2021-01-22 05:53:42
Letter to the Editor
I read with interest your December issue on the importance of local bar associations. As many Virginia Lawyer readers may already know, my mother, Rosalie Small, passed away in September 2020. For 15 years, starting in the late 1970s, Rosie was Executive Director of the Fairfax Bar Association, helping to make that organization into one of the most important small bars in the country.
She wasn’t an attorney, and, thus, wasn’t a member of the VSB. Still, I believe that many VSB members owe so much to people like Rosie, who are the unsung workers for many bars across the Commonwealth.
J. Max Weintraub Senior Litigation Counsel United States Department of Justice
In Response to “Help Bring Justice for All to Rural Virginia”
Regarding your article in the Virginia Lawyer entitled “Help Bring Justice For All To Rural Virginia”. As you mentioned in the article, there is a dearth of lawyers in rural areas. That is especially true in the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula counties where I practice. It seems that fewer lawyers want to practice in rural areas now. And consequently, there are fewer lawyers willing to take on pro bono matters.
Your article listed the number of lawyers by County. However, the numbers listed for the counties where I practice appear to be greater than the actual number of practicing lawyers in those counties. Those counties, with the number of actual, practicing lawyers (and the number in the article in parentheses) are:
Caroline - 8 (18)
Essex - 6 (13)
King and Queen - 1 (2)
King William - 5 (10)
Lancaster - 17 (43)
Middlesex - 8 (18)
Northumberland - 6 (21)
Richmond - 4 (4)
Westmoreland - 6 (19)
The total number of actively practicing lawyers is about 61 covering nine counties, whereas the total number of lawyers by county is about 148.
The difference is that many of those 148 lawyers are retired or not actively practicing, or are prosecutors or their assistants, personal injury firms, or may have a residence address in the county but do not practice in the area. By example, John Rellick is the managing attorney for the legal aid office (Legal Aid Works) in Tappahannock (Essex County), but he lives in King William, so he may have been counted twice as a practicing attorney.
Legal Aid Works in Tappahannock serves the counties of Essex, King William, King and Queen, Richmond, Lancaster, Northumberland, Westmoreland and has its headquarters in Fredericksburg. A survey in Essex County a few years ago pointed out that 70% of its residents received some form of public benefits, such as food stamps, rent assistance, income assistance (welfare), Social Security, etc.
Except for farming, timber, and housing construction, there is very little industry in the area and most jobs are low wage, entry-level, or service jobs. Accordingly, there is a greater need for legal representation among the low-income population, but, unfortunately, fewer rural lawyers to accommodate that need. The possibility of getting lawyers from metropolitan areas to assist with pro bono work in rural areas appears to be remote, though it would be welcome. The answer seems to be more government funding for more rural legal aid offices so they can hire more lawyers and more staff.
The pandemic has also adversely affected the area by causing many restaurants and small businesses to close or reduce employment, thereby causing further hardship on the low-income population.
The Legal Aid Works Office in Tappahannock is closed for office visits, and has been for many months, although it still takes telephone calls. I continue to work with them as much as possible, and also perform voluntary pro bono work for those clients unable to pay fees. The top three areas of that work are the same as those listed in your article, to-wit: divorce, landlord/tenant, wills and powers of attorney.
Herbert L. Sebren Jr. Tappahannock
Letters
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