Legal Aid on Purpose

As an intern at CVLAS this summer, I think I’ve probably gained more real-world knowledge about the practice of the law than I ever will in law school. I’ve gotten to represent clients before the Virginia Employment Commission, observe courtroom proceedings and client meetings, and write briefs and memos for all kinds of different cases.

The summer has been enlightening and rewarding in a lot of ways. For instance, one of the first clients I encountered was a woman who was about to lose her home and be sued for rent she didn’t owe. At the trial, the judge read a bench memo, listened to a great oral argument from my supervising attorney, and ultimately ruled in favor of our client. And I wrote that bench memo. It was a really amazing feeling to know I had done something to help someone who really needed and deserved it.

On the other hand though, my introduction to the realities of our justice system has been eye-opening in some pretty disappointing ways. Maggie said in an earlier blog post that “the law doesn’t always provide justice,” and even though I think we all know that on some level, it can be really hard to see in action. It’s infuriating to see public benefits agencies deny or withdraw help from people who really need it, even though the whole point of public benefits programs is to help people who really need it. It’s discouraging to see landlords who treat their tenants as nuisances or liabilities, rather than people. It’s heartbreaking when a client’s situation is so bad that the best result in a case is a protective order or a divorce.

And I think, for me, the hardest thing about all of the difficult cases that I’ve seen come through our office this summer is how the deck always seems to be stacked against our clients. About a month ago, we listened to speech from Larry Harley, the 2011 Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year. He pointed out that one of the most frustrating things about our society is that “we expect everyone to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, but then we turn around and take away their boots.” But he said something else as well—that he is a legal aid lawyer on purpose. And that really resonated with me, because after 9 weeks at CVLAS I’ve come to see how crucial free legal services are for people who have no other options. I can’t imagine where our clients would be if the amazing lawyers and staff of CVLAS weren’t there to make sure that those clients don’t fall through the cracks.

As my internship is starting to wind down, I’ve done a lot of reflecting; about the cases I’ve helped with this summer, about the ups and downs of our justice system, and about the type of lawyer I want to be one day. It’s been challenging, educational, and ultimately, really, really wonderful. I’m so glad I’ve had the chance to spend a summer working with people who are legal aid lawyers on purpose. As long as people like Steve, Marty, Doris, Chris, and Freddie are a part of the legal field, I’m still pretty sure that it’s a field I will be proud to join one day.

You know, provided I pass that pesky Bar thing…

Jail House Rock

Last Friday all of the interns got to take a field trip to the Richmond City Jail. We were incredibly excited to go, since none of us had ever actually been to a correctional facility before (probably a good thing). We got a full tour of the building and an overview of all of the planning and procedures it takes to run a jail. It was definitely an eye-opening experience in a lot of ways, and a really great experience for a group of future lawyers. One thing that stuck out to all of us in particular was hearing about an inmate who actually got to graduate high school despite being incarcerated. Here's a link to the story. It's pretty heartwarming.

Also, here are some fun facts about jail, for those of you who are interested:

- Jails are usually run by cities or counties, while prisons and penitentiaries are run by federal and state governments.

- If your sentence is 12 months or less, you go to jail; if it is more than twelve months, you go to prison (this is also the difference between a misdemeanor and a felony).

- Some states have actually started contracting out prisons to private companies. There is a lot of debate about the possibly ethical issues that this raises, but proponents say it could help alleviate the problem of overcrowding.

- Speaking of debates over prison conditions, our partners at the Legal Aid Justice Center have a history of fighting for prison reform in the US. Here's a cool article from a couple of years ago.

Happy Wednesday...

...here's another legal intern blog! The interns at the Virginia Poverty Law Center have a fantastic consumer protection blog that you should absolutely check out if you are interested in Virginia poverty law issues (which you probably are, since you are reading this blog to begin with).

Check it out here and on our sidebar.

Justice?

