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Public: Recent News

The North Carolina Bar Association is pleased to announce the winners in its recent 4ALL Essay Contest.

The contest was open to all students, and essays were judged on two separate questions, one for elementary and middle school students and another for high school students. Prizes were awarded to all three levels of participants: elementary, middle and high school. Students and their teachers received prizes.

A component of the NCBA’s ongoing 4ALL initiative to expand the provision of civil legal aid to the poor, the contest was sponsored by the NCBA, the NCBA Foundation, and the Law-Related Education Advisory Committee.

Students in elementary and middle school grades tasked with writing a letter an attorney in response to the following two questions:

What is poverty?
What can lawyers do to end poverty?

High School students were presented with the following essay challenge:

In Gideon v. Wainwright, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the right of legal representation for all criminal defendants. As a result of Gideon v. Wainwright, if a criminal defendant cannot afford legal representation for his or her criminal defense, society bears the cost of the defense. Presently, if a defendant cannot afford legal representation in a civil matter, no lawyer is appointed and society does not bear the cost for his or her defense. Therefore, in civil matters, if a defendant is unable to afford the cost of legal representation he or she will likely go without legal representation. Does the fact that a poor civil defendant is likely to go without legal representation affect your opinion of whether there is truth and justice for all? Should the right to counsel expressed by the U.S. Supreme Court in Gideon v. Wainwright be extended to civil matters?

The winners are:

Elementary School Division:

First Place: Gregory Raheem-Poole, Healthy Start Academy, Durham
Teacher: Laverne Ellis

Second Place: Jose Interiano, Healthy Start Academy, Durham
Teacher: Marlene Fullwood

Third Place: Mahlik Conley, Healthy Start Academy, Durham
Teacher: Marlene Fullwood

Middle School Division:

First Place: Kayla Harvey, Ligon Middle School, Raleigh
Teacher: Beth Loehfelm

Second Place: Auja Little, John M Alexander, Huntersville
Teacher: Dwanna L. McNeely

Third Place: Gizelle L. Harris, Ligon Middle School, Raleigh
Teacher: Beth Loehfelm

High School Division:

First Place: Philip Reinhart, Holly Springs High School, Holly Springs
Teacher:  Tamara Young

Second Place: Jonathan Bunker, Lejeune High School, Camp Lejeune
Teacher: Patricia Robblee

Third Place: Emily Forbes, Holly Springs High School, Holly Springs
Teacher: Tamara Young

For additional information on the NCBA Foundation’s Law-Related Education program, visit its Web site at www.ncbar.org/lre