NCBA Members Recognized by ABA for Exemplary Pro Bono Service With NC Free Legal Answers Program
If time is one of the most valuable gifts we have, then spending time helping others is one of the most generous ways to make a difference.
NCBA member Brandon Robinson exemplifies this generosity through his involvement with the NC Free Legal Answers (NC FLA) program. Since 2018, Robinson has devoted 1,062 hours, the equivalent of more than 41 days, to responding to questions asked by individuals across the state. Over the past seven years, he has answered 5,440 questions. And he is not done; he continues to find time whenever he is able to reply to another request.
Brandon Robinson
Each question is more than a number — it is written by a person who is in need of legal advice and who may not know where else to turn.
Robinson’s dedication to the program is a tremendous act of service: more than 5,000 people have had their burdens lifted through his help. He has replied to questions from all 100 counties in North Carolina. His commitment is an inspiration because it signifies how one person can have a big impact.
Described as a “virtual legal advice clinic,” ABA Free Legal Answers project offers individuals an online space for posting legal questions at no cost to them. Attorneys can respond to these queries, providing guidance and direction to individuals who are seeking legal advice. In January of this year, the program announced that, nationally, 400,000 questions had been addressed since the program began in 2016. In 2024, attorneys across the United States volunteered 16,500 hours with the program. The North Carolina Bar Foundation is the North Carolina administrator of NC FLA.
The program has been helpful to many people, especially to individuals who encounter unexpected difficulties and devastation. Last year, ABA FLA was a resource during natural disasters. When Hurricane Helene hit North Carolina in September 2024, the ABA adjusted the income requirements for program participants and worked with the NCBF to add Disaster Relief Categories to FLA, so that questions could be classified and rapidly responded to.
Through his engagement with NC FLA, Robinson has demonstrated compassion and care for others, and he has also displayed the power of pro bono. In October, the American Bar Association and legal organizations across the United States celebrated Pro Bono Month. Since 2009, this national celebration provides an opportunity to recognize the efforts of attorneys who give of their time through volunteering, and to spotlight the critical need for more attorneys willing to join in this important task, assisting others by using their legal education and expertise.
Although Pro Bono Month has ended, the need for attorneys to engage in volunteering continues. In the spirit of Pro Bono Month, we would like to applaud Robinson and four other NCBA members for going above and beyond in their engagement with NC FLA: Adam Arthur, David Goldberg, Manisha Patel and Janet Steddum.
These five NCBA members were part of a group of eight attorneys recognized by the ABA in February 2025 for their exemplary efforts. The ABA lauded these individuals for providing “extraordinary pro bono services” through the program.
Recently, we spoke with Robinson, Patel and Steddum about what this acknowledgement means to them.
Receiving recognition by the ABA is personally significant to Robinson for several reasons.
“Beyond personal gratification, the recognition reaffirms what I already knew, which is that the vast majority of my North Carolina legal colleagues value public service, and NCBA’s mission of seeking justice and the fair administration of law, along the lines of civility and excellence,” he said.
“I think my service resonates so strongly with NCBA members because it reflects what they love most about our profession. This is something that binds us together as lawyers, judges and public servants.”
Service is a value that guides him in his efforts to help others each day. When asked what he finds most rewarding about making a difference in the lives of North Carolinians through this program, Robinson speaks of his gratitude for those individuals who have spent time pouring into him.
“From the time I entered kindergarten in 1987, until I graduated from North Carolina Central University School of Law in 2013 (with K-12 instruction and three UNC System degrees in between), North Carolina citizens and taxpayers invested significant resources in my education and professional development,” said Robinson.
“My family has lived in Davie County for at least seven generations, since 1812. My love for North Carolina is inexhaustible, and now, as a North Carolina-licensed attorney and civic leader, I get to serve the state that has done so rightly by me.”
Being involved with NC FLA is meaningful to him because it is a way to live out the value of service that is inherent to being an attorney.
