Legal Practice Hall of Fame Award: Vasiliki “Celia” A. Pistolis

June 9, 2025

Celia Pistolis is the Chief Legal Officer/General Counsel for Legal Aid of North Carolina, Inc. (LANC) and oversees the firm’s legal work of approximately 225 lawyers. Under her direction, LANC’s multiple appellate teams pursue 10-12 appeals annually. She has been with LANC and its predecessors since 1983.

In addition to her legal work, Pistolis has been an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and at the North Carolina Central University School of Law. She has served as Chair of the Equal Justice Alliance, the collaborative planning and coordination council of providers of civil legal assistance in North Carolina. Also, she has previously served as an advisory member of the NC State Bar’s Authorized Practice Committee. She is an active member of the NC Bar Association, serving on its Pro Bono and the Professional Vitality Committees, and has participated in 4All since its inception.

In 2001, the NC Bar Association recognized Pistolis as its Outstanding Legal Services Attorney of the Year and in 2012, the UNC Law Alumni Association presented her with its Distinguished Alumnus Award, the first legal services attorney so recognized.

A native North Carolinian, Pistolis received a BA with Honors in Classics and her JD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.