Meet the Attorneys Offering ‘Life-Changing’ Volunteer Legal Aid

NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / July 14, 2023 / People spend much of their day in their cars. They drive to work in the mornings, pick up kids in the afternoon, and load the car with groceries in the evening. They rarely think about the little piece of plastic that makes it all possible. But for the millions of people who've lost their driver's licenses, it isn't something they take for granted.

Losing a driver's license can have life-altering consequences. It makes daily tasks like going to the grocery store difficult and can prevent someone from getting a job or qualifying for services, according to Debbie Clayman, senior vice president and associate general counsel at Truist. "That affects their ability to be part of the community," she says.

That's why she and other Truist teammates in Georgia, Virginia, and North Carolina are providing volunteer legal services, called "pro bono," to help people who can't afford attorneys restore their driving privileges. Because it's more than a driver's license. It's the engine that allows people to support themselves and their families.

Truist's pro bono legal team isn't just helping someone build a better life, according to Clayman. It's building a better community.

"They often describe it as life-changing"

Truist's legal teammates collaborate with law firms and nonprofits to lead license restoration clinics. With partner Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP, for example, Truist volunteers have helped nearly 300 people develop driver's license restoration plans.

And demand for their services is high. In North Carolina, more than 1.2 million people have lost their licenses because unpaid fines and fees or failing to appear in court, says B. Leigh Wicclair, director of the Restorative Justice Project at the North Carolina Pro Bono Resource Center.

"And that can happen even if it's the person's first time ever missing court or getting a ticket," Wicclair says. "And we're talking about really low-level tickets: speeding, having a taillight out, that sort of thing. So that's 15% of all adult drivers in the state."

Navigating a complex legal process can be intimidating-and expensive. For people living on meager incomes, it can feel impossible.

"People describe feeling like they're in a hole they just can't get out of," Wicclair says.

Truist teammates, who have worked with Wicclair's organization, are helping fill a critical gap not covered by other legal aid, she says. "If it weren't for the pro bono volunteers, there just wouldn't be the service available."