When the Legal Aid Justice Center purchased the propertyat 1000 Preston Avenue to house our Charlottesville office,it was faced with a critical decision. Beside the main build-ing on the property sat a deteriorating old house made ofstone. The roof of the house was leaking, the paint waspeeling, and the floorboards were rotting.

“Initial estimates to restore the property were nearly$500,000,” said Executive Director Alex Gulotta. “Manypeople said, ‘The house is a liability—tear it down.’”

The demolition of the house seemed inevitable. Fortunately, asmall group of dedicated volunteers formed to research thehistory of the house to determine its value. The newly formedRock House Steering Committee, including Daniel Bluestone,director of the Historic Preservation Program at the Universityof Virginia, uncovered the truth. This house was no liability—it was a significant part of Charlottesville history.

The Rock House was built by Charles B. Holt, who engravedhis name in its concrete steps in 1926—the founding year ofJefferson High School and Washington Park—to commemo-rate the completion of his house. Holt, a carpenter andumbrella repairman, was an African American son of a slave.He was born in 1872, less than a decade after emancipationand a few years before the enactment of the Jim Crow lawsthat disenfranchised blacks and segregated the South.Building the house required vision, sacrifice, and hardwork—a remarkable personal achievement.

Today the Rock House stands restored. On April 18, theLegal Aid Justice Center and the Rock House Steering

Committee celebrated the restoration of the C.B. Holt RockHouse at a ceremony attended by more than 200 commu-nity members. Julian Bond, chairman of the NAACP andUniversity of Virginia professor of history, gave the dedication address honoring the C.B. Holt Rock House.The day was remarkable. View the full text of Julian Bond’sspeech at www.justice4all.org.

“I believe the spirit of Charles Holt was here to help us pullthis together,” said Rock House Committee memberMargaret Dunn.

ROCK HOUSE RESTORED!

Julian Bond delivers the reception address for the C.B. Holt Rock House.

Continued on page 3

N E W S F R O M

L E G A L A I D J U S T I C E C E N T E R

Fall 2006la vozavoz

la vocede stem

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1 Rock House Restored ... 2 What’s New with JustChildren ... 4 Legal Aid Launches Impact Initiative ... 4 Petersburg Landlord Reimburses Excessive Charges ... 5 New Initiatives Enhance Effectiveness ... 6 2005 Annual Campaign Donors ... 8 More than 500 Attend Elder Law Events ... 9 Carrington Gardens Lawsuit Settles

for $240,000 ... 9 Kathleen Caldwell Joins Civil Advocacy ... 10 Virginia Justice Center’s 2005 Accomplishments ... 11 Three Fellows Add More Talent to LAJC

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Board of DirectorsEva AnthonyHerbert L. BeskinLawrence DiehlLlezelle A. DuggerPeter EliadesKimberly C. EmeryBryan A. FratkinLinda FreemanD. Brock GreenTracey HopperJoy JohnsonGeorge B. McCallum IIIAlbert MumphryJohn M. Oakey, Jr.Frazier SolsberryThomas Stark IVLynn WiberElizabeth H. Woodard

Advisory CouncilEd Bain, Jr.Herbert L. BeskinElizabeth BirdsallTammy BoudreauKathleen CaldwellJohn ConoverRebecca CraigSusan CurryMary Ann ElwoodKimberly C. EmeryD. Brock GreenAlex R. GulottaShannon HortonJanis JaquithEdward LowryDianne MartinMarian MatthewsVirginia NeedhamRick RichmondSonjia SmithFrazier SolsberryKaren TorgersenCole WilsonElizabeth H. Woodard

MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR

We have had a fantastic start to 2006! The generosity of thecommunity and our donors is allowing us to help even moreof Virginia’s most vulnerable families. Our Charlottesvilleoffice is bursting at the seams as we continue to add newstaff and exciting programs. We recently rehired KathleenCaldwell for our Civil Advocacy Program, and three new lawfellows will be joining us this fall.

The renovation of the C.B. Holt Rock House was completedthis April. The Rock House is the new home of a pro bonopartnership between the law firm of Hunton & Williams andthe University of Virginia School of Law. The April 18th dedi-cation of the Rock House featured a speech by Julian Bond.What an honor! It was a wonderful event.

Thanks to all of you for continuing to make the Legal Aid Justice Center a success!

