On behalf of the Legal Services Corporation of Virginia (LSCV) and the Virginia State Bar, please find enclosed our report on the activities of Virginia’s legal aid programs for FY 2021-2022.

We are very grateful for the support of the General Assembly in our efforts to make our legal system available to all Virginians regardless of their ability to pay. We look forward to continuing to work with you in pursuit of justice for all Virginians.

Virginia’s state-funded legal aid programs generated an exceptional $977 million in economic benefits for Virginia’s low-income populations this year. This amount includes $900 million in unemployment benefits, $7 million in child support, and $9 million in social security benefits.

Our legal aid programs won these benefits through the provision of essential, high-quality legal assistance to low-income Virginians still struggling through the ongoing challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic continued to exacerbate the problems of the poor, confronting them with the threat of eviction, foreclosure, unemployment, domestic violence, school closures, and healthcare restrictions. Our legal aid offices focused on the most vulnerable - children and the elderly - in their efforts to help people through this pandemic.

This report provides data on the over 29,000 cases closed by the nine LSCV programs and statewide resource center, operating out of 35 offices covering every city and county in the Commonwealth. The work on these cases benefited hundreds of thousands of Virginians. Additionally, in response to the ongoing pandemic-related eviction crisis and other housing stability issues, legal aid programs closed more than 11,500 housing cases in FY 2021-2022, a 53% increase in case service over the prior year.

You will also find examples of other work that does not get captured in the statistics, including community education and other outreach work done by staff in their local communities. Also included are some examples of cases handled for low-income Virginians and the economic benefits inuring to our citizens as a result of their representation by LSCV funded programs.

Yours truly,

Mark D. Braley, Esquire, Executive Director, Legal Services Corporation of Virginia
Cameron Rountree, Esquire, Executive Director, Virginia State Bar