Thorp Pro Bono Service Award: Kerry A. Friedman
Presented to an NCBA member attorney who practices in North Carolina and has provided substantial legal services, in excess of the aspirational goals of Rule 6.1, with no expectation of receiving a fee, to a client or client group that could not otherwise afford legal counsel. The nominee should have engaged in the direct delivery of legal services to clients or a client group over an extended period of time and those efforts should be ongoing. Nominees must not be employed on a full-time basis by an organization that has as its primary purpose the provision of free legal services to the poor.
A founder of Legal Services of North Carolina, the Pro Bono Service Award was renamed in 2002 to recognize William Thorp’s service to the low-income people of North Carolina.
Kerry A. Friedman is an Asheville native, graduate of UNC-CH in 1976 and UNC School of Law in 1980. He has been a lawyer with the Asheville laws firm of Patla, Straus, Robinson & Moore, PA since 1980, concentrating his practice in business law. Throughout his career, Kerry provided free civil legal aid to the most vulnerable communities of people in Western North Carolina through his volunteer work at Pisgah Legal Services (PLS).
While on the PLS Board in 1983, Kerry led the local bar’s effort to form the Mountain Area Volunteer Lawyer (MAVL) Program. He helped the Bar create a Pro Bono Committee that furthered efforts to expand the volunteer involvement of attorneys in Buncombe and surrounding counties. As a pro bono volunteer, he has shared his expertise with clients, staff, and the board for over 40 years. Kerry has provided consultation and representation to Pisgah Legal Services clients in Consumer Law, Debtor’s Rights/Debt Relief and Landlord/Tenant Law. As an attorney Kerry sees it as his duty to give back to the most vulnerable populations. Since 2006, he has taken on 575 cases for PLS.