WHAT’S NEW WITH JUSTCHILDREN?Scoring legislative victories, advocating forclients, adding staff—it’s been a busy yearfor JustChildren. We continue to explore avariety of strategies to expand opportunitiesfor Virginia’s most vulnerable children, rang-ing from vigorously protecting the rights ofindividual children, to leading coalitions ofadvocates pressing for change in theGeneral Assembly. Recent successes include

Education Reform: Last summer we estab-lished a statewide grassroots initiative, theAlliance for Virginia’s Students (www.vastu-dents.org). With the support of our partners,the Alliance recently scored two meaningfulsuccesses. Thanks largely to our advocacy, theGeneral Assembly included in its budget thefirst per-pupil funding increase, totaling $6.6million, for the Commonwealth’s preschoolprogram for at-risk four-year-olds. And weprompted the Virginia Board of Education toestablish improved graduation rates as a pri-ority under the Standards of Accreditation.

Community Partnerships: A critical aspect of

our work is helping client communitiesbecome more vocal, effective advocates fortheir children. At the last two meetings of theState Board of the Department of JuvenileJustice, for example, parents testified aboutthe troubling conditions at the girls’ correc-tional center at Bon Air, prompting the Boardto investigate and call for improvements. Andin June, we brought Central Virginia parentsto a national meeting on school reformwhere they met and learned from communityactivists from around the country.

New Funding: This spring the Legal ServicesCorporation of Virginia awarded us a specialgrant to become the statewide support cen-ter for education law and advocacy. Withthe new grant, we will provide training andtechnical assistance to legal aid lawyersacross the Commonwealth, co-counsel onsignificant cases, and maintain an ongoingpresence with the Board of Education andthe General Assembly. Because of this andother new funding, JustChildren will grow to10 staff members by fall.

Alex GulottaExecutive Director

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THE C.B. HOLT “ROCK HOUSE” RENOVATION

AND GARDEN MAJOR CONTRIBUTORS

Area Members of the VirginiaCouncil of Garden Clubs

Andy and Kelli BlockMortimer CaplinCharlottesville Garden ClubJohn Conover and Virginia

DaughertyAlan and Llezelle Dugger Kimberly EmeryAlex and Joan Gulotta

McGuire Woods, LLPMental Health Services Fund

of the Charlottesville AreaCommunity Foundation

Reuben and Sue RaineyRichmond & FishburneRivanna Garden ClubAshlin SmithSonjia SmithBetsy Woodard

Lead GiftsDave Matthews Band, Bama Works Fund of the

Charlottesville Area Community FoundationCarter Beauford, Coran Capshaw, Stefan Lessard,

David Matthews, Leroi Moore, Boyd Tinsley

Perry FoundationCity of Charlottesville

John and Renee GrishamHunton & WilliamsMary Ann Elwood

$5,000–$9,999Carter and Karen Beauford

Virginia National Bank

$2,500–$4,999Albemarle Garden Club

Carl and Rebecca Frischkorn

$1,000–$2,499

More than 200 community members celebrated the completion ofthe Rock House renovation.

In-Kind

Alexander-NicholsonDoug CampbellC-ville WeeklyDaniel BluestoneDigital Print SolutionsHale & White, Inc.William HaleJim HallDouglas Haney

John HangerJeff Barratt WoodworkingMona Lisa PastaO’Connor Hardwood Floor Co.Richmond CameraSilk Purse Properties, LLCStudio Art ShopWebber Painting, Inc.

Continued from page 1

This spring, the Rock House was officially listed on theVirginia Landmarks Registry and National Register ofHistoric Places. It will be the new home to a pro bono part-nership between U.Va.’s School of Law and the Richmondlaw firm of Hunton & Williams. The project, pairing volun-teer law students and pro bono attorneys from the lawfirm, will offer free legal representation to victims of domes-tic violence with custody, visitation, and child support casesas well as to immigrants seeking political asylum. This part-nership substantially increases the free legal services avail-able to low-income residents in the Charlottesville area.

Community pride elevated the Rock House from liability tonational treasure. Generous donors in our community,including the Dave Matthews Band, the Perry Foundation,the City of Charlottesville, John and Renee Grisham, Hunton& Williams, Mary Ann Elwood, and others, made the reno-vation of the Rock House possible. But the vision of whatthe Rock House can be is only just beginning.

Area members of the Virginia Council of Garden Clubshave volunteered to plan a garden and historic path forthe Rock House property. This project will give the publican opportunity to walk the grounds of the Rock Houseand learn about the history of those who lived in it.

In the spring of 2007, we will dedicate the Rock HouseGarden. At this event we will unveil permanent recognitionof the generous donors to our Rock House Renovation andGarden Project: Giving levels will be recognized at the$1,000, $2,500, $5,000, and $10,000 levels.

For more information on the C.B. Holt Rock House or to con-tribute to its renovation and garden, contact Susan Curry at434-977-0553, ext. 101, or susan@justice4all.org.

