For the 92% of low-income Americans whose civil legal problems receive no or inadequate legal help, innovative measures have never been more needed to close the justice gap. One organization rising to this challenge is theLegal Aid of North Carolina (LANC).
In an unprecedented move last year, LANC became the initial legal services program in the United States to launch anInnovation Lab, a dedicated venture aimed at discovering and implementing new solutions to bridge the justice gap.
This breakthrough initiative was enacted byAshley Campbell, who became LANC’s CEO in 2022 after having worked there at the start of her career, andScheree Gilchrist, a seasoned LANC attorney appointed as LANC’s first chief innovation officer by Campbell. Jeffrey M. Kelly, partner at the law firmNelson Mullins also played a crucial role in realizing this innovative strategy and currently serves as chair of the lab’s advisory board.
Recently, these key individuals, Campbell, Gilchrist and Kelly, were interviewed live at the Legal Services Corporation’s Innovations in Technology Conference in Charlotte, N.C. They shared their insights on the creation of a culture of innovation in legal services and detailed the current projects of the Innovation Lab.
Such committed efforts to enhance access to justice and drive innovation in the legal sector are paving the way for more inclusive legal services across the country. To read more about their innovative approach, visit the original article.