Allison Standard Constance ’09 Receives the Robert E. Bryan Public Service Award

April 20, 2022
Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz presents Allison Standard Constance ’06 with the Robert E. Bryan Public Service Award for her exemplary public service efforts.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill recognized Allison Standard Constance, UNC School of Law’s director of pro bono initiatives, for exemplifying outstanding engagement and service to the state of North Carolina.

Constance accepted the award during the 23rd annual Public Service Awards on April 12, 2022 presented by the Carolina Center for Public Service. Ten Carolina faculty, staff, students and organizations received awards.

Constance was recognized for her leadership and direction of the Pro Bono Initiative at Carolina Law where she advises the student-led Pro Bono Board and coordinates and supervises students working on pro bono projects. For the fifth year in a row, Carolina Law’s graduating class has reached 100 percent participation. The Class of 2022 has completed more than 11,000 hours of pro bono services during the past three years.  

Constance’s projects reach across North Carolina and focus on low-income and rural areas that historically lack access to legal representation. One example is the Expunction Project in collaboration with Legal Aid of North Carolina. This initiative assists clients from every county in the state. Additionally, Constance has coordinated trips for students to engage in pro bono projects across the state, including drafting wills and power of attorney documents in Morganton, Hickory, and Lenoir; working on housing and evictions issues in Charlotte; and helping veterans in Asheville with discharge upgrades get better medical benefits.

Constance also provides pro bono assistance with Driver’s License Restoration, where she writes monthly advice letters to people who have requested information about the status of their licenses. She also coordinates the Juvenile Justice Project, a collaboration with NC Prisoner Legal Services, where she acts as the supervising attorney to students while representing clients who have been convicted of serious offenses for their parole reviews.

Learn more about the Center for Public Service Awards.