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The Legal Aid Justice Center and its pred-ecessor, the Charlottesville-AlbemarleLegal Aid Society, have asserted the rightof low-income individuals throughoutCentral Virginia to access justice for all fornearly 40 years. We intend to step up ourefforts over the next five years to breakdown some of the most intransigent bar-riers to keeping this promise.

The Impact Initiative is a new project thatwill permanently increase our capacity toserve low-income individuals in Virginia.Our statewide reach uniquely positions usto identify repeating patterns of exploita-tion—in areas like predatory lending forexample—patterns and trends that havefar-reaching implications for all ofVirginia’s poor.

In simple terms, the goal of the ImpactInitiative is to ensure that justice for oneis truly justice for all. This five-year, million-dollar strategic plan also will greatlyenhance our self-sufficiency, a majorchallenge in an increasingly unstablefunding environment. To be most effec-tive, the Impact Initiative features threedistinct elements: establishing a perma-nent full-time litigation director, increas-ing our capacity to underwrite theexpenses of litigation, and improvingour technical capabilities so we can effi-ciently collect and share advocacy infor-mation program-wide.

With a goal of $1 million over the nextfive years, the Impact Initiative will allowus to move above and beyond our cur-rent capacity to pursue the highest qual-ity advocacy initiatives for Virginia’smost vulnerable families.

LEGAL AID JUSTICE CENTER

LAUNCHES IMPACT INITIATIVEWe have already received$118,000 per year in commit-ments toward the goal of$200,000 per year in committed funding for thenext five years.

$125,000 ($25,000 per year)John and Renee Grisham

$100,000 ($20,000 per year) Jim and Becky CraigSonjia Smith

$75,000 ($15,000 per year)Lynne Conboy

$50,000 ($10,000 per year)Ted and Sheila Weschler

$25,000 ($5,000 per year)Mary Ann ElwoodHarold and Mary Donn JordanJan KaronPraxis FoundationRoberta Williamson

$10,000 ($2,000 per year)Elizabeth Birdsall

$5,000 ($1,000 per year)

David and Marian Fife

Total Commitments$585,000 ($118,000 per year)

For more information or to donate to

the Impact Initiative, contact Susan

Curry at 434-977-0553, ext. 101,

or susan@justice4all.org.

PETERSBURG LANDLORD

REIMBURSES 15TENANTS FOR

EXCESSIVE CHARGES

LAJC Petersburg and Richmond recently set-tled a case for numerous clients in severallocal mobile home parks who had been over-charged for water.

Last fall Cristina Rebeil of the LAJC office inRichmond was contacted by a small group ofprimarily Spanish-speaking tenants who livedin a mobile home park on the edge of thecity of Petersburg. The tenants had a varietyof complaints about their tenancy includingexcessive charges by the landlord. Cristinareferred the case to Steve Dickinson in theLAJC Petersburg office and together theyagreed to investigate the tenants’ claims.

The investigation revealed that the landlordwas essentially charging tenants double whatis allowed by Virginia law for water and sewerservices. With their clients’ permission, Steveand Cristina organized a series of neighbor-hood meetings to inform all tenants of theirrights and options in this matter. Meetingswere conducted in both English and Spanish.Eventually it was determined that the viola-tions spread across three local trailer parksand the number of clients grew to 15.

After a demand letter was sent to the landlord,the landlord’s counsel called and concededthat the water bills had been miscalculated.The next month the water bills for all tenantswere adjusted to reflect the proper charges.The landlord also offered to refund all namedclients the excessive charges and make avail-able funds to other tenants who might beentitled to refunds. Refund amounts rangedfrom $75 to more than $2,000 per client.

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Legal Aid Car Talk

Buying a car can and should be a positive experience. Butfor many years Legal Aid Justice Center attorneys have seena pattern of low-income buyers callously taken advantageof by unscrupulous car dealers who (legally) sell substan-dard cars financed at interest rates as high as 39 percent.Car purchases gone bad are among the leading reasonsthat low-income people file for bankruptcy.

“Once you make a bad deal, typically you’re stuck with a baddeal,” says Executive Director Alex Gulotta. “You’re sunk.”

Due to dealer-friendly laws in Virginia, we can only occa-sionally help clients after these unscrupulous sales havetaken place. So Legal Aid determined that the bestapproach is to educate consumers before they are luredinto a bad deal that could ruin them financially. With a special grant from Virginia National Bank, we created“Legal Aid Car Talk.”

Beyond the savvy required to determine whether a car is ingood mechanical condition and if the selling price is fair,most people do not have the means to pay cash and mustborrow money to buy a car. Legal Aid Car Talk teaches buy-ers about both finding a good car for a fair price and enter-ing into a financing situation that is the best available tothem and that will result in payments they can handle.

