Our Team — North Carolina Prisoner Legal Services

Beth McNeill brings a wealth of experience to her role as Post-Conviction Managing Attorney, which she has held since 2013. Beth started at NCPLS in 2004 as a post-conviction attorney and previously managed NCPLS’s jail credit team. Before coming to NCPLS, Beth worked for the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General and earned a Masters of Public Affairs from the University of Texas at Austin. Beth has litigated a wide range of cases for her clients in state and federal courts, including arguing three cases at the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. Beth has obtained relief for hundreds of clients, including the release of two clients who were serving life sentences. Beth is drawn to NCPLS’s work because it is incredibly important and she is always learning something new. Away from the office, Beth enjoys cheering the Tar Heels and traveling.

Lauren started as a staff attorney at NCPLS in 2011 and then became the Director of Training and Strategic Litigation in 2019, a role in which she developed NCPLS’s new attorney training program and resources. Before law school, she taught in rural North Carolina for three years through Teach For America. Lauren draws from her prior teaching experience to train and mentor new post-conviction attorneys and to break down challenging concepts for her clients. Lauren has obtained relief for nearly 200 clients, including overturning four life sentences for clients who have been released. Lauren is most grateful for the chance to argue before the Supreme Court of North Carolina in one of those cases and to get relief for her client who was wrongly convicted at 16 years old and spent more than 25 years in prison. As a Pittsburgh native, Lauren enjoys cheering the Steelers and Penguins and playing ice hockey.

Cheryl Sullivan is the Managing Attorney of the Safe and Humane Jails Project at NCPLS. Her legal career has been dedicated to advocating for the rights of the incarcerated. After attending North Carolina State University and Campbell Law School, she spent 14 years investigating and litigating credible claims of innocence with the North Carolina Center on Actual Innocence. Cheryl joined NCPLS in 2024 to lead the Jails Project, where she reviews and litigates civil rights cases on behalf of those incarcerated in all 109 county jails across North Carolina.

Mark serves as our CFO overseeing our annual budget, audit, and all financial matters. He also serves as Intake Supervisor and manages other administrative aspects of NCPLS. He received his BA in Business and Finance from the University of NC at Chapel Hill. Prior to coming to NCPLS, he was the Administrative Director for Research at UNC’s Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center where he was in charge of Finance, HR, Grant Management, and Facilities for many years. Mark has many interests but never has time to pursue them.

Lee Pollack joined NCPLS as a post-conviction Attorney in 2021, and has been the managing attorney of NCPLS’ Civil Rights team since 2023. Before moving to North Carolina, Lee practiced law in New York, first as a commercial litigator and later handling criminal appeals. Lee also clerked for the Honorable Robert S. Smith of the New York Court of Appeals. Lee received his JD from New York University in 2006, and his BA in Biochemistry/Molecular Biology from Reed College in 1998.

Leadership Team