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Website last updated on 6/18/04 |
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BEFORE 1973, if you were poor and needed an attorney, you were often out of luck. There were a fair number of attorneys in the area who would help at a reduced fee or on a pro bono basis. But it often took a little luck and a lot of persistence before one was found, and many people simply went unrepresented. In 1973, a group of local attorneys recognized the problems poor persons faced in finding an attorney to represent them and founded the Fredericksburg Area Legal Aid Society, a volunteer membership group which referred indigent citizens with legal problems to participating private attorneys in the Fredericksburg area. Over time the organization was funded by United Way, Title XX programs and, eventually, the Legal Services Corporation established by President Nixon. The organization hired full-time staff and changed its name to Rappahannock Legal Services, Inc. (RLS) to better reflect the expanded service area, which stretched from the shores of the Chesapeake Bay in Northumberland and Lancaster Counties on the east, and along the Rappahannock River watershed to the mountains of Madison and Rappahannock Counties on the west; the service area is larger than the states of Rhode Island, Delaware, and Connecticut with a 2000 estimated poverty population of 31,870 (a 16.1% increase over the 1990 poverty population of 27,457). In May 2002, RLS celebrated its twenty-ninth year of service. Today, RLS operates 3 offices with 11 full-time and 3 part-time staff providing free legal services in non-fee-generating civil matters to those who cannot afford an attorney. The majority of RLS’ cases are either family (primarily custody, support, and domestic violence) (37%), consumer finance (14%), income maintenance/health (15%), or housing (27%). For the fiscal year ending 6/30/02, RLS represented clients in 2,742 legal matters, including 2,368 matters handled by 7 staff attorneys and 2.5 paralegals and 374 matters handled pro bono by a panel of 225 private attorneys. Services provided ranged from counsel and advice to full representation in court proceedings and administrative hearings. Monetary benefits awarded to clients totaled $1,183,150 and included $334,149 in child and spousal support and $720,527 in social security and SSI disability benefits. Claims avoided amounted to $378, 343. RLS has also worked closely with a number of community service organizations by helping organize or otherwise support the Rappahannock Council on Domestic Violence (RCDV), the Fredericksburg Area Food Relief Clearinghouse (FAFRC), the Fredericksburg Area Food Bank, the Thurman Brisbon Homeless Shelter, Hope House, Central Virginia Housing Coalition (CVHC), the Al Chaplin Group Home for Non-Violent Youth Offenders, Services to Abused Families (Safe), Culpeper Community Development Corporation (CCDC), the Ann Wingfield Housing Corporation, the Fauquier Free Clinic, and Family Focus of Richmond County. RLS staff also serve or have served on the boards of RCDV, Hope House, the regional Spotsylvania-Stafford-Fredericksburg Group Home Commission, SAFE, CCDC, Ann Wingfield Housing Corporation, the Piedmont Dispute Resolution Center, and Family Focus and Scenario. RLS staff also regularly provide community education through presentations to groups at homeless shelters, the Area Agency on Aging Senior Centers, and nursing homes. In addition to hosting presentations, RLS also publishes articles in various local newspapers and newsletters.
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Rappahannock Legal Services Fredericksburg Office |