While Legal Aid Car Talk currently operates in theCharlottesville office, we hope to have the resources toexpand this program to our Richmond and Petersburgoffices in the future. Materials, including a Used Car Buyer’sHandbook, are available by request. For more informationcontact John Conover at 434-977-0553, ext.103 orjohn@justice4all.org.

Reaching Families through U.Va. Medical Center

Thanks to a new joint venture of the Legal Aid JusticeCenter, the Center for Public Service at U.Va. Law School,and the U.Va. Medical Center, low-income families withchildren now have a new way to obtain access to legalassistance. Several times each week, representatives of theLegal Aid Justice Center and the Center for Public Service,accompanied by U.Va. law students, hold intake clinics orparticipate in patient rounds at the hospital.

Response to the clinics has been “tremendous,” said LizMoore, a paralegal at the Legal Aid Justice Center. “Basedon the number of families that have already been referred,it seems that there is a great demand for this service. Thefamilies have myriad problems that touch all of the areaswe work in, such as Medicaid, food stamps, bankruptcy,family law, housing, utilities, Supplemental Security Income,etc., and many have multiple problems requiring legal help.Our thanks go out to Dr. Diane Pappas and Dean KimberlyEmery for pioneering this valuable project.”

Fliers advertising the service are posted at the hospital, butoften those who come to the clinic have been referred bysocial workers, physicians, nurses, and other hospital staffmembers who recognize their patients’ families are dealingwith issues that might require legal expertise. We received apilot grant from the Charlottesville Area CommunityFoundation to support the launch of this project. We arecurrently fundraising to make this successful pilot a perma-nent part of our Civil Advocacy Program.

NEW INITIATIVES ENHANCE LEGAL AID’S EFFECTIVENESS

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$10,000 +Jim & Becky CraigJohn & Renee GrishamSelect Equity GroupSonjia SmithAmor & Margaret Towles Roberta Williamson

$5,000–$9,999Carter & Karen BeaufordMargaret S. & Philip D. Block, Jr.

Family FoundationLynne Duke ConboyDavid & Marian FifeHarold & Mary Donn JordanLexisNexis®

Mitford Children’s FoundationPraxis FoundationFrederic W. Scott, Jr.Ted & Sheila Weschler

$2,500–$4,999Edgar Bronfman & Jan AronsonJohn Conover & Virginia DaughertyShelia Marie DavisCarol & James ListerElinor Marshall

$1,500–$2,499Kay & Ed Bain, Jr.Tammy Boudreau & Henry Saint DahlKathleen CaldwellMortimer CaplinRobert & Rose Capon

James & Vicki FreilichInez Duff Bishop Charitable TrustPrince Michel Winery & VineyardRichmond & Fishburne

$1,000–$1,499Elizabeth A. ArledgeBarcalow & HartHerb Beskin & Sumner BrownElizabeth BirdsallMary Scott & John H. BirdsallHenry & Diane BisgaierAndy & Kelli BlockChris & Margaret BlockJudith & Philip D. Block IIIJack Bocock & Nora BrookfieldRichard & Kathleen BonnieJack & Wendy BrownBill Chapman & Shannon WorrellThe Consignment HouseClaire Curry & Evelyn StevensRalph & Charlotte DammannSarah & Victor M. Dandridge, Jr.Mike & Cynnie DavisDan Doernberg & Rachel UnkeferDreaming Hand FoundationDouglas & Sarah DuPontSarah EisenhartMary Ann ElwoodFeil, Pettit & WilliamsJ. Michael FitzgeraldMark & Barbara FriedJeff Gleason & Pat ConnorBrock & Julia Green

Evan Guillemin & Ricki SternAlex & Joan GulottaRobert & Marilyn HarmanHeiner Family FoundationJim HingeleyMatthew & Dorothy HoldenThe Huntly FoundationKaryl & Irving KaytonJohn L. LanhamDouglas & Deborah LittleGeorge & Annabel LoperEdward & Carolyn LowryMartin & RaynorDavid & Cyndy MartinJane MatthewsMcLean Faulconer Inc.Michie, Hamlett, Lowry,

Rasmussen & TweelRobert & Karen O’NeilSusan & L.F. PayneRick & Pat RichmondMildred RobinsonDennis & Ann RookerPaul SaunierScott & KronerElizabeth & Robert ScottThe Honorable Janene ShannonFrazier Solsberry & Kathleen MaySt. Paul’s Memorial Church Robert S. StevensTremblay & SmithBetsy WoodardSam & Ginny YountJohn & Peggy Zunka

