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Legal Directory

Virginia Poverty Law Center

  • Location:
    919 East Main Street
    Suite 610
    Richmond, VA 23219
  • Phone:
    804-351-5256
  • Toll-free:
    1-800-868-8752
  • Fax:
    (804) 649-0974
  • Contact methods:
    Phone calls, Email via Daynee Rosales, Daynee@vplc.org, to conduct an intake or obtain an intake form to complete
  • Appointments accepted:
    Yes

Virginia Poverty Law Center (VPLC) provides leadership, support, training, public education, and advocacy to address the civil legal needs of Virginia's low-income population. Our legal staff specializes in areas of law that affect low-income Virginians. Through training and communications we educate others about the legal rights of the poor and identify and address systemic problems and issues. We work collaboratively with Virginia's Legal Aid community, executive agencies, legislative bodies, and other organizations and stakeholders to represent the interests of low-income Virginians. Susheela Varky, the Staff Attorney who focuses on domestic and sexual violence, established the Legal
Assistance to Victim-Immigrants of Domestic Abuse (LA VIDA) program for eligible low-income, undocumented or under-documented immigrant victims of domestic or sexual violence in 2009. The LA VIDA Team conducts intakes to determine if immigrant domestic and sexual violence survivors qualify for visas, especially U visas, VAWA Self-Petitions, Removal of Conditions for Battered Spouses, or T visas (and associated LPR applications). Completing an intake does not guarantee eligibility for a visa or any other immigration petition nor does it guarantee free legal representation. That said, LA VIDA prepares and submits visa applications for eligible clients and connects other victims with attorneys and  professionals who can help them with appropriate immigration petitions.

State served: Virginia

Services Provided

Are immigration legal services provided? Yes
Areas of immigration legal assistance: Adjustment of Status, Employment authorization, T visas, U visas, Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) petitions
Types of immigration legal services provided: Help completing forms, Filings with USCIS
Non-legal services: Legislative advocacy (state or national)
Populations served: Domestic Violence Victims
Languages spoken: English, Spanish
Access to a commercial interpreting service or language bank: Yes
Nominal fee charged? No
Other information: Services are available for low-income victims of domestic or sexual violence who have completed a VPLC clinic intake that has been reviewed and approved for further action. Legal advice is also given over the phone.

Staffing Information

Number of attorneys on staff: 2
Is organization BIA recognized? No
Number of fully accredited BIA representatives on staff: 0
Number of partially accredited BIA representatives on staff: 0
Number of paralegals/legal workers on staff: 1

Additional Details

Pro Bono opportunities? Yes
Network affiliations: American Immigration Lawyers Association, Asista, Immigration Advocates Network

Administrative Information

Contact Person:
Susheela Varky
(804) 351-5274
Executive Director:
James (Jay) W. Speer
(804) 351-5268
Last contact date: August 8, 2018
Administrator comments: 1/10/13: tickler Updated: 3/28/14 3/10/15: tickler 6/27/16: phone 08 Aug 2018: UTD
IAN Members? No
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