Central Virginia Legal Aid Society

Central Virginia Legal Aid Society

Street view of Central Virginia Legal Aid Society's Richmond, VA office
Formation 1971
Purpose Legal Aid
Headquarters Richmond, Virginia
Website http://cvlas.org/

Central Virginia Legal Aid Society is a non-profit legal aid program which provides free legal assistance in civil matters of critical importance to low-income residents living in central Virginia.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]

About CVLAS

Central Virginia Legal Aid Society (CVLAS) provides free civil (non-criminal) legal assistance to low-income and elderly populations. CVLAS is one of 10 legal aid services in Virginia.[8] The geographical area covered by CVLAS includes: Richmond, Petersburg, Hopewell, Colonial Heights and Charlottesville; and the counties of Albemarle, Charles City, Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Fluvanna, Goochland, Greene, Hanover, Henrico, Louisa, Nelson, New Kent, Powhatan, Prince George and Surry.

CVLAS has offices located in Richmond, Charlottesville, and Petersburg.

Legal advice and advocacy

CVLAS provides legal advice in civil law, primarily in bankruptcy, consumer and disability rights, employment law, housing law, family law, and public benefits. Through Legal Services Corporation, CVLAS receives federal funding and is thus subject to specific restrictions. As a recipient of federal funding, CVLAS and its employees may not be affiliated with a political party or support a specific candidate, lobby for legislation, or represent criminal clients, among other activities. Because of these restrictions, CVLAS partners with its sister organization Legal Aid Justice Center to provide comprehensive legal coverage to the Richmond Metro Area and surrounding communities.

The Central Virginia Legal Aid Society works exclusively on cases that are permissible with federal funds, while the Legal Aid Justice Center's programs focus primarily on legal matters which are ineligible for federal funding.

The Legal Aid Society primarily represents individuals under 125% of the poverty line (although exceptions can be made up to 200% of the poverty line).[9] They also can represent individuals over the age of 60, even if they do not meet income qualifications.[10]

CVLAS provides representation through legal advice, brief service, negotiation, litigation, and representation in administrative hearings, provision of information and advice through clinics, and community education, and activities in partnership with local, state and national groups which support legal aid and other non profits and legal aid societies providing services to their clients.[11][12][13][14][15]

Radio show

Central Virginia Legal Aid hosts a radio show titled It's Time for Justice. It is a locally produced show heard every Wednesday from 12:30 to 1:00 p.m. on WRIR-LP 97.3 FM Richmond Independent Radio. The host is CVLAS legal aid attorney Marty Wegbreit whom explores the ins and outs of civil (non-criminal) law. The radio show includes: news, interviews and answers to listeners' questions about consumer, employment, family, housing, public benefits, and other civil law.[16][17]

CVLAS in the community

In addition to serving the community with legal advice and representation,[18] CVLAS also seeks to educate local residents, attorneys, and students about important issues. Attorneys in the Richmond office frequently run free workshops and informational sessions on specific subjects like power of attorney or writing wills. CVLAS also works with local law students through the No Fault Divorce Program[19] at the University of Richmond School of Law.

CVLAS in Charlottesville partnered with the University of Virginia to create the Sexual Assault Advocacy Fund ("SAAF").[20] The goal of SAAF is to provide support to survivors of sexual assault on college campuses.[21]

CVLAS is also involved in the Medical-Legal Partnership- Richmond(MLP-R). MLP-R is a collaborative effort involving CVLAS, VCU Health System(VCUHS), University of Richmond School of Law, the Legal Aid Justice Center (LAJC), Legal Information Network for Cancer (LINC) and the University of Richmond School of Law. These legal partners provide free legal services to the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU (MLP-R at Pediatrics), VCU’s Massey Cancer Center (MLP-R at Massey) and VCU’s Hayes Willis Center of South Richmond (MLP-R at Hayes Willis). MLP-R's mission is to "integrate legal assistance as a vital component of patient care, reduce health disparities and create a new standard of care for vulnerable, low income patients."[22]

Central Virginia Legal Aid Society helped create JusticeServer, a database used to make pro bono easier across Virginia.[23]

Background

CVLAS has locations in Charlottesville and Petersburg, with a main office in Richmond, Virginia.