At Central Virginia Legal Aid Society, the attorneys represent clients in civil matters. An attorney's caseload might include matters in family law, landlord/tenant, or unemployment insurance. For a full list of the services at CVLAS, see here. This means that attorneys here don't handle criminal matters; indigent criminal clients are generally represented by public defenders.

However, the interns' work on civil cases does not preempt their interest in criminal matters. Like much of America, the interns have been caught up in the Casey Anthony trial. We all watched the reading of the verdict today, and we have had many debates on the outcome. Why are we so fascinated? Is it because, as law students, we are unconsciously drawn to all things legal? Is it because we have nothing better to do with our spare time without massive law school reading assignments? Or is it because, like most Americans, we want to see justice done? Although all of these are probably true, I think the last is the most important reason we care so much about this trial and the work we do each day.

As interns, we have begun to see behind the scenes of our justice system. I believe many of us have found that it is not the efficient, effective, and (dare I say it?) fair process we hoped it would be. As United State Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. once said, "This is a court of law . . . not a court of justice." After a difficult hearing in which our client lost, one of the CVLAS attorneys counseled his client that "the law doesn't always provide justice."

This may be true, but in only a few short months, the interns have seen justice done. An unlawfully evicted family of four was returned to their home. A former employee who lost his job through no fault of his own received unemployment insurance so that he could feed his family while he worked to find a new position. A hardworking mother of two young children obtained a protective order against her abusive boyfriend, ensuring that her family would no longer have to suffer domestic abuse at his hands.

The interns have met incredible people who are committed to justice: CVLAS attorneys and support staff, judges, clients, and yes, even opposing counsel. Our justice system may not perfect, but we rely on it to make our society a better place. With these people fighting for fairness and equality, I believe that America becomes greater each day. This is why we are in law school, and it is why we intern with legal aid. We may or may not agree with the verdict in the Casey Anthony trial today, but we remain steadfast in our belief in the American legal system. While it does not always provide a perfect solution, more often than not, it does provide justice.

Field Trip!

More proof that the interns at the Richmond CVLAS office have the best jobs ever:

Today, Chris, Hillary's supervising attorney, took us on a tour of City Hall! We got to walk down past the federal courthouse and the Library of Virginia, stop in and see the old City Hall building (which seriously looks like a gingerbread house), and have lunch on the City Hall observation deck. Chris was a great tour guide, and all of the interns had a blast.

Here is a picture of the old City Hall building from the observation deck of the new City Hall building:

And here is a picture of the ice cream that Chris bought us for the walk back.

Yeah, you wish you worked here. We know.

Have a litte cup o' justice with your Wednesday...

Yes everyone. It is that time again. Time for justice, that is. It's Wednesday, which means today at 12:30, the radio waves will be graced with the sounds of CVLAS. You can hear it from 12:30-1:00 on WRIR 97.3 in Richmond, or visit http://www.wrir.org/ and click the "Listen" button on the left.

On a related note, Gallery 5 on 200 W. Marshall St. (a couple of blocks from CVLAS) is hosting some live music this Friday for the First Friday Art Walk. There is a $5 donation which will go to benefit 97.3 FM Richmond Independent Radio and Gallery 5.

Justice on Wednesday and art and live music on Friday. Be there!

We LOVE the RVA!

It is clearly a Monday and on our daily coffee hour trip to LIFT, we picked up these free (of course) bumper stickers showing our love for the RVA!

We've gone Greek

So as you might have guessed from previous blog posts, we here at the Richmond office love to eat. And while Lift was our cafe of choice for a while, we have now discovered Nick's International Foods, a Greek deli with wonderful sandwiches and loads of feta cheese.

Here's a picture of how happy it makes Catherine:

Don't worry, we haven't totally abandoned Lift. There's still Coffee Happy Hour.

Guest Haiku

A special property law haiku from a guest writer, known only as Paw...

Property defined:
what you can exclude others
from. Write it down son.

If you're lucky, we may be graced with more verses from this mysterious contributor.

