Grants in 2009 – $256,913
FOCUS AREA PROJECTS
RULE OF LAW PROJECT – $50,000
A project of the Virginia Bar Association
Grant funds will support continuation of this Rule of Law Project in 2009 [the VLF previously provided $50,000 in 2008 to support the pilot program]. This educational program to be taught by volunteer citizen lawyers is specifically designed to enhance the teachings of the Rule of Law to 7th and 8th grade civics students in public and private schools throughout Virginia. The project includes training for lawyers, a teacher symposium, and an interactive website for curriculum resource development.
OLD CASE TESTING PROJECT – $60,000
A project of the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project
MAIP and the attorneys it recruits, assists demonstrably innocent prisoners in Virginia secure exoneration. Funds will be used to identify prisoners who were wrongfully convicted in the Commonwealth of Virginia between 1973 and 1988 by testing biological evidence recently discovered to be still available in the state forensic laboratory.
SPARE THE CHILD VIDEO – $44,513
A project of the Virginia State Bar Family Law Section
Grant funds will support Spare the Child video production and DVD distribution costs. The video will guide divorcing parents in visitation, custody, and child support issues, stressing the best interests of the children. This production will replace a prior video made in 1998, which is widely used by judges, lawyers, and civic groups to encourage mediation and responsible parental behavior.
CORE PROJECTS
CAPITAL DEFENSE WORKSHOP – $17,000
A project of the Virginia Bar Association
This is the 14th year of VLF financial support to this one and one-half day training program for Virginia attorneys representing defendants charged with capital murder. Each year, up to 250 lawyers receive training in forensics and litigation to help them meet standards set forth by the Virginia Supreme Court, the Indigent Defense Commission and the Virginia State Bar.
HIRING PRIVATE INVESTIGATORS – $10,000
A project of the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project
Grant funds will support bono investigative and legal services to those prisoners convicted in Virginia who MAIP believes may have viable innocence claims, in order to seek the exoneration and release of persons wrongfully convicted.
IMMIGRATION COUNSELING SERVICES – $10,000
A project of the Refugee & Immigration Services of the Catholic Diocese of Richmond
RIS provides low-cost and pro bono legal counsel to low-income immigrant communities throughout Southern and Western Virginia, from its offices in Richmond, Hampton, Roanoke, and Harrisonburg. Accredited staff assess client eligibility for benefits, prepare applications, provide follow-up, and represent clients in court. In partnership with NGO’s, RIS advocates for clients confronted with a difficult bureaucracy.
LAW DAY ACTIVITIES at the Virginia Holocaust Museum, Richmond – $7,400
Activities will promote understanding of the Rule of Law and will recognize the 2009 recipient of the VLF/VHM Rule of Law Award.
VLF PUBLIC SERVICE INTERNSHIPS – SUMMER 2010 – $40,000
Each of Virginia’s eight ABA-accredited law schools will receive $5,000 to fund public service internships during the summer of 2010. Continuing a VLF tradition begun in 1989, the internships enable host organizations to hire students as paid interns to serve indigent clients. The students are sensitized to the importance of public interest and pro bono work. The following law schools are involved: George Mason University School of Law, Regent University School of Law, University of Richmond T C Williams School of Law, University of Virginia School of Law, William and Mary School of Law, Washington and Lee University School of Law, Appalachian School of Law, and Liberty University School of Law. Internships will be awarded to selected students who will have completed one or two years of law school by the summer of 2010 and want to work with a public interest legal employer in Virginia.
2009 LEGAL AID CONFERENCE – $18,000
A project of the Virginia Poverty Law Center
Training is provided on poverty issues to educate legal services staff and other nonprofit or public interest attorneys who work with low and middle-income residents of Virginia. Thirty one and one-half hour training sessions are presented in this 3-day statewide legal aid conference.
