prepare wills and other estate planning documents for local public school teachers and other school employees. The team completed wills and related estate planning documents for 80 very appreciative clients. The estimated value of pro bono services provided was more than $80,000.
The clinic was held in Alston & Bird’s office on South Tryon Street from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Saturday, November 12.