Dr. Alicia Mitchell-Mercer
DPA, PMP, CSM, LPP, NCCP, SCCP, ACP, RP
Director of Strategic Projects, Policy Analyst
Alicia serves as the Director of Strategic Projects and Policy Analyst. As Director of Strategic Projects, she is responsible for generating ideas to improve public policy concerning civil access to justice as well as shaping those ideas into formal proposals for project development.
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Alicia's role as a policy analyst has significantly impacted the organization's influence and direction. Her authorship of the 2023 JFAP Legislative Proposal, which was presented to the North Carolina General Assembly, is an excellent example. The proposal garnered strong support not only from the US Department of Justice but also from a wide range of other organizations.
Work Beyond JFAP
Mitchell-Mercer is the Chief Operations Officer at Frontline Justice and previously held positions as Director of Project Management at Lex Project Management Consulting Group, Project Manager at a Charlotte litigation law firm, and FINRA Securities Arbitrator.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Paralegal Studies from Charter Oak State College, a Master of Science in Project Management from Missouri State University with a focus on Legal Project Management, and a Doctorate in Public Administration from California Baptist University. Her Master's Thesis examined the impact of predictive project management and value-based billing on the profitability of legal services. Her Doctoral Thesis, titled "Public Policy and the Civil Access to Justice Crisis: Exploring Lawyers’ Perspectives on Regulatory Reform and Allied Legal Professionals," explored the perspectives of lawyers on regulatory reform and the role of allied legal professionals in addressing the civil access to justice crisis.
Mitchell-Mercer has been active in various legal organizations, serving as a Council Member and Chair of the Technology, Publications, and Communications committees for the North Carolina Bar Association Paralegal Division, and as Chair of the Continuing Education Council and Board Member for NALA | The Paralegal Association. She currently serves as Utilization Co-Chair for the North Carolina Bar Association's Paralegal Division. She has received the North Carolina Judicial Branch Service Award twice, the 2022 Pro Bono Honor Society Award, and the Distinguished Paralegal Award in 2021. Additionally, she is a court-appointed Guardian ad Litem in North Carolina.
She was named to the North Carolina State Bar Subcommittee on Regulatory Change (2021-2022) and serves on the steering committee for the Future of Justice Work Conference at Arizona State University and the Regulatory Innovation Working Group at the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System (IAALS). Mitchell-Mercer has contributed to publications on regulatory reform and civil access to justice, including two IAALS reports, and has attended numerous conferences and meetings nationwide. In 2023, Justice Richard Dietz appointed her as Special Advisor to the North Carolina Equal Access to Justice Commission, and Chief Justice Paul M. Newby appointed her as a full Member of the Commission for 2024-2026. She continues to advocate for meaningful access to the civil justice system for all Americans.
Connect with Mitchell-Mercer through her LinkedIn profile.