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• 1966 Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) begins grants for civil legal assistance to poor as a part of War on Poverty. • September 1, 1967 Legal Aid Society begins operation with three attorneys and two secretaries. • 1967-75 Legal Aid Society grows steadily with increased OEO funding. • 1975 OEO Legal Services Program transferred to the new Legal Services Corporation (LSC). • 1979 LSC asks Legal Aid Society to expand to Cabarrus and Gaston Counties. Legal Aid Society expands and changes name to Legal Services of Southern Piedmont (LSSP) • 1981 LSSP adds Union and Stanly Counties. • 1982 LSC funding begins long decline to about one-third of the 1981 level in real dollars. • 1988 LSSP begins to diversify programs and funding, relying to an increasing degree on local revenue and private contributions, LSC funds now less than 40% of its budget. • 1996 Congress imposes severe restrictions on LSC-funded organizations, prohibiting certain types of advocacy and excluding many clients, including many immigrants. • 1999 NC legal services programs created Legal Services Planning Council to coordinate a comprehensive, integrated, statewide system legal services to poor, guided by vision of a full range of services to a full range of clients. • 2001 Planning Council adopts plan to restructure NC legal services system. • 2002 LSSP reorganizes into two separate organizations – part becomes regional offices of Legal Aid of North Carolina, funded by Legal Services Corporation, other part remains Legal Services of Southern Piedmont, with no LSC funds, focusing on clients and services Legal Aid is not permitted to assist. |
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