February 2021 – Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy

2021 Pro Bono Honor Roll

Posted on February 16, 2021

The Mecklenburg Access to Justice Pro Bono Partners Program of Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy and Legal Aid of North Carolina-Charlotte is pleased to recognize our committed pro bono attorneys who donated at least 20 hours of service or closed three or more cases for our clients in 2020.

Individuals with asterisks next to their names completed more than 50 hours of pro bono service in 2020.

Congratulations and thank you to the dedicated legal professionals listed below. Each of you has played a key role in helping our agencies provide access to justice to low-income clients in our community.

Stephen D. Allred

*Keith F. Atkinson

Katharine Yale Barnes

Robert Locke Beatty

Russel P. Blaise*

Linda Elise Boss

Demi Lorant Bostian*

Richard Christian Brose

Alesha Brown

Hugh Hagan Brown

Emily Lynn Cantrell

Jules Wesley Carter*

Diana C. Castro*

Avery Devin Catlin

Joy McMurry Chappell

Katherine Susie Clarke

Amanda Marie Colley

David A. Concha*

Richar H. Conner III*

G. Lee Cory Jr.*

Carly Michelle Couch*

Matthew H. Crow*

Heather W. Culp*

Kevin L. Denny

Adam Karl Doerr*

W. Scott Dove

Addison Walker Dufour

Anastasia Elizabeth Fanning

Richard L. Farley

Walter D. Fisher Jr.*

Jacob Richard Franchek*

Jasmine Kelly Gardner

Edward Staples Garrett*

Matille Clark Gibbons

Christ K. Glista*

Jeffre C. Grady*

Stephanie E. Greer Fulcher

George V. Hanna III

James T. Hedrick Jr.

William Robinson Heroy*

Karen Marie Hinkley*

Travis Styres Hinman

Thomas G. Hooper

Rebecca Joan Horton

Brett Alan Hubler

Alexis Marie Iffert

David H. Jones

Sarah B. Kemble

Mark W. Kinghorn*

Heryka Rodriguez Knoespel*

Jonathan C. Krisko

Jodie H. Lawson*

Emily H. Leazer

Nicholas Haynes Lee

Antone J. Little*

Lauren Elizabeth Lowry

Dana C. Lumsden

Jonathan Adam Martin

Hilary Renee Levine May

William C. Mayberry

Lauren Nicole McHale*

Thomas E. McNeill*

Emma Claire Merritt

Samuel Clinton Merritt*

Timoth Misner*

Elizabeth C. Murphy

Sara Elizabeth Ohlman

Fern A. Paterson

Kim Brett Perez

Kathleen Elizabeth Perkins

Benjam M. Petitto*

Benjamin Scott Pleune

Yesenia Polanco-Galdamez*

Elham Rabiei*

Jane Rattaree*

Claire J. Rauscher

Marla Tun Reschly

Etheridge Brittin Ricks*

Carlo L. Rodes

Robert J. Roth*

Brian Michael Rowlson

Lee Kimball Royster

Brett Michael Shockley

Ronald J. Shook

Courtney Crook Shytle

John N. Suhr Jr.

Nadira Aisha Swinton

Daniel Lee Tedrick*

Lauren Tonon

Nicholas Evan Tosco

Leslie Campbell Tucker III

Ann Lee Warren

R. Kent Warren

Sara Page Waugh

Brian Marlowe Weynand

Abigail Forrister Williams

Joseph Miles Wobbleton

Fred M. Wood Jr.

Karlee Nicole Wroblewski

Julian H. Wright Jr.*

Erik R. Zimmerman*

North Carolina attorney volunteers!

Be sure to report your pro bono hours to the N.C. Pro Bono Resource Center to be recognized with your colleagues statewide for your service. Visit ncprobono.org/volunteer/ to learn more about the N.C. Rule of Professional Conduct 6.1 and statewide pro bono initiatives.

Attorneys who report at least 50 hours of pro bono legal services in a year will be inducted into the NC Pro Bono Honor Society and receive a certificate from the Supreme Court of North Carolina recognizing their service. Learn more and report your hours at https://ncprobono.org/report/.

NC Extra Credit Grant Program

Posted on February 16, 2021

Feb. 16, 2021, Update:

Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper signed a COVID-19 relief bill that extends the deadline for parents to apply for $335 NC Extra Credit grants.

The $335 checks are intended to offset parents’ virtual schooling and child-care costs during the COVID-19 pandemic. They were part of a previous coronavirus relief package, but there were leftover funds after more than a million parents received their checks. This extension allows parents who qualified for an NC Extra Credit grant but did not receive checks in 2020 apply for the grant through May 31, 2021.

The new law extending the NC Extra Credit Grant program through May 31, 2021 only applies to eligible individuals who have NOT received the $335 grant. If you have already received the $335 grant, you are not eligible under the new law.

The application for the NC Extra Credit Grant will only be available on the NC Department of Revenue website, but we do not know when.

