Virginia Lawyers Weekly

More than 50 University of Richmond law students will begin working in downtown Richmond in January to provide a variety of pro bono legal services.

Tara L. Casey, the UR law professor who directs the Harry L. Carrico Center for Pro Bono Service, had hoped to be operating out of the former Franklin Federal Savings and Loan across Broad Street from the new federal courthouse this semester, but the space won’t be ready until next year.

Casey said the downtown center “will connect us to the client population” because it is “in the heart of downtown right on a bus line.” Moreover, the courts and many of the volunteer attorneys who will supervise the work of the students are nearby, she said.

Among the programs the center will offer are estate planning for low-income seniors, no-fault divorces, assistance in obtaining and enforcing protective orders, representation of former servicemen seeking veterans’ benefits and bill tracking and analysis for such nonprofit organizations as Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME) and the Virginia Poverty Law Center.

Each of those programs requires supervision of students by licensed attorneys and coordination with agencies. For example, attorneys at Williams Mullen and the Capital Area Agency on Aging will work with students on the wills for seniors project, Central Virginia Legal Aid will team with the students on no-fault divorces, the Young Lawyers Division of the Virginia Bar Association will help with protective orders, and members of the Federal Circuit Bar Association will assist with the veterans claims.

The pro bono center is one of three law-related projects that will call the downtown campus home. The Family Law Clinic, a multidisciplinary project of the law school’s National Center for Family Law and Virginia Commonwealth University will provide direct representation for low-income families on any family law matter.

Four students will work 16 hours a week for class credit beginning January, and the program will expand to eight students next year. Students in VCU’s master of social work and psychology doctoral programs will be part of the project.

Dale Margolin, director of the clinic, said many families have social and mental health needs in addition to help with legal problems. “Interdisiciplinary work is kind of the way of the future,” she said. “It’s a much more comprehensive when you can apply different skills.”

The third component is the Richmond Families Initiative. Faculty members and their undergraduate students will conduct research and analysis for local agencies that work with families in the metropolitan Richmond area. The goal is to enhance the effectiveness of those agencies through the interaction of the students with agency leaders and their clients.

The Bonner Center for Civic Engagement and its executive director, Douglas A. Hicks, will supervise the family initiatives program and coordinate all the programs at the downtown campus.

“Doug has been a wonderful visionary leader in the development of this downtown space,” Casey said.

Hicks said former law school dean Rodney Smolla and his successor, John Douglass, have been strong boosters of the downtown campus. “It’s a vital complement to out educational experience,” Hicks said. Students and faculty “need a critical engagement with society.”

New UR President Edward L. Ayers has been an enthusiastic supporter of the downtown effort. “He’s not only embraced the vision, he’s expanded it.… He’s helped us imagine the space as university-wide opportunity,” Hicks said.

As an example, Ayers has suggested an art gallery for the downtown site, and Margolin said she expects the space to be used for seminars, continuing legal education classes and other programs.

The space itself is being provided by the Wilton Companies. Rich Johnson, its president and CEO is a UR trustee. The renovation will be certified by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) as a green building with minimal environmental impact.

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