Campbell Law School's Gailor Family Law Litigation Clinic, a beacon of hope for low-income individuals embroiled in complex family law disputes, has recently secured a grant from the Wake County Bar Association (WCBA) Foundation. As one of the latest beneficiaries of the WCBA's Community Grants program, the clinic has been bestowed with $30,000 to bolster its services. "What we have found is that the need is just enormous," Clinic Director Richard Waugaman III ’12 described the pressing demand for affordable legal assistance to Campbell University News.
This sizable grant arrives as a timely boon for the clinic, which has been serving the indigent of Wake County since its inception in August 2021. The funding is expected to expand the clinic's capacity to deliver a broader spectrum of services, and, assist more individuals stuck in often overwhelming legal circumstances. "The clinic addresses challenging family law issues," the university-affiliated news source reported, referring to cases including but not limited to divorce, paternity, child custody, and child support.
Waugaman expressed the profound impact of the clinic's work in a video released by the WCBA Foundation, stating, "It’s very rewarding. The thing I see more than anything with the clients is relief in knowing there is reason for optimism versus feeling so stuck and unable to move forward with their lives and maximize their own potential." He lamented the stark reality that essential legal services often remain out of reach for those with constrained resources, a gap the clinic aims to narrow.
Under the "Student Practice Rule," Campbell Law students gain invaluable hands-on experience, working on actual cases involving intricate family law matters. They embrace a client-centered methodology, developing skills in counseling, negotiation, and should the need arise, trial advocacy. The program aims at cultivating a generation of family lawyers instilled with a deep sense of service and justice, echoing the needs assessment completed in 2021 by the Chief Justice’s Commission on Access to Justice. The commission identified family law as the domain with the most significant shortfall in legal services for North Carolinians of modest means.
Those interested in learning more about the clinic's efforts and the WCBA Foundation's support can access further details through the video released by the foundation, chronicling the clinic's vision and the tangible hope it offers to its beneficiaries.