Who is Eligible?

North Carolina families with qualifying children who were 16 or younger at the end of 2019 who did not already receive the $335 check from the NC Department of Revenue.

Qualifying individuals who were not required to file a 2019 state tax return and have NOT already received the $335 grant.

Eligible individuals who filed a 2019 state tax and did NOT receive the $335 grant. This includes individuals who suffered from a tax preparation software error that resulted in their 2019 NC tax return not including their qualifying children.

Ready to file your 2020 tax return?

Posted on February 11, 2021

Here are five things to keep in mind this tax season:

1. The tax filing season is February 12th, 2021 through April 15th, 2021

Update

The federal tax filing deadline has been extended to May 17, 2021. The filing deadline for state taxes in North Carolina is also May 17.

The Internal Revenue Service announced that the nation’s tax season will start on Friday, February 12, 2021, when the tax agency will begin accepting and processing 2020 tax year returns.

The February 12 start date for individual tax return filers allows the IRS time to do additional programming and testing of IRS systems following the December 27 tax law changes that provided a second round of Economic Impact Payments and other benefits.

Start collecting your tax documents and preparing your tax return today!

2. Many families can file for free using IRS Free File

The IRS Free File Program is a partnership with tax filing software leaders who provide their brand-name products for free. There are two ways to file your return online for free:

Traditional IRS Free File provides free online tax preparation and filing options on IRS partner sites. Only taxpayers whose adjusted gross income (or AGI) is $72,000 or less qualify for any IRS Free File partner offers.
Free File Fillable Forms are electronic federal tax forms you can fill out and file online for free. If you choose this option, you should know how to prepare your own tax return. It is the only IRS Free File option available for taxpayers whose income (AGI) is greater than $72,000.

Learn more at https://www.irs.gov/filing/free-file-do-your-federal-taxes-for-free

3. Eligible people who didn’t receive stimulus payments can claim them with the Recover Rebate Credit

Economic Impact Payments (EIP) are referred to as the Recovery Rebate Credit (RRC) on Form 1040 or Form 1040-SR. You may be eligible to claim your EIP through the RRC if you are a recent college graduate, were claimed as a dependent on a 2019 tax return but will file independently on your 2020 tax return, are incarcerated or were recently incarcerated, or missed the Nov. 21 deadline to use the non-tax filer tool to claim your stimulus check.

4. You can deduct up to $300 in charitable donations without itemizing

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, enacted last spring, includes several temporary tax changes helping charities, including the special $300 deduction designed especially for people who choose to take the standard deduction, rather than itemizing their deductions.

Under this new change, individual taxpayers can claim an “above-the-line” deduction of up to $300 for cash donations made to charity during 2020. This means the deduction lowers both adjusted gross income and taxable income – translating into tax savings for those making donations to qualifying tax-exempt organizations.

5. 2019 incomes can be used to determine your Earned Income Tax Credit

The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) helps low- to moderate-income workers and families get a tax break. If you qualify, you can use the credit to reduce the taxes you owe – and maybe increase your refund.

You may claim the EITC if your income is low- to moderate. The amount of your credit may change if you have children, dependents, are disabled or meet other criteria.

If your earned income was higher in 2019 than in 2020, you can use the 2019 amount to figure your EITC for 2020.

VITA Offers Free Help Filing 2020 Taxes

COVID Scams: 5 things to remember during the vaccine roll out

Posted on February 2, 2021

As North Carolinians begin receiving COVID-19 vaccinations, the NC Department of Justice is warning about an increase in vaccine-related scams. Here are five things to keep in mind as the vaccines are rolled out:

Everyone who wants a vaccine can have one. Even if you don’t have health insurance, COVID-19 vaccine will be available for free for most people. Those with health insurance should bring this information with them to their vaccination appointment.
Beware of solicitations. Anyone who calls, texts, messages, emails, or posts to social media that you can pay to have the vaccine reserved for you or mailed to you is a scammer.
Legitimate providers will not request your bank account, Social Security, or credit card number to get the vaccine. Beware of websites made to resemble legitimate health department or health care provider websites.
No identification, immigration status, or social security number is required to receive the vaccine. Immigrants regardless of legal status can receive the vaccine without worry of their information being provided to ICE or their immigration status being affected. Any information provided is kept confidential and cannot be shared with ICE or immigration enforcement.
Stay up to date. The best place to learn about vaccine availability and when you may be eligible to receive the vaccine is the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services “Your Spot, Your Shot” website.

To learn more about vaccine availability in Mecklenburg County, call the Mecklenburg County Health Department’s Public Health Hotline, 980-314-9400 or visit their website.

Learn more about scams related to COVID-19 Vaccine

“Stay Safe from COVID-19 Vaccine Scams” (N.C. Department of Justice)

“Federal Agencies Warn of Emerging Fraud Schemes Related to COVID-19 Vaccines” (F.B.I.)