LEGAL AID JUSTICE CENTER

THANKS THE 2005 ANNUAL CAMPAIGN DONORS

Challenger’s Circle Donors

A.N. Culbertson & Company, Inc.William & Eleanor AbbotJennifer AckermanRobert & Nancy AdamsRyan AlmsteadCathy AmesCharles P. Ancona

John Andelin, Jr. & Virginia Geoffrey

Mr. & Mrs. Mark AndresMr. & Mrs. Breck ArringtonRichard & Linda BalnaveJames Barns, Jr.Louisa & Harold Barrett

Craig Barton & Marthe RowenMichal Barzuza & Dotan OliarSally A. BastianPatrick & Jane BelisleSusan G. Bender Tom & Mary BerginC.M. Berndt

Diane BerkeleyBeth BerneRaymond C. Bice, Jr.Betty BlackDr. & Mrs. Robert M. BlizzardGene & Carol BlockBlue Ridge Title Company

$999 & Under

Karen & Warren BoeschensteinMadelyn & Joseph BonsignoreLarry Bouchard &

Margaret GallowayPatricia M. BradyRichard & Bonnie BrewerAndrea Bridgeman Margaret Ellen BrowningDavid & Delores BrushHenry & Maxine BurtonBruce & Terri CabellJonathan & Alice CannonMary Hill CapertonDr. & Mrs. Freeman CaryEneldo Castillo-PosadasElizabeth G. CauthenChristopher Chase &

Mary Lorino Ed & Suzanne ChitwoodAngela Ciolfi & Jeffery BarrattStephen & Carol ClarkeTom CogillJoe & Chris CondoVinka CraverElizabeth CrawfordRuth CrossAlan & Sharon CulbertsonSusan Elwood CunninghamBenjamin & Lynn CurryDavid L. Dallas, Jr.Nancy & Fred DamonDarrold & Carol DandyJohn DaviesCreston & Molly DavisChristine DawsonEduard E. & Francesca de LangeRobert T. DenommeThomas & Maggie DevitaA.E. Dick & Mary HowardRebecca DillinghamJane De Simone DittmarAl Dougherty & Miriam BenderG. Lawson & Suzanne DrinkardDoug Drysdale & Elaine HaddenEarl & Louise DudleyJames & Julia DunstanWilliam L. Duren, Jr.James & Ann EddinsDr. & Mrs. Kemal H. ElbirlikJordan FeirmanErnestine J. ForesmanDiana Foster & Tom JonesJane & Eugene FosterDr. & Mrs. Jeffrey C. FracherClermont FraserJeffrey & Linda FrederickSteven Freilich &

Daphne GreenbergTimothy Andrew FreilichRichard J. Funk

Michael & Silvia GageClaire Guthrie GastanagaM. Chinta GastonGregory S. GelburdLorna Gerome-CrowderCatherine GilliamGeorge & Page GilliamEdward J. Gilmartin &

Grace LynchVictor M. GlasbergDr. & Mrs. Charles H. GleasonDonna G. GoingsCarol H. GoldsteinCheryl GomezSylvia S. GordonVesta Lee GordonDiana GrayMr. & Mrs. William S. GrayCharles GreenfieldA. Dandridge GreggMarc HahnMartien Halvorson-TaylorLeroy & Patricia HamlettJohn Hanger & Cheryl BrunkHantzmon, Wiebel & CompanyBarbara HaskinsMrs. V.W.T. HarbaughAllen Hard & Marjorie SiegelJack & Joanne HarrisMr. & Mrs. John W. Harrison Will & Mittie HarveyJim HeilmanGeorge H. HettrickE.D. & Mary HirschJames & Mary HoldenJack & Nancy HornJohn & Hillary HornFred & Betty HudsonDr. & Mrs. William HuntDavid Izakowitz & Alison BoothLeo JanksRichard L. Jennings &

Sherry FrostGraham & Janet JohnsonEd & Margaret Jones Judith JordanFather Gregory KandtJocelyn KelleyJoan KelloggForrest & Joyce KernsMr. & Mrs. Gary D. KesslerArt & Sue KeyserMary KirwanEdmund W. & Gail KitchMichael Klarman &

Lisa LandsverkSherry P. Kraft & Bill LucyChristopher & Catherine KramerRobert & Elaine KronerHoward & Liz Kutchai