“Pro bono service is essential to me because it feeds my soul, and extends my philanthropy beyond financial giving, as the word derives from the Greek phrase, ‘love of humanity.’ For me, pro bono work is not a burden or obligation, but an NCBA member benefit that adds value to my life, just as I hope it does to the clients and general public I serve.
“The idea that lawyers should focus on both making a gainful living and serving a greater civic purpose came to me as a child, when I fostered a reverence for lawyers and the profession by reading biographies of American Founders and presidents — many of whom were lawyers, and civic spirited. The view of a lawyer as a civic pillar in one’s town, city, state or country was reinforced by the examples I personally witnessed growing up in Mocksville, North Carolina — chief among them NCBA’s past president and perhaps our town’s most prominent lawyer, Hank Van Hoy,” said Robinson. “For me, the legal profession will always be a civic priesthood dedicated to the rule of law, the Constitution, and the best of American and English history.”
Robinson, who is a graduate of North Carolina Central University School of Law, has served in leadership in the NCBA and other organizations. He served as a member of the NCBA Board of Governors (2019-2022), as well as president of the Sixteenth Judicial District Bar/Durham County Bar Association (2022-2024) and president of the Conservation Trust for North Carolina (2022-2024). Since 2019, he has been a member of the Foundation Board for Western Carolina University, and he also is Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle. He holds dual degrees, a master’s degree in American history and a bachelor’s degree in European history and philosophy, from Western Carolina University.
Manisha P. Patel
Another member recognized by the ABA, Manisha P. Patel, is enthusiastic about serving others through pro bono work. During her involvement with NC FLA, she has responded to 166 questions.
Patel became involved with the NC FLA program in 2017. That year, Patel was selected as a participant in the NCBA Leadership Academy, and she was invited to serve on the Free Legal Answers Task Force. She shares that when she joined the task force, the NCBF was beginning to implement the program in the state.
“Since that time, I have been a supporter of this program and a volunteer attorney to provide ‘pro bono in my PJs,’ really from my office desk when I need a break from work but, same thing!” said Patel. “I love this program and how accessible it makes legal advice for North Carolinians, especially since the access to civil legal needs and providers gap is so great.”
When asked what it means to be honored by the ABA, Patel describes her love for pro bono work.
“This recognition means so much to me because the root of my life’s passion is to serve others. Serving my community is what has been engrained in me since a very young age, and being able to do that for a living is the literal dream.”
Beyond her service with NC Free Legal Answers, Patel has also volunteered for multiple shifts each year with NCBA’s 4ALL every March, as part of pro bono clinics with the North Carolina Justice Center, the Women’s Resource Center of Greensboro, and Listen and Learn clinics with Legal Aid of North Carolina. She also takes on pro bono client referrals.
What does she find most enjoyable about her involvement in this program?
“The passion behind my pro bono service is that I am able to give people the knowledge to make their lives better or easier. I have worked very hard throughout my career, and I have the experience and ability to help others with the knowledge and experience I’ve gained since moving to North Carolina for law school. As I shifted my family law practice from the traditional and adversarial methods to focus primarily on alternative dispute resolution and collaborative family law, I have seen how much this helps family law clients preserve their peace going through these trying times,” she said.
“I want to help others find that peace and gain that knowledge to make their lives better or improve their legal stressors than before. Making a difference in the lives of North Carolinians is why I do what I do. If that is through my pro bono service through Free Legal Answers or through LANC, or if it is for the clients who walk through my office door — this is why I became a lawyer and began my practice in North Carolina.”
Like Robinson, Patel considers serving others to be a core part of what it means to be an attorney.
“Service to others is a huge part of why so many people go into law, or at least I hope it is why. Everyone in this field has worked hard to become a lawyer and to that end, we have a duty to give back to our community that has given so much to us individually,” said Patel.
“Whether that community is our geographic community, our religious or ethnic groups, or those who need legal services who are unable to afford such service — we have created our communities throughout our lives, and in particular, our professional lives. It is crucial that lawyers, given our education, skills and experience, give back to our communities. The NC Free Legal Answers program makes this easy for lawyers throughout our state.”
