The Central Virginia Legal Aid Society (CVLAS) is a

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

that provides free legal assistance in civil matters to low-income and elderly residents in central

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

Mission and services

CVLAS is one of 10

legal aid Legal aid is the provision of assistance to people who are unable to afford legal representation and access to the court system. Legal aid is regarded as central in providing access to justice by ensuring equality before the law, the right to co ...

services in Virginia. The geographical area it covers includes the cities of

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

Petersburg Petersburg, or Petersburgh, may refer to: Places Australia *Petersburg, former name of Peterborough, South Australia Canada * Petersburg, Ontario Russia *Saint Petersburg, sometimes referred to as Petersburg United States *Peterborg, U.S. Virg ...

, Hopewell, Colonial Heights and

Charlottesville Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen Cha ...

, as well as the counties of Albemarle,

Charles City Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was "f ...

Chesterfield Chesterfield may refer to: Places Canada * Rural Municipality of Chesterfield No. 261, Saskatchewan * Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut United Kingdom * Chesterfield, Derbyshire, a market town in England ** Chesterfield (UK Parliament constitue ...

, Dinwiddie, Fluvanna, Goochland, Greene,

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

, Henrico, Louisa, Nelson, New Kent, Powhatan, Prince George and Surry. It has offices in Richmond, Charlottesville and Petersburg. CVLAS provides legal advice primarily in the areas of

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...

, consumer and disability rights, employment law, housing law, family law, and public benefits. Through the Legal Services Corporation, it receives federal funding and is thus subject to specific restrictions: The society and its employees may not be affiliated with a political party, support a specific candidate, lobby for legislation or represent criminal clients, among other activities. The society primarily represents individuals with incomes under 125% of the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, although it may accept clients earning up to 200% of the poverty line. It also represents people over the age of 60, even if they do not meet the income qualifications. Its services include legal advice, briefs, negotiation, litigation, and representation in administrative hearings, as well as community education and activities in partnership with other local, state, and national legal aid groups. The Richmond office has the resources to help only 4,000 to 5,000 low-income residents a year. According to the

Virginia State Bar The Virginia State Bar (VSB) is the administrative agency of the Supreme Court of Virginia created to regulate, improve and advance the legal profession in Virginia. Membership in good standing in the VSB is mandatory for attorneys wishing to pr ...

, Virginia has one lawyer for every 349 people, but just one legal aid lawyer for every 6,200 residents living in poverty. CVLAS hosts a local radio show titled ''It's Time for Justice,'' broadcast every Wednesday from 12:30 to 1:00 p.m. on

WRIR-LP WRIR-LP 97.3 FM is an independent, all volunteer, nonprofit community Public broadcasting, public radio station licensed to Richmond, Virginia, serving Metro Richmond. It is the largest low power FM station of its kind in the United States. WRIR-LP ...

. The host is Martin D. Wegbreit, CVLAS's director of litigation. The show includes news, interviews, and answers to listeners' questions about consumer, employment, family, housing, public benefits, and other civil law.

Partnerships

Attorneys in CVLAS's Richmond office run free workshops and information sessions on subjects such as power of attorney and writing

wills Wills may refer to: * Will (law), a legal document Places Australia * Wills, Queensland, a locality in the Shire of Boulia * Division of Wills, an Australian electoral division in Victoria United States * Wills Township, LaPorte County, Indiana ...

, and the organization works with local law students through the No Fault Divorce Program at the University of Richmond School of Law. The Charlottesville office partnered with the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

to create the Sexual Assault Advocacy Fund (SAAF), whose goal is to provide support to survivors of sexual assault on college campuses. CVLAS is also involved in the Medical-Legal Partnership, Richmond (MLP-R), a collaboration with the VCU Health System (part of

Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a public research university in Richmond, Virginia. VCU was founded in 1838 as the medical department of Hampden–Sydney College, becoming the Medical College of Virginia in 1854. In 1968, the Virgini ...