Ludwig Kuttner & Beatrix OstMichele LamkaNorman LamsonCorinne LeBovitLem & Karen LillelehtGraham & Rachel LillyPeppy G. LindenJohn V. LittleAnna MageeDana & Susan Cabell MainsThe Honorable David B. MarshallGail & John MarshallLewis Martin IIIValerie A. MatthewsMichele Mattioli Deborah McDowellLarry & Kathryn McElwainThomas & Kathleen McGowanAnne Kane McGuirePeter McIntosh & Erin GarveyChris & Isabel McLeanDaniel & Jan MeadorRebekah MenningEugene & Suzanne MeyungTom MichieMr. & Mrs. Leigh Middleditch, Jr.Marilyn MinrathRay Mishler & Pat SmithDan & Harriet MohlerRodrigo & Melissa MontanezLiz & Kenneth MooreDonald & Lisa MorinB. Wistar Morris III & Karen MoranJack Morton & Mary Ellen WhiteMarcia W. MurchisonJames & Bunny Murray, Sr.Mr. & Mrs. Matthew B. MurrayRichard & Virginia NeedhamF. Page NelsonNew Dominion Book ShopMary P. NewtonDorothy & Steven NixaLindsay C. NoltingCaroline B. NunleyJohn M. OakeyOler & Associates, PCRichard Olin & Dianne MartinKent Olson & Marsha TrimbleGreg & Trish OrrToby PackerEric PerelmanCharles & Joy PerryDale W. PittmanKaren & Michael PowellMarc PurintunPussywillow Land TrustMartin B. QuarlesBetsy RespessRussell Riley & Monique

Vanlandingham

George RodeheaverSteven & Kate RosenfieldJessamy RousonMichael C. RussGeorge Rutherglen &

Jessica FeldmanBob & Marty SaylerGregory & Francisca SchellCynthia G. SchneiderBetty & John E. Scott, Jr.Katherine Hope ScottJohn & Rachel SetearShearman & Sterling, LLPElizabeth Sidamon-EristoffJim & Monique SimmondsAnne & Edward SlaughterMargo SmithDiane & Mike SolatkaPeter & Lisa SpaarJanet W. StackBarbara & Paul StenardJohn & Grace StillwellBetty StriderEleanore B. SturgillJay & Betsy SwettAlbie Tabackman & Joan FentonBetty A. ThompsonMcIIwaine & Elsie ThompsonElly & Bill TuckerAlbert R. TurnbullAndrew TurnerNancy & Peter TuzTwentieth Century FundRobert & Sharon W. UtzAlan & Cyndra Van CliefMitch & Betty Van YahresAlejandro VazquezVenable SchoolRip & Therese VerkerkeMr. & Mrs. Harold T. ViaWalter & Ruth WadlingtonPhyllis WarnockDavid & Bitsy WatersJ. Gregory WebbMary Lee WebbRobert & Mary Beth WebbCharles L. Weber, Jr.Robert WhaleyThomas & Maria WhiteCharles WhitebreadDr. Morton C. WilhelmBlair K. WilliamsonStirling & Jane WilliamsonEleanor W. WinsorAnn & Brantly WomackJay WorrallBarbara Yalden-ThompsonMrs. Carter C. Ziegler

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Thanks from all of us at the Legal Aid Justice Center!

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The Legal Aid Justice Center’s Elder Law attorney and legaldirector of the Civil Advocacy Program, Claire E. Curry, andthe Community Partnership for Improved Long-term Carerecently organized two events to raise awareness about the needs of the elderly in the our area. The events wereattended by more than 500 concerned community mem-bers, doctors, nurses, clergy, lawyers, and ombudsmenamong others.

The Community Partnership for Improved Long-term Carebrings together concerned individuals and groups to workfor improved quality of care in long-term residential facili-ties in the city of Charlottesville and the counties ofAlbemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, and Nelson. TheCommunity Partnership meets on a monthly basis.

Virginia Festival of the Book

The Community Partnership and the Virginia Festival of theBook worked together to bring world-renowned author Dr.William H. Thomas to speak and discuss his book What AreOld People For? How Elders Will Save the World. Dr. JonathanEvans, a local long-term care expert, also addressed theaudience. The enthusiastic crowd of more than 400 partici-pated in a moderated discussion following the presenta-tions. The audience included not only the general public,but also staff and residents of long-term care facilities.

“The effective, hardworking advocates that make up theCommunity Partnership and Virginia Festival of the Bookare the reason this event was so successful.” Curry said “Ihave never seen so many residents and staff of long-termcare facilities in the same room. We actually had to delaythe event for 15 minutes while we figured out how to getall the wheelchairs in the room! This event has truly openeda very important dialogue between these two groups.”

Pressure Ulcers: Meeting the Challenge of Cost EffectivePrevention

The prevention of pressure ulcers is a critical need in long-term care of our elderly. A high percentage of them areavoidable with adequate nutrition, staff, and education.

When pressure ulcers are present, it can be a signal that anelderly person is not receiving proper treatment. Claire Curry,the Community Partnership, and the University of VirginiaSchool of Medicine spent a year working and gathering dataon pressure ulcer rates from long-term care facilities. Some ofthe factors that the working group examined included theworking and living conditions in long-term care facilities aswell as staff and resident attrition rates.