When describing why service is a value that is important to her, Patel speaks of her upbringing and family values. Her parents encouraged her and her siblings to volunteer at the YMCA, public library, local hospital, and science museum in her hometown of Danville, Virginia, and she volunteered during her summer and school breaks.
This commitment to service is a principle that shaped Patel’s college years and how she views her role as an attorney.
“Little did I know that my choice for higher education would hold this value to a higher degree that would weave throughout my life and the choices I made. Ut Prosim is the school motto for Virginia Tech, where I attended for my undergraduate degrees, and it roughly translates to ‘That I May Serve.’ This motto not only supplemented what my parents instilled in me at such a young age but during my four years there, I learned how this will ultimately be the foundation and guidepost for my personal and professional lives.
“Serving my clients, my community, my profession — this is what it is all about. I am lucky that I now run my own firm, and I can choose the clients I serve and not be driven by the so-called ‘bottom line.’”
Patel received her law degree from Elon University School of Law, and her undergraduate degrees in economics and history from Virginia Tech. In addition to her pro bono work with NC Free Legal Answers, Patel serves as a volunteer guardian ad litem for Guilford County. She has provided pro bono advice to immigrants who have faced possible deportation, North Carolina residents through Legal Aid of North Carolina, and transgender members of the community by helping them to correct their birth certificates and change their names. She has offered brief free phone consultations through the Women’s Resource Center of Greensboro.
Janet Steddum
Janet Steddum, who was also recognized by the ABA for her volunteer work with NC Free Legal Answers, provided responses to 307 questions.
She enjoys serving with the program because it is an opportunity to have an impact on the lives of North Carolinians.
“I like knowing that I have very likely been able to help the client move on or at least gain clarity. I think this is why many of us went to law school. We wanted to ease suffering and make North Carolina a little more just, one client at a time,” said Steddum.
When asked what it means to be recognized, she expresses thankfulness for the community of lawyers who have also given back.
“This recognition is humbling as I consider the caliber of attorneys who share in the award. They are so accomplished in their own right and committed to this important work,” she said.
Being involved with the program reminds Steddum of how much good one can do through sharing knowledge about the law with others who are in need.
“Pro bono is a powerful way to contribute to the common good and requires relatively little effort. I think as attorneys we often take for granted how much we know about the underpinnings of the legal system. This very basic knowledge can bring relief and peace of mind to our clients. I think humans are wired to help each other.
“Serving is a natural response to a very great gift we have been given, the knowledge and authority to practice law. It is a privilege and duty to uphold the rule of law, especially given these difficult times.”
Steddum is glad to have found a way to volunteer that is easy to use and provides assistance to each person who has asked a question.
“I learned about Free Legal Answers from the NCBA,” she said. “I was looking for a way to engage in pro bono that would take advantage of my natural abilities and inclinations. I am retired and so flexibility is important to me. I like to take my time and draft answers that are thorough and can be referred to by the client.”
Steddum is a member of the NCBA Real Property Section and Senior Lawyers Division. She served as a Pro Bono Attorney with Legal Aid of North Carolina (2013-2018) and as a volunteer with 4ALL–Lawyers On Call, the Legal Aid Disaster Recovery Project and the Heir Property Pro Bono Project. She was an oboist in the Durham Symphony Orchestra for nine years. Steddum received her law degree from North Carolina Central University School of Law’s evening program and her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the State University of New York at Albany.
We celebrate the commitment to pro bono that Robinson, Arthur, Goldberg, Patel and Steddum have exemplified, and we are thankful for their service to individuals across the state.
Are you interested in getting involved?
The NC FLA program has a significant need for attorney volunteers, especially those who are able to answer family law, housing, employment and estate planning and probate questions. To learn more about how you can get involved, visit the North Carolina Bar Foundation’s Free Legal Answers website, where you can register to volunteer.
Jessica Junqueira is communications manager for the North Carolina Bar Association.