AIDS Legal Project

AIDS Legal Project Celebrates 10 years of service to the HIV/AIDS community
In 1996, the AIDS Legal Project first opened its doors to clients with HIV/AIDS. Since then, more than 1000 clients have been represented by Duke Law Students. The Durham Herald-Sun praised the project on its January 5, 2006 editorial page, saying, "We are grateful that students and faculty running the legal clinic -- now in its 10th year of operation -- remain committed to guiding AIDS patients through the tricky legal paperwork that can make difficult times even more so." The AIDS Legal Project was also featured in a news article in the Herald-Sun.

Clinic Director Carolyn McAllaster receives award for work with HIV-infected clients
On March 17, 2006, The North Carolina Association of Gay and Lesbian Attorneys presented Carolyn McAllaster with its Ally for Justice award. This award recognizes Carolyn's efforts to legally protect persons with HIV/AIDS and their families and loved ones.

AIDS Clinic Moves to New Space in Law School Expansion
The AIDS Project opened for business ten years ago in two windowless offices squirreled away in a quiet corner of the Law School. In October 2005, the Project joined Duke's other in-house legal clinics in a 5500 square foot, modern office in the new law school addition. It was a long time coming, but students and faculty agree it was well worth the wait.

The new space features a spacious student work area with dramatic windows and glass walls. AIDS Project students work in a law firm atmosphere with students from Duke's other clinics, the Children's Education Law Clinic, Community Enterprise Clinic, Low Income Taxpayer Clinic and Wrongful Convictions seminar.

The "firm" suite includes twenty student workstations, eight clinic faculty offices, a reception area, a conference room and two interview rooms. It takes up the entire second floor of the new wing. For the AIDS Project, the new space means that students can now meet with clients at the Law School. Students will continue to see clients at medical clinics and case management agences, but the new office will increase options for students and clients.

The new space also facilitates the colleageality that is a key aspect of the clinics. “The new office gives our clinic work an air of professionalism,” remarked student Marcus LeBeouf, an AIDS Clinic alum, and Fall 2005 student in the Children's Education Law Clinic. “It feels like working in a law firm, being around a lot of people who are working on different kinds of cases. I've enjoyed sharing thoughts about cases with students in the other clinics. It makes for a more well-rounded experience,” he added.

The students appreciate the camaraderie that develops among all the clinic students sharing the same space. The beautiful environment is creating overall excitement in the law school about working in a clinic.

Professor Carolyn McAllaster completes term as chair of the North Carolina AIDS Advisory Council
Carolyn McAllaster recently completed a one-year term as chair of the North Carolina AIDS Advisory Council. The mission of the AIDS Advisory Council is to provide policy makers in our state with informed and unified advice on issues relating to the HIV epidemic. McAllaster, who has served on the council since 1996, says, "It is exciting to have the opportunity to work with such a diverse group of people, all dedicated to the goal of HIV prevention, care and treatment in North Carolina." Professor McAllaster continues to serve on the council in 2006.

Clinic Outreach

The AIDS Legal Project has been actively involved in efforts to ensure that the new Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Benefit does not pose a barrier to life-saving medications for people with HIV/AIDS. To facilitate communication and collaboration among North Carolina policymakers, case managers, social workers, patients, and medical providers, the Legal Project is taking advantage of the Law School's technological capacity by hosting a Medicare Part D listserv specially focusing on issues of importance to the HIV/AIDS community. Interested persons can subscribe by sending an e-mail to maiser@lists.law.duke.edu, with the following in the body of the e-mail: subscribe HIV-MedicareD.

In early 2006, clinic students traveled to AIDS Services Agencies in North Carolina to prepare documents for clients who needed estate and guardianship planning. Lily Farel, Jeff Goldman, Regina Lennox, Claude Platton, Kim Peterson, Todd Relue, Rebecca Rich and Natalie Rose provided services at Triad Health Project in Greensboro, North Carolina. Natalie Prescott, Kim Peterson, and Kristi Pranger met with clients at Community-Based Learning Alternatives Center in Smithfield.

In the Fall 2005 semester, clinic students also traveled to outside the Triangle to prepare documents for clients who needed estate and guardianship planning and help with adoption, disability and name change. Brent Lorentz, Jenny Ahn, Jieni Gu, Ben Stark, Lauren Donner Chait, and Catinca Tabacaru met with clients in Fayetteville. Jenny Ahn, Audrey Casusol, Lauren Donner Chait, and Angie Heywood Bible met with clients at New Sources case management agency in Rocky Mount.

Presentations and Community Education
On April 6, 2006, Carolyn McAllaster was a presenter at the Medicare Part D Information Session at the Wake County Health Department, Raleigh, North Carolina.

Professor McAllaster participated in a panel discussion in the North East Baptist Church “Bridges to Restoration” program, speaking on legal rights of HIV-infected clients. Durham, North Carolina, April 15, 2006.

Allison Rice presented a workshop, "Legal Needs of HIV-Infected Clients," for Duke Infectious Diseases Clinic HIV peer mediators, at the Avila Retreat Center in Durham, North Carolina, on March 30, 2006.

On March 23, 2006, Carolyn McAllaster conducted a workshop on Wills and Advanced Directives at the HIV Treatment Update, co-sponsored by the UNC and Duke Infectious Diseases Clinics.

Duke AIDS Legal Project hosted a community Town Meeting on the Medicare Prescription Drug Program on March 10, 2006. The forum was co-sponsored by Health & Disability Advocates. The meeting was attended by people with HIV-AIDS, social workers, case managers, health care providers, representatives of pharmaceutical companies, and congressional staffers. Clinic client James Hayes was among the panelists. His challenges in obtaining life-saving medications were highlighted in the Raleigh News & Observer and Washington Post.

Carolyn McAllaster presented to the Faculty and Staff of the Duke Center for Health Policy on Medicare Part D and its Impact on the HIV Community, February 27, 2006

Professor McAllaster was guest lecturer at the Duke School of Medicine's Global Health class on November 3, 2005, speaking on "Legal Issues Facing HIV-Infected Clients."

Professor McAllaster presented a workshop, "Legal Needs of HIV-Infected Clients," for Duke Infectious Diseases Clinic HIV peer mediators, at the Avila Retreat Center, Durham, North Carolina, on April 7, 2005, September 15, 2005, and November 3, 2005.

Recent Publications
Carolyn McAllaster authored the chapter "Legal Issues for HIV-Infected Children" in Textbook of Pediatric HIV Care, Cambridge University Press (2005).

Professor McAllaster also co-authored a chapter entitled, “Issues in Family Law for People with HIV,” in the 2004 Supplement to AIDS and the Law, co-authored with Jeffrey Selbin and Carol Suzuki, Aspen Publishers, Inc. (2004).

“The AIDS Legal Project does not provide legal advice over the internet. The information on this web site is not legal advice. Legal advice is dependent upon the specific circumstances of each situation and jurisdiction. The information contained on this web site is not guaranteed to be up to date and cannot replace the advice of competent legal counsel licensed in your state.”