About CCLE
The Center for Community Law & Equity
Yolanda L. Taylor, Esq. is an Adjunct Professor of Law at Wake Forest Law School and the lead attorney at the law firm, Yolanda L. Taylor Law Firm, PLLC d/b/a The Center for Community Law & Equity. She practices in the areas of Housing Justice, Health Equity, Affordable Housing, and Community Economic Development law. As an adjunct professor of law, she teaches law through the lens of justice in America and how justice relates to concepts like “Power” and “Oppression.” Her students engage in community lawyering that supports grassroots residents and their social movements. Attorney Taylor helps students build a lens for racial justice equity while using their legal skills to support residents’ push against inequitable zoning, gentrification, and inequitable development in their neighborhoods.
Attorney Taylor previously worked at Legal Aid of North Carolina, where she worked for thirteen years, most recently as a managing attorney, supervising the delivery of legal services. Her work at Legal Aid built her passion for helping marginalized and resource-deprived communities.
Currently, her client segments include affordable housing developers, municipalities, grassroots coalitions, business start-ups, nonprofits, and community-based groups. She’s also a sought-after speaker, equity strategist, and policy attorney.
Awards & Recognitions
Yolanda L. Taylor, Esq. has been described as a bright and creative lawyer who is solution-oriented. Some of her accomplishments include co-launching an Eviction Diversion project with city leaders in Wilson to examine the high eviction filings and the high percentage of cost-burdened renters. She has received numerous awards and recognitions throughout her career.
Attorney Taylor received her bachelor of arts degree in Political Science with a minor in African American studies from North Carolina State University. She earned a Juris Doctorate from Western Michigan University – Cooley Law School.
Awards + Recognition
- NC Women Attorneys Association’s Gwyneth B. Davis Award for Public Service
- Lawyers Weekly Magazine Leader In the Law award for her work in community
- Recognized by the Apex-Raleigh NAACP for her contributions to the African American Community
Boards + Community
Memberships
- American Bar Association
- NC Bar Association
- Tenth Judicial District
- NC Association of Women Attorneys- former board member
Boards
- Rolesville Charter Academy
- African American Cultural Festival
Our Vision
The Center for Community Law & Equity’s vision is to create healthy, vibrant communities of opportunities where community input is incorporated into local decisions. Healthy and vibrant defines how the community is equipped with knowledge on how to lead, how to engage with local decision-making leaders while stating their needs, hopes, and prioritized goals for sustainable change.
Awards
The Center for Community Law & Equity is an assumed name of Yolanda L. Taylor Law Firm, PLLC and is not a public or charitable legal service organization.