“This was a working group that created an unprecedentedcollaboration,” said Curry. “It was not about reinventingthe wheel or pointing fingers of blame, but a true discus-sion of what the different facilities do and what measuresare working to prevent pressure ulcers in long-term carefacilities.”

These groups then hosted a conference to help raise aware-ness of the treatment and prevention of pressure ulcers,“Pressure Ulcers: Meeting the Challenge of Cost EffectivePrevention,” at the Doubletree Hotel in Charlottesville,Virginia. The event featured experts in the field includingDr. Courtney Lyder, professor and chair of the University ofVirginia School of Nursing's Department of Acute andSpecialty Care; and Dr. George Rodeheaver, professor in theUniversity of Virginia's Department of Plastic Surgery andfounding member of the Virginia Pressure Ulcer ResourceTeam. More than 90 were in attendance. The target audi-ence included directors of long-term facilities, managers,providers of care from certified nursing assistants to nursingstaff, and the families of residents. The event was gearedtoward people who have the decision-making responsibilitywithin long-term care facilities in order to educate and havethem commit to making a difference with pressure ulcerprevention. The event was an overwhelming success inmaking Charlottesville and the surrounding areas a leaderin pressure ulcer prevention in long-term care facilities.

For more information on the Community Partnership forImproved Long-term Care, contact Claire Curry at 434-977-0553, ext.105, or claire@justice4all.org.

MORE THAN 500 ATTEND ELDER LAW EVENTS

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In April, the Legal Aid Justice Center and the law firms ofSidley Austin, Hunton & Williams, and Hundley & Johnsonreached a settlement with New York-based Bush Realty, LLC,and New Jersey-based Royal Oak Gardens, LLC. The lawsuitwas filed in July 2005 after the city of Richmond toldCarrington Garden residents in February they had eight hoursto find a new home.

On February 10, 2005, the city of Richmond condemned theCarrington Gardens, Northridge apartment complex after aperiod of long neglect by owners Bush Realty, LLC, and itsmanagement company, Royal Oak Gardens, LLC. The cityinvestigated the buildings after frozen water pipes burst.

Many of the 216 units in the complex were unoccupied, withdoors and windows kicked in or broken, allowing the wintertemperatures to penetrate the buildings. The city also foundfaulty electrical wiring, uncollected garbage piling up, andsquatters in the complex. Declaring the Carrington Gardenscomplex a health and safety hazard, the city of Richmondcondemned the buildings and told families to relocate.

With only eight hours’ notice, residents lost the majority oftheir belongings and were brought to a hotel. The Legal AidJustice Center and co-counsel Sidley Austin, representing 22families, along with Hunton & Williams, representing threefamilies, and Hundley & Johnson, representing one family,filed suit in July. The lawsuit sought compensatory damagesfor lost belongings and moving expenses.

In a settlement conference on April 26, all parties agreed onthe total of $240,000 to settle the action. Marcel Slag of theLegal Aid Justice Center, Benjamin Nagin and James Reagan ofSidley Austin, Ed Noonan of Hunton & Williams, and BrooksHundley of Hundley & Johnson were all instrumental inachieving the settlement.

“This settlement agreement is a victory for the residents ofCarrington Gardens and for everyone who is victimized byneglectful landlords,” said Marcel Slag of the Legal Aid JusticeCenter. “It is a testament to the generosity of the privateattorneys who worked on this case without recovering fees.Thanks again to the firms of Sidley Austin, Hunton & Williams,and Hundley & Johnson.”

CARRINGTON GARDENS LAWSUIT SETTLES FOR $240,000FOR 26 RICHMOND FAMILIES

The Legal Aid Justice Center continues to add exciting pro-grams and experienced attorneys to our organization. In Mayof 2006, we rehired Kathleen Caldwell as a new member ofour Civil Advocacy team. Kathleen is a former Legal Aid staffand board member, and a senior attorney with substantiallegal experience. She holds an undergraduate degree fromMary Washington College; a law degree from William and

Mary, where she graduated in the top 10 percent of herclass; and an LLM degree from the University of Virginia.Kathleen will be developing the consumer law practice andreestablishing private attorney volunteer programs. We areexcited that she has returned to the Legal Aid Justice Centerto champion consumer protection issues and fair treatmentfor low-income people in Central Virginia.

KATHLEEN CALDWELL JOINS CIVIL ADVOCACY TEAM

Legal Aid Justice Center attorney Marcel Slag celebrates as hereceives $240,000 in settlement checks.

