LEARNING BY DOING
Dick Trodden (Erin’s father), who volunteers in the housing clinic. The students dive in immediately: On the first day of the yearlong, for-credit clinics, they begin assessing cases through group discussions. “We don’t ever just send them off on their own without consulting with us,” says Brenda Castañeda ’06, legal director of LAJC’s Civil Advocacy Program. “We want them to feel supported, and we’re always here to answer questions.” A supervising attorney always accompanies a student in court, and only students who have earned Third-Year Practice Certification may represent clients in the courtroom. Students also must inform clients that they are in school and not licensed attorneys. “None of the clients I worked with ever expressed or showed any concern about working with a student, and the LAJC advisers really gave us a lot of control over the contact with the clients,” says Calvin Funk ’15, who participated in last year’s consumer clinic and since has joined Morrison & Foerster in Washington, D.C. “It gave us a lot of responsibility in working with the clients, which I think was very valuable for us.” The clients, meanwhile, “are so grateful for the help they get because they’re in these hard situations where they’re really at a loss for what to do,” Funk says.
McKinley Haskin’s client is one example. A 47-year-old home health-care worker whose hours had recently been cut back, she turned to the LAJC after her landlord changed the locks on her duplex, with all her belongings inside. She and her children had to go live with a friend. The woman acknowledged she had failed to pay rent for three months but said she never received written notice nor was taken to court to be evicted. Haskin pursued the case and readied a tenant’s petition to present in a county General District Court. In the days leading up to the hearing, she felt nervous, to be sure. But getting over beginners’ jitters is just one of the many benefits of the clinic. “It allows us,” says Haskin, “to get valuable, practical experience that we can take to our jobs when we graduate.” For the LAJC, the clinics are a means toward fulfilling its mission. “We are methodical and committed to looking at this and saying, ‘Is this working for clients? Are we providing better services for clients?’” Bauer says. “And the answer is: Yes. “The people in need in Charlottesville and beyond get a much higher level of service than they would in other places in the nation because of that relationship.” n
LAJC AND UVA LAW
A look at the five clinics that are partnerships between UVA Law School and Charlottesville’s Legal Aid Justice Center:
Child Advocacy Clinic: This clinic provides representation for lowincome children in cases involving the juvenile justice system, denial of legally mandated educational opportunities, immigration, foster care, mental health, and developmental disabilities law. Taught by Angela Ciolfi ’03, legal director of JustChildren, a program of the LAJC; Amy Walters ’09, clinic supervisor with LAJC; and Kate Duvall ’06 and Mario Salas ’14, attorneys with JustChildren.
Consumer Law Clinic: Students help represent clients with debt-collection and other debt-related cases. This clinic offers students experience in drafting court documents, negotiating, and presenting arguments in court. Taught by Angela Ciolfi ’03; Brenda Castañeda ’06, legal director of LAJC’s Civil Advocacy Program; Kim Rolla ’13, an attorney with LAJC’s Civil Advocacy Program; and Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, legal director of LAJC’s Immigrant Advocacy Program.
Employment Law Clinic: In this clinic, students handle matters such as unpaid wage cases, unemployment compensation claims, and employment discrimination charges. This clinic refines trial advocacy skills and offers opportunities to interview clients, draft complaints and discovery requests, draft and argue motions, and conduct trials. Taught by LAJC managing attorney Erin Trodden ’05; Mary Frances Charlton, attorney and Affordable Care Act Coordinator; and Pat LevyLavelle ’05, attorney with LAJC’s Civil Advocacy Program.
Health Law Clinic: This clinic handles matters such as mental health care in prisons, disability benefits claims, and access to health or rehabilitative services. Students help represent elderly and mentally ill clients in negotiations, administrative hearings, and court proceedings. Taught by Amy Walters ’09 and Mary Frances Charlton.
Litigation and Housing Law Clinic: Students appear and argue in local courts as part of this clinic, which develops trial skills and teaches basic substantive housing law. This clinic handles matters such as evictions, rent escrow cases, grievance hearings, and abatement of substandard building conditions. Taught by Brenda Castañeda ‘06, Kim Rolla ‘13, UVA Law Lecturer Dick Trodden, and recently retired LAJC attorney John Conover ’78.
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