North Carolina Lawyers Weekly quoted McGuireWoods partner Scott Oostdyk and senior counsel Angie Zimmern in a Dec. 18, 2020, story on Charlotte Triage, a pro bono initiative that supports legal aid organizations to make legal services more accessible to low-income Charlotte residents.
Charlotte Triage is a partnership between McGuireWoods, Bank of America, Moore & Van Allen, Wells Fargo, Duke Energy, and Husqvarna that brings together law firms and corporate legal department to raise awareness of unmet legal needs in the community. The North Carolina Lawyers Weekly story focused on Charlotte Triage’s efforts to assist tenants in eviction cases, a need made greater by the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. The initiative is modeled on a similar program Oostdyk helped launch in Richmond, Virginia.
“It confirmed the approach we were taking in Richmond — that clients have to be defended vigorously against unwarranted eviction,” said Oostdyk, McGuireWoods’ global pro bono partner.
Zimmern, the firm’s pro bono director, co-leads the management committee that oversees Charlotte Triage’s day-to-day operations.
“There was an acute need before the pandemic, which has only worsened and will be even worse when eviction proceedings return in full force,” Zimmern said.
The Pro Bono Institute recently honored Charlotte Triage with the 2020 Corporate Pro Bono Partner Award.