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VIRGINIA JUSTICE CENTER’S 2005 ACCOMPLISHMENTS:MORE THAN $2 MILLION IN LOST WAGES RECOVERED FOR IMMIGRANT WORKERS

In the past year, VJC’s advocates

• Delivered written workers’ rights information to more than 1100 day laborers

• Held workers’ rights seminars for 390 workers and service providers

• Provided brief legal assistance to 211 low-wage immigrant workers

• Opened cases for full representation of 115 clients, bringing the total number of cases currently open to 272

• Closed 173 cases following full legal representation, winning judgments and settlements totaling $180,000 for low-wage immigrant workers

• Organized a new multi-ethnic, multi-issue coalition to monitor and address anti-immigrant legislation in the VirginiaGeneral Assembly

• Provided bilingual, targeted referral services to more than 550 callers

• Stopped the nine anti-immigrant bills introduced in the 2006 General Assembly that would have most negatively impacted Virginia’s immigrant communities

• Played a key role in the formation of the National Capital Immigration Coalition and mobilization of Virginia’s immigrantcommunities and their allies in support of comprehensive immigration reform (including participation in massive rallies inD.C., a rally of 4,500 in Richmond, and a rally of 350 in Charlottesville)

• Moderated three listservs subscribed to by more than 100 key Virginia immigrant community leaders and advocates

• Helped organize the largest Latino Lobby Day in Richmond to date

The Virginia Justice Center was founded in Charlottesville in1998 to serve farmworkers as a statewide project of the LegalAid Justice Center. The VJC’s mission is to support low-wageimmigrant workers in their efforts to find justice and fairtreatment in the workplace. In 2001, VJC opened an office inNorthern Virginia in response to numerous calls from day

laborers who were being cheated out of their pay on a regu-lar basis. Using a multi-pronged approach featuring legalassistance, education and organizing, advocacy, and publicawareness building, the VJC’s low-wage immigrant workerclients have now won judgments and settlements totalingmore than $2 million.

More than 4,500 attended a rally in support of comprehensive immigration reform in Richmond on April 9, 2006.

11

theVoice

After founding the VJC’s Northern Virginiaoffice, VJC Managing Attorney Tim Freilichhas recently returned to Charlottesville torebuild VJC’s farmworker advocacy programand to expand VJC’s statewide advocacyefforts in support of Virginia’s immigrantsand comprehensive immigration reform.

“After advocating on behalf of Virginia’simmigrant workers for so many years, it’sbeen inspirational to see the immigrantcommunities of Virginia discover their ownpower and voice in the last several months,”

said Freilich. “Virginia is dependent on low-wage immigrant workers to do the toughest,lowest-paid jobs in the state. We need com-prehensive immigration reform that recog-nizes and honors their contributions to oureconomy.”

Freilich is replaced in Northern Virginia byLaura Stack, an experienced attorney andimmigrant advocate. Stack joins the VJCafter several years of advocacy on behalf offarmworkers in Maryland and Delaware.

LAJC OFFICES

1000 Preston AvenueSuite ACharlottesville, VA 22903(434) 977-05531-800-578-8111

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info@justice4all.orgwww.justice4all.org

The Legal Aid Justice Center is the recipient of three fully funded public interest law fellow-ships that will bring three bright, young attorneys to bolster our already talented staff.Charisa Smith, Erin Trodden, and Seok H. “Daniel” Choi will join the Legal Aid Justice Centerthis fall.

“I’m not sure that any legal aid program in the country has landed three of these fellowshipsin one year,” said Executive Director Alex Gulotta. “It is a testament to the work that we aredoing that we would attract these extraordinary young attorneys.”

Charisa Smith will work for the JustChildren program in Richmond and will help ensure chil-dren released from juvenile detention have access to education and mental health services.Smith graduated from the Yale Law School in 2005 and will be supported by the ArthurLiman Program. Her salary will be covered for one year. She is currently clerking for a federaljudge in New Jersey.

A 2005 graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, Erin Trodden will reach out tothe hard-working immigrants in the greater Charlottesville area, who are often doing some ofthe toughest and lowest-paying jobs. Trodden received the Skadden Fellowship and currentlyclerks for Judge Norman K. Moon in U.S. District Court in Lynchburg. She will be connectingwith “settled out” immigrants who are raising families in our area.

Seok H. “Daniel” Choi will join our Northern Virginia office and will put his diverse languageskills to an important use. Choi is fluent in both Korean and Spanish and will work to bridgethe gap between Spanish-speaking workers and Korean-speaking business owners and man-agers. Choi was graduated from New York University Law School this spring and will be sponsored by a two-year Equal Justice Works fellowship.

“These three fellows are truly a blessing to the Legal Aid Justice Center and Virginia’s mostvulnerable families,” said Gulotta.

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