Steve Dickinson is the current Executive Director.

Martin D. Wegbreit is the current Director of Litigation. He is the first recipient of the Virginia State Bar's Legal Aid Award and has an extensive record of trial and appellate practice.

Doris Causey is the Managing Attorney in Richmond. Ms. Causey will be making Virginia legal history by being the first African-American and first legal aid lawyer to fill the top elective post for the Virginia State Bar, the arm of the state Supreme Court that regulates lawyers.[24]

The Richmond office of CVLAS can only help 4,000 to 5,000 low-income residents a year, largely because there are not enough attorneys to serve the poor.[25][26] According to the Virginia State Bar, Virginia has one lawyer for every 349 people, but just one legal aid lawyer for every 6,200 residents living in poverty.[24]

History

Legal aid in central Virginia began in 1971 through the creation of the Neighborhood Legal Aid Society and the Metropolitan Richmond Legal Aid Society. These two organizations merged in 1981 to form Central Virginia Legal Aid Society, Inc.. Additionally, the Virginia Farm Workers Legal Assistance Project was established in 1978. In 2001 Legal Services Corporation consolidated these organizations.[27]

CVLAS and the Virginia Bar Association were awarded the Harrison Tweed Award by the American Bar Association for the Pro Bono Hot Line Program and for the Pro Bono Housing Law program.[28] CVLAS is the first and only two time winner of the award.[29]

In 2013 CVLAS received a grant from Enroll Virginia! to provide certified Navigators in order to offer application assistance for the Health Insurance Marketplace (Obamacare).[30][31]

Notable past attorneys

From 1985 to 1998, Anne Bright Holton worked as an attorney for the Central Virginia Legal Aid Society.[32] She helped create an award-winning volunteer lawyers' program in Richmond. In 1998, Staff Attorney Anne Holton was appointed by the Virginia General Assembly to be a judge of the City of Richmond Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court and is currently Virginia's Secretary of Education. Anne Holton is also the wife of 2016 Democratic VP nominee Tim Kaine.[33]

Former Executive Director Henry W. McLaughlin[28] was honored for exemplary legal service, particularly to the poor and disenfranchised, and his many prestigious achievements include: the Virginia State Bar's Annual Legal Aid Award in 1994; Virginia Lawyer's Weekly "Leader in the Law"in 2009, in addition to which he was selected by his fellow award recipients as the 2009 "Leader of the Leaders"; and the Bar Association of the City of Richmond's Hill-Tucker Public Service Award in March 2010; he is, moreover, a Fellow of the Virginia Law Foundation and a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, the only legal aid attorney to be so honored.[29]

Funding

CVLAS receives funding from the Legal Services Corporation, the Commonwealth of Virginia, the United Way of America, IOLTA funds, and numerous other grants and donations.

Along with its sister organization Legal Aid Justice Center, CVLAS often relies on fundraisers and private donations for funding. One of the largest local supporters of legal aid in central Virginia is John Grisham.[34][35][36]