), the University of Richmond School of Law, the Legal Aid Justice Center, and the Legal Information Network for Cancer. The partnership provides 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). Its 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". JusticeServer, a database used to make

pro bono ( en, 'for the public good'), usually shortened to , is a Latin phrase for professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment. In the United States, the term typically refers to provision of legal services by legal professionals for pe ...

work easier and more accessible in Virginia, was created with help from CVLAS.

History

The first legal aid organizations serving the Richmond area were the Neighborhood Legal Aid Society and the Metropolitan Richmond Legal Aid Society, both founded in 1971. They merged in 1981 to form CVLAS. Similarly, legal aid programs were formed in Charlottesville in 1967 and Petersburg in 1974. The Virginia Farm Workers Legal Assistance Project, currently the Virginia Farmworkers Program, was established in 1978, serving H2A visa holders statewide. In 2001, the legacy of these organizations consolidated into one organization, funded in part by the Legal Services Corporation, under the name Central Virginia Legal Aid Society. CVLAS and the

Virginia Bar Association The Virginia Bar Association (VBA) is a voluntary organization of lawyers, judges and law school faculty and students in Virginia, with offices in Richmond, Virginia. Key elements are advocacy, professionalism, service and collegiality. It provid ...

were awarded the Harrison Tweed Award by the

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of acad ...

for their pro bono hotline and pro bono housing law programs. CVLAS is the only two-time winner of the award. In 2013, CVLAS received a grant from Enroll Virginia! to provide certified navigators to offer application assistance for the health insurance marketplace established under the

Affordable Care Act The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and colloquially known as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Presid ...

Notable past attorneys

From 1985 to 1998,

Anne Holton Anne Bright Holton (born February 1, 1958) is an American lawyer and judge who served as the Secretary of Education for the Commonwealth of Virginia from 2014 to 2016. She is married to United States Senator and former Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, ...

worked as a staff attorney for the Central Virginia Legal Aid Society. In 1998, she was appointed by the

Virginia General Assembly The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere, the first elected legislative assembly in the New World, and was established on July 30, 161 ...

to be a judge on the Richmond Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, and she was Virginia's secretary of education until she resigned when her husband, U.S. Senator

Tim Kaine Timothy Michael Kaine (; born February 26, 1958) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Virginia since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 38th lieutenant governor of Virgini ...

, became the 2016 Democratic vice-presidential nominee. Former Executive Director Henry W. McLaughlin has received a number of awards and honors, including the Virginia State Bar's Annual Legal Aid Award in 1994, ''

Virginia Lawyers Weekly ''Virginia Lawyers Weekly'' is a newspaper published in Richmond, Virginia, United States. It reports digests of recent court opinions handed down in Virginia’s state and federal courts. The paper also covers legal news and publishes ''Verdict ...

s Leader in the Law title in 2009, and the Richmond Bar Association's Hill-Tucker Public Service Award in March 2010. He is also a fellow of the Virginia Law Foundation and of the American College of Trial Lawyers, the only legal aid attorney to be so honored.

Current leadership

The current executive director is Steve Dickinson, and the director of litigation is Martin D. Wegbreit, the first recipient of the Virginia State Bar's Legal Aid Award. Doris Henderson Causey formerly served as the managing attorney in Richmond, as well as the first African-American and first legal aid lawyer to fill the top elected post for the

Funding

CVLAS, a nonprofit

501(c)(3) organization A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, Trust (business), trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of t ...

, receives funding from the Legal Services Corporation, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and United Way of America, as well as

IOLTA Interest on Lawyers' Trust Accounts (IOLTA) is a method of raising money for charitable purposes, primarily the provision of civil legal services to indigent persons, through the use of interest earned on certain lawyer trust accounts. The establis ...

funds and other grants and donations. Along with the Legal Aid Justice Center, it often relies on fundraisers and private donations. One of the largest individual supporters of legal aid in central Virginia is John Grisham.

References

{{Reflist, 30em 1971 establishments in Virginia Legal aid in the United States Non-profit organizations based in Richmond, Virginia Organizations established in 1971