CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Safe Alliance, an organization that helps domestic violence and sexual abuse victims through connecting them with legal assistance, has given both Charlotte partner Bill Starr and Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP a 2023 Pro Bono Champion Award.

Starr has been volunteering pro bono with Safe Alliance for the past 10 years, where he regularly works with victims and prepares them for their testimonies for their court hearing while they try and obtain a restraining order against their abuser. He also conducts bench trials in front of the court to determine if the victims’ allegations are sufficient for them to obtain a no-contact order, which would prevent the abuser from contacting the victim by showing up at their house, place of employment, or site of education.

Safe Alliance is located in Mecklenburg County and connects victims of domestic violence and sexual assault to resources to help them recover and gain safety from their abusers. The organization offers a help line, a shelter, a sexual trauma resource center, counseling, support groups, and the victim assistance court program, which provides advocacy and legal assistance for filing 50B and 50C restraining orders. It helps survivors connect with pro bono attorneys, like Starr for representation during these hearings. For more information about Safe Alliance, please click here.

Established in 1897, Nelson Mullins is an Am Law 100 firm of more than 1,000 attorneys, policy advisors, and professionals with 33 offices in 17 states and Washington, D.C. For more information, go to www.nelsonmullins.com.