CVLAS is a non-profit section 501(c)(3) organization.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Our Services – Central Virginia Legal Aid Society (CVLAS)". Cvlas.org. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
  2. ↑ "Central Virginia Legal Aid Society". Disability.gov. Retrieved 2016-07-15.
  3. ↑ "VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION : LEGAL/ADVOCACY GROUPS AND RESOURCES FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION" (PDF). Doe.virginia.gov. Retrieved 2016-07-16.
  4. ↑ "Pro Bono Resources | Richmond Bar Association". Richmondbar.org. Retrieved 2016-07-15.
  5. ↑ "Women's Resource Center Referral Services « WOVEN Online". Wovenonline.org. Retrieved 2016-07-15.
  6. ↑ "Virginia State Bar – Public Resources – Pro Bono / Access to Legal Services – Resources for the Public". Vsb.org. 2016-06-21. Retrieved 2016-07-15.
  7. ↑ "How They'd Deny Virginia's Poor". Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  8. ↑ "Find Your Closest Legal Aid Program – The Virginia Bar Association". Vba.org. Retrieved 2016-07-15.
  9. ↑ "LSC – Legal Services Corporation: America's Partner for Equal Justice". Lsc.gov. Retrieved 2016-07-15.
  10. ↑ Bergmark, Thomas Perez and Martha. "How to save families from losing everything (Opinion)". Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  11. ↑ "Thus Ever to the Tyrant! Do Pro Bono Work for Legal Aid, and Promote Justice in Virginia" (PDF). Vsb.org. March 2014. Retrieved 2016-07-16.
  12. ↑ "Handling landlord-tenant disputes". Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  13. ↑ Walker, Diane. "Legal expert weighs in on Chesterfield family eviction claim". Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  14. ↑ Khazan, Olga. "Life in the Sickest Town in America". Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  15. ↑ "Alleged UVA rape victim's friend: Reporter wanted sensational story". Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  16. ↑ "Marty Wegbreit, Central Virginia Legal Aid Society's Programs|A-Infos Radio Project". Radio4all.net. Retrieved 2016-07-15.
  17. ↑ "SAAF Project // Central Virginia Legal Aid Radio Show on WRIR â€" Sexual Assault Advocacy Fund". Studentsaaf.org. 2015-09-16. Retrieved 2016-07-15.
  18. ↑ Kruszewski, Jackie (2016-05-09). "Being Great at Doing Good". Richmondmagazine.com. Retrieved 2016-07-15.
  19. ↑ "Pro Bono Programs – Carrico Center for Pro Bono Service – School of Law – University of Richmond". Law.richmond.edu. 2016-06-13. Retrieved 2016-07-15.
  20. ↑ "SAAF Signs with Central Virginia Legal Aid Society to Provide Attorney". Newsplex.com. 2015-06-02. Retrieved 2016-07-15.
  21. ↑ "Sexual Assault Advocacy Fund". Studentsaaf.org. Retrieved 2016-07-15.
  22. ↑ "Richmond". Medical-Legal Partnership. Retrieved 2016-07-15.
  23. ↑ http://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/legal_aid_indigent_defendants/ls_sclaid_mo_business_meeting_08092014.authcheckdam.pdf
  24. 1 2 "Causey to lead Virginia State Bar | Richmond Free Press | Serving the African American Community in Richmond, VA". Richmond Free Press. Retrieved 2016-07-15.
  25. ↑ Sullivan, Heather. "Legal Aid budget cuts lead to layoffs – NBC12 – WWBT – Richmond, VA News On Your Side". NBC12. Retrieved 2016-07-15.
  26. ↑ Bacque, Peter. "Virginia's legal community faces large demand for pro bono services – Roanoke Times: Virginia". Roanoke.com. Retrieved 2016-07-15.
  27. ↑ "Final Report from the Program Quality Visit to Central Virginia Legal Aid Society, Inc." (PDF). Lsc.gov. Retrieved 2016-07-16.
  28. 1 2 "The News & Record – South Boston, Virginia". Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  29. 1 2 "Legislative Information System". Lis.virginia.gov. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
  30. ↑ "Our History | Central Virginia Legal Aid Society". CVLAS. 2013-07-18. Retrieved 2016-07-15.
  31. ↑ "Piling On Work to Escape Gap in Health Law". The New York Times. 2 February 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  32. ↑ "On the Road to Equality" (PDF). Justice4all.org. Retrieved 2016-07-16.
  33. ↑ "Probable Vice Presidential Pick Tim Kaine To Campaign With Hillary Clinton". Npr.org. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
  34. ↑ "NBC12 talks with author John Grisham". Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  35. ↑ "The Legal Aid Justice Center and the Centeral Virginia Legal Aid Society present: Arrested Youth – A Closer Look at the Juvenile Justive System – The Paramount Theater". 9 October 2014. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  36. ↑ "Author John Grisham to Host Legal Aid Fundraiser". Retrieved 27 October 2016.
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