It's Wednesday, and you know what that means...

It's time for justice! Don't forget to listen to the CVLAS radio show today. You can hear it from 12:30-1:00 on WRIR 97.3 in Richmond, or visit http://www.wrir.org/ and click the "Listen" button on the left.

Intern Achievements

For the past month, we here at Richmond CVLAS have been tracking our office achievements. They started out small (things like printing envelopes and using a two-hole punch), but they've gotten a lot more legal and important-sounding lately. It's nice to know that we've actually made some progress. Here's a picture of the Achievement Board so you can see how awesome we are:

Since you probably can't read those post-its, here are some of the highlights:
- Maggie filed a divorce on her own
- Catherine and Jake helped Steve with an emergency client
- Kati finished her epic brief
- Hillary scored her first legal win and first legal loss all in the same day; she's practically a real lawyer!
- Jake got new pants (not wool)
- Catherine, Maggie, and Jake took candy from a judge
- Catherine parallel parked at Richmond General District Court (this is a big one; trust me)
- Ex post facto achievement: Maggie's high school had a Drive-Your-Tractor-to-School spirit day. This has nothing to do with the law or CVLAS, it's just so bizarre we felt like it deserved a post-it.

Legal Aid and other free stuff at Virginia Beach

Last Friday all of the interns (except Catherine, who we missed very much) got to travel to Virginia Beach, where the Virginia State Bar was hosting their annual meeting. We attended a Legal Aid Awards luncheon where we got to eat some yummy free food (thanks Steve!), hear a great inspirational speech, hang out with some cool lawyers, and score lots of free goodies at the expo. Here's a picture of how happy it made us:

And yes, after lunch we did walk down to the beach in our suits and stick our toes in the water. It was a great day.

CVLAS Superstars!

Big news: Hillary got to put her third-year practice certificate to good use today in JDR court! She tried her first case and did awesome! Here are some pictures to commemorate the moment.

Before:

After:

We're so proud of her!


Also, our Executive Director Steve has been a superstar attorney today. Not only has he been juggling meetings, clients, and Executive Director-y duties, but he has also managed to fill in as a supervising attorney for four interns! And believe me, we can be a little high-maintenance. Yay Steve!

It's Time for Justice

Don't forget to listen to the CVLAS radio show today! You can hear it from 12:30-1:00 on WRIR 97.3 in Richmond, or visit http://www.wrir.org/ and click the "Listen" button on the left.

CVLAS Receives Grant from CACF!!

CHECK IT OUT!! CVLAS and LAJC getting approved for an amazing grant!

CACF Approves $299,000 in Grant Awards to Area Nonprofits

Today the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation announces $299,000 in grants to six area nonprofits through its Community Endowment unrestricted grantmaking program that provides support to nonprofit organizations working to improve the quality of life in the CACF service area. Recipients include:

1. Building Goodness Foundation (BGF) - $45,000 to support the Local Capacity Building program, an initiative to expand BGF’s two local programs that provide home renovations for low-income families and renovations for local nonprofit buildings and facilities.

2. Center for Nonprofit Excellence (CNE) - $40,000 to support CNE’s capacity-building initiatives for nonprofits in the areas of nonprofit management, governance, leadership development and technology.

3. Ellis Acres Memorial Park - $89,000 to complete the restoration and renovation of the 2,259 square foot Rosenwald Buckingham Training School [1923-1954] Vocational Shop Building which will serve as a Community Center and recreation space for Buckingham County residents.

4. Legal Aid Justice Center – $50,000 to support the Access to Justice Partnership, a collaboration with the Central Virginia Legal Aid Society, the Charlottesville-Albemarle Bar Association and the University of Virginia Law School. The project will help increase pro-bono legal assistance and help meet the growing legal needs of low-income residents.

5. Live Arts- $25,000 to support a comprehensive technical upgrade to the volunteer community theatre spaces.

6. Piedmont Virginia Community College – $50,000 to support salaries during the start up phase of its new sonography (medical imaging) program that will provide trained sonographers to meet the demand of local medical centers.

