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Public: Recent News

Monday marked a historic milestone in the fledgling North Carolina Lawyers for Entrepreneurs Assistance Program when Milan T. Pham began her duties at the N.C. Bar Center as the NC LEAP’s founding director.

Milan Pham

Pham had served as director of the Orange County Human Rights and Relations Department since 2004, and as its senior civil rights specialist from 1999-2003. She has also maintained a private practice with Pham & Associates since 2001.

A 1999 graduate of the University of North Carolina School of Law, Pham holds a bachelor’s degree from N.C. State University where she graduated magna cum laude in 1996.

NC LEAP, the North Carolina Bar Association Foundation’s new pro bono opportunity for N.C. lawyers that has become the signature project of the Business Law and Corporate Counsel sections of the NCBA, will link volunteer attorneys with low wealth, rural and minority entrepreneurs in need of legal assistance, thereby creating an outstanding opportunity for business lawyers handling business-related pro bono matters.

“This is an exciting day for the North Carolina Bar Association, the NCBA Foundation and everyone who has been involved with making NC LEAP a reality,” said NCBA President Clark Smith. “The project has enormous potential, made all the more evident by the fact that the director’s position attracted a number of outstanding candidates, including and especially Milan Pham.”

The appointment of Pham follows an enormously successful fund-raising effort chaired by Charlotte attorney Marion Cowell, who has been joined in providing exemplary volunteer leadership by Patrick Johnson of Raleigh, overall chair of the NC LEAP Project, and section chairs Mark Davidson (Business Law) and Joseph Ritter (Corporate Counsel).

“Milan is the ideal candidate to be the director of NC LEAP,” Johnson said. “She has demonstrated a strong commitment to public service through her work for the Orange County Human Rights and Relations Department.

“She has advised business and entrepreneurs on legal issues through her solo legal practice. She has strong ties to the state of North Carolina. In addition, she is smart, energetic, organized and dedicated to making a difference in the lives of people in her community and in this state.”

To date, combined with section commitments and contributions from the NCBA and the NCBA Foundation, NC LEAP has exceeded its initial fund-raising goal of $250,000. This amount has been targeted as a figure that will sustain the program for three years, after which its success will speak for itself in attracting subsequent funding.

More than $180,000 has been pledged or contributed by law firms and corporations in support of NC LEAP. In addition, attorneys from the Business Law Section are leading the corps of volunteer attorneys who are pledging over 2,800 pro bono hours of service to this initiative.

An extensive description of NC LEAP, its vision statement and a listing of contributors is available on the NCBA Web site. Click here to access.