ROCKINGHAM — Two new Legal Aid of North Carolina attorneys were sworn in Wednesday morning in Richmond County District Court.
Chief District Court Judge Scott Brewer administered oaths of office to attorneys Ray Griffis Jr. and Jenny Maresca with assistance from Clerk of Superior Court Vickie Daniel. They can now practice law in any of North Carolina’s 100 counties.
Griffis and Maresca, fresh from passing the state bar exam, sat speaking together and with Legal Aid’s regional managing attorney David Richardson shortly before the 9 a.m. swearing-in.
Asked why the two had decided to join Legal Aid rather than pursue other forms of private practice, Griffis offered a pragmatic answer.
“It’s one of the quickest ways you can get into the courtroom,” he said. “My passion is litigation. I want to use my words to help people.”
Maresca said her fiancé practices law for the same firm he worked with while he was still in law school.
“I’ve lived in Brooklyn, New York for about 18 years,” she said. “But my family lives in Clemmons. My mother recently had surgery and isn’t able to move around well yet, so they were unable to be here today.”
Griffis added that he and his family are Burlington natives, and several of his relatives were in the room. His parents and both his grandmothers smiled from their benches during the ceremony.
The nonprofit group Legal Aid North Carolina offers free legal assistance to low-income residents. It does not assist with criminal cases, but its attorneys can help people in need with consumer issues, domestic violence, Medicaid disability denials, public benefits denials, unemployment, foreclosures, food stamp issues, education, expungements, evictions and landlord-tenant disputes.
Richmond County has an estimated 11,265 people living below the federal poverty line, according to the N.C. Department of Commerce. Eligibility for free legal aid is determined by lawyers who ask a series of questions during scheduled appointments.
To schedule an appointment, call Legal Aid of North Carolina’s Rockingham office at 910-817-7670.
Reach reporter Melonie McLaurin at 910-817-2673 and follow her on Twitter @melonieflomer.
After taking his oath, administered and signed by Chief District Court Judge Scott Brewer, Ray Griffis Jr made his parents and grandparents seated in the courtroom proud Wednesday. Clerk of Superior Court Vickie Daniel witnessed him signing his admission to the practice of law in North Carolina.
Jenny Maresca placed her signature neatly in the presence of Vickie Daniel and Scott Brewer after being sworn-in.
Jenny Maresca stands with David Richardson of Legal Aid NC’s Pittsboro office while swearing her oath before Judge Scott Brewer Wednesday. Richardson serves as managing attorney of the district Rockingham’s office belongs to.