# # #

The Charlottesville Area Community Foundation is a permanent endowment dedicated to improving the quality of life in Charlottesville and the surrounding Counties of Albemarle, Greene, Orange, Louisa, Fluvanna, Buckingham, and Nelson. Since its inception in 1967, the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation has provided over $40 million in grants.

www.cacfonline.org

Birthday Brownies!

After a fabulous birthday lunch at Comfort with the other interns, Doris surprised me with Ukrop's brownies!

I've said it before and I'll say it again, many times: My internship rocks! Can't wait for Hillary's birthday in a few weeks...

Blog Rivals (but not really)

Love reading about legal aid intern shenanigans? Check out the intern blogs from the Legal Aid Justice Center in Charlottesville. I must admit, they're pretty darn cool.

The Bunker Room

The Boiler Room

And of course, don't forget about our Petersburg partners in crime. Or, partners in anti-crime I guess. Actually not really crime at all since we only handle civil cases (and no, Jake, murder is not a civil case).

CVLAS Petersburg

New Intern Poem!

I'm the new intern and it's my first week,
I even got an office with a rolly seat.
So far I like Richmond except for the heat,
and that restaurant downtown that didn't fully cook my meat.

The attorneys are awesome,
the other interns are nice.
They even taught me a new word
that I'll try to use at least twice.
Witnesseth and whereas are the challenge terms
they're lexicons that I'll try to learn.

From 9 to 5 I organize and file,
with a little bit of typing and mailing, all the while.
These next couple weeks should be lots fun,
especially since I get to stay inside, away from the blistering sun.


~Gabrielle

Exciting Things

Legal Aid in Action:
Our friends at the Just Children Program (part of the Legal Aid Justice Center) are making headlines for their work with Virginia juvenile justice policy. Check it out here.

Intern Achievements:
- Hillary got approved to try cases in Richmond JDR court (with minimal supervision)
- Jake and Gabrielle both used "witnesseth" in conversation
- A judge read a bench memo I wrote!
- Jake is a cat licensing expert
- Maggie and Catherine chased a homeless man down the street (this one happened last week, but it still seemed worth mentioning)

Hooray for us!

The More You Know

Fun Fact: You cannot license a cat in Henrico county.

Law on the Radio

Don't forget to listen to the CVLAS radio show today! You can hear it from 12:30-1:00 on WRIR 97.3 in Richmond, or visit http://www.wrir.org/ and click the "Listen" button on the left.

CVLAS Loftmerick

A client did come after intake

Her landlord did evict by mistake

But quick was an intern

With a motion to return

Said client to her little home sake

A 4 pm Super Haiku

Interns have been swamped
With divorces, evictions,
Unemployment too.

Protective orders;
Best interests of the child?
Custody is hard.

Landlord v. Tenant;
I hear bed bugs are the worst,
"File my bankruptcy!"

We're writing court briefs,
Motions to continue and
Even tweets and blogs.

Looks like it's snacktime;
Yay chocolate blueberries!
Gotta have that Lift!

Happy Hour During Work?

No worries, it's coffee happy hour. We interns have all become a little obsessed with LIFT, the coffee/sandwich shop across the street. Every day from 3-4, all of their drip coffee is half-price, and pastries are 2 for the price of 1. Sooooo yummy!

Here are some delicious menu items we've discovered so far.
- Rainforest Crunch coffee (the classic happy hour favorite)
- iced coffee
- strawberry banana smoothies
- turkey/apple/cheddar sandwich
- Tuscan Turkey panini
- peanut butter/banana/honey panini
- chocolate covered blueberries

Richmonders should definitely check it out.

Legal Irony

I just had to share this article that Kevin posted on the Petersburg blog. It's fabulous.


Collier County, Florida -- Have you heard the one about a homeowner foreclosing on a bank?

