Importance of Legal Aid

Written By: Luke Osteen | Issue: September 2024

Patricia Cadell, Staff Attorney, and Leslie Manning, Regional Development Officer, in front of the Pisgah Legal Services offices adjacent to the Bazaar Barn, provided by The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd.

Last month, Pisgah Legal Services took a moment from its busy, complex workload to offer a celebratory breakfast at Highlands Country Club to to honor a couple who’ve been instrumental in the organization’s offices in Cashiers and Highlands – and to preview the possibilities of its broad portfolio.

Pisgah Legal Services, headquartered in Asheville, maintains two bustling offices in Highlands and Cashiers.

Honored were Diane and Ray McPhail for their generous support of Pisgah’s work in the Highlands area.

Ray said: “I grew up with poor people and know of the problems they face. An illness means the loss of a paycheck and the rent isn’t paid; there is an eviction. Legal aid programs come to the rescue; help with medical coverage; negotiate with the landlords and work to get the family out of poverty.”

Another highlight was hearing from Patricia Caddell, one of Pisgah’s staff attorneys working on the Highlands- Cashiers Plateau. She told about cases she has handled. One compelling case involved a mother and children who were being abused by her husband. Ms. Caddell went to court, got a protective order and ultimately obtained a divorce with full custody of the children for the mother.

Jim Barrett, Executive Director of Pisgah, was recognized for having dedicated his entire professional career to Pisgah. He reported on the anti-poverty program of Pisgah and the breadth of Pisgah’s work in Western North Carolina, having served 23,000 clients last year.

Leslie Manning was introduced as the new Development Director of Pisgah Legal on the Highlands Cashiers Plateau.

The sponsors of the breakfast were: Judy and Dick Allison, Virginia and Mike Campbell, Geri and Wade Coleman, Stell Huie, Jane Jerry, Cathy and George Manning, Sherri and Steve Ozcomert, Joan and Stan Starnes, Allison and Jim Tate, Susan and Charley Tarver, Sally and Mayor Pat Taylor, and Virginia and Wilbur Warner.

Public defenders take on the defense of poor accused in criminal cases. These defenders are all fully government funded. That is not the case with the civil legal services poor people need. There is no government provision for representation in civil cases. Pisgah and other legal aid programs depend on the support of private foundations and individual donors.

Pisgah Legal Services seeks to pursue justice by providing legal assistance and advocacy to help low-income people in Western North Carolina meet their basic needs and improve their lives.

More information may be found and donations may be made at pisgahlegal.org, or by contacting Leslie Manning, [email protected] or by calling (828) 575-1353.