Well, it has happened in Florida and involves a North Carolina based bank.

Instead of Bank of America foreclosing on some Florida homeowner, the homeowners had sheriff's deputies foreclose on the bank.

It started five months ago when Bank of America filed foreclosure papers on the home of a couple, who didn't owe a dime on their home.

The couple said they paid cash for the house.

The case went to court and the homeowners were able to prove they didn't owe Bank of America anything on the house. In fact, it was proven that the couple never even had a mortgage bill to pay.

A Collier County Judge agreed and after the hearing, Bank of America was ordered, by the court to pay the legal fees of the homeowners', Maurenn Nyergers and her husband.

The Judge said the bank wrongfully tried to foreclose on the Nyergers' house.

So, how did it end with bank being foreclosed on? After more than 5 months of the judge's ruling, the bank still hadn't paid the legal fees, and the homeowner's attorney did exactly what the bank tried to do to the homeowners. He seized the bank's assets.

"They've ignored our calls, ignored our letters, legally this is the next step to get my clients compensated," attorney Todd Allen told CBS.

Sheriff's deputies, movers, and the Nyergers' attorney went to the bank and foreclosed on it. The attorney gave instructions to remove desks, computers, copiers, filing cabinets and any cash in the teller's drawers.

After about an hour of being locked out of the bank, the bank manager handed the attorney a check for the legal fees.

"As a foreclosure defense attorney this is sweet justice" says Allen.

Allen says this is something that he sees often in court, banks making errors because they didn't investigate the foreclosure and it becomes a lengthy and expensive battle for the homeowner.


CBS News



Here's the link to the story: http://www.digtriad.com/news/watercooler/article/178031/176/Florida-Hom

Legal Funnies

Great line from a case I was researching today:

"In 1996, one of Smith's supervisors grabbed her rear end and pinched her and Smith responded by punching him in the stomach. The supervisor did not repeat that conduct."

And another one:

"The court  finds itself skewered on the horns of a dilemma."

Obscure Legal Term Challenge of the Week

So one of the fun things about being a law student is getting to improve your vocabulary with legal terms that haven't been used in actual conversation since the 1600s. Here at CVLAS, we decided to start a weekly competition where we pick a word and see who can use it the most. Last week the word was "whereas" and after a close race between Maggie and Jake, Maggie won. This week, we've decided to kick it up a notch.

The word: "witnesseth"

Anybody can compete, just use the comments. Go!

HERE WE ARE!!!

Just remember...

... believe in yourself! (A little motivation to get you through those last few hours of the week).

*For the record, this was supposed to be Catherine's post, but her computer was being finicky and wouldn't let her put the YouTube video on here. But she totally gets credit for finding this.*

A quick reminder for our interns and their fellow law school classmates...http://some.ly/bhqaJE.

We are everywhere!
Please follow us on Twitter.
It's @CVLASRichmond.

Fun, fun, fun, fun...

Here are some tunes to get everyone's Friday off to a great start. And yes, we here in the CVLAS Loft will most likely have a short dance party to this song today. Because that's how we roll.

Just a little self pat on the back...

I just got to represent a client in front of a VEC Appeals Examiner ON MY OWN! Well, okay, my supervising attorney was sitting right next to me making sure I didn't screw up. But I got to do all the talking! And I haven't even been working here two weeks. MY INTERNSHIP ROCKS!

(Happy dance.)

- Kati

This just in!

The CVLAS Richmond Office will be open for the First Friday Art Walk from 6 to 9 pm.

Featuring music by the Olde Towne Celtic Players and art by students from the Appomattox Regional Governor's School.

Be sure to stop by!

Haiku of the Day

Making big impacts,
We are the Richmond interns.
Legal aid is neat.

CVLAS Overview and Shoutouts

So welcome to our blog! First off, if you love reading about the adventures of the CVLAS Richmond interns, you should also follow our Petersburg counterparts at: http://cvlaspetersburg.blogspot.com/2011/06/inauguration-blog.html?spref=fb.
Kudos to Kevin and Julia for motivating us to start our own blog.

Also, Kevin posted a great description of what CVLAS does which I'm going to copy here, just so everyone has some background info on the organization providing me, Maggie, Catherine, Hillary, and Jake with awesome summer internships.

"CVLAS is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing civil (as opposed to criminal) legal services to low income individuals.  There are 3 offices: Petersburg, Richmond, and Charlottesville. CVLAS provides a wide range of services including consumer law, bankruptcy, family law, and landlord tenant law.  For more information please visit our website at http://www.cvlas.org/.

CVLAS relies heavily on federal grants to survive. But like most federally funded projects, CVLAS has been facing budget cuts.  Luckily we have Steve Dickinson our fearless director to help get through these tough times.  Steve has already begun working feverishly to raise private donations to make up for the federal funds being cut.  Steve has arranged a matching grant through the Cameron Foundation.  Any money that is raised will be matched by the foundation.  CVLAS is working on some events to raise awareness for CVLAS and news about those events is forthcoming.  In the meantime if you would like to donate money or your services (we are always looking for volunteers) please get in touch with us.  Anything would help, whether it be an hour of your time or even a $1 (which really equals $2 since Cameron will match it).

Legal aid provides a very valuable service to the local community.  The great thing about America is we believe that everyone should have access to the judicial system and a chance to have their day in court.  Legal aid allows for those without the economic means to pay for a private attorney to have their day in court."

SUPPLEMENTAL JURISFICTION

KEYS TO THE CITY

RICHMOND -- Monday’s 4-3 decision by the Virginia Supreme Court has finally answered one of the Commonwealth’s oldest and most persistent questions: can my landlord distribute keys to my apartment, at random, to strangers in my community? The surprising answer given in the Chief Justice’s two-hundred page opinion is an unequivocal yes. The Court’s decision comes on the heels of the General Assembly’s recent passage of the largely misunderstood Community First Act. While the CFA does not expressly allow for the unregulated distribution of keys to personal residences, three members of the Court’s four-justice majority consider such distribution to be paramount to fostering a more open Virginia. In his concurring opinion, another justice suggested that Virginians have been drifting farther and father apart with the advent of online social networks and text messaging.

Neville Abrams, long-time resident of Richmond’s fan district commented, “Long past are the days when one neighbor could stroll into another’s house for a glass of iced tea or a cup of sugar. Today’s neighbors barely know each other. I’d gladly give up a little personal security for the chance to meet new people and put the ‘neighbor’ back in ‘neighborhood.’” Of course the Court’s decision has garnered some opposition, but the majority remains steadfast. One State Senator who has insisted on his anonymity stated: “I honestly don’t remember the Act, nor have I heard about the case [Allen v. Parker Properties, LLC], but being a Bethesda resident, I’m not terribly concerned.”

So what does the decision mean for the average Virginian? Commonwealth Herald Legal Analyst, Robert Dawes, explains that given the decision’s myriad rules and liberal construal of the CFA, landlords can now distribute as many as fifty of a tenant’s keys to complete strangers. Under certain conditions, landlords can even distribute keys to an entire city or locality. These broad distribution allowances are governed by an opt-out program alluded to in the CFA, wherein residents must actively reject a proffer of a key. A consistent worry among Richmonders polled is that they will soon be inundated with keys, and understandably so. This blogger has already received a dozen or so keys, each accompanied by an address and detailed map.

Whether you’re a landlord or a tenant, Virginia’s open-door policy is closing the gap between neighbors, and love it or not, and this new law, like your neighbor, is here to stay.

Disclaimer: All persons and events referenced in this post are fictitious; any resemblance to actual persons or events are unintentional and coincidental.

CVLAS Loft Mission Statement

Never gonna give you up;
Never gonna let you down;
Never gonna run around and desert you.
Never gonna make you cry;
Never gonna say goodbye;
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