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The Virginia Supreme Court’s Access to Justice Commission is holding an open forum today, Wednesday, Nov. 20, starting at 5 p.m. at the administrative building of Lexington City Schools.
The goal is to engage directly with the public and with persons and public and private entities (including legal aid and social service organizations) that provide critical services to Virginia’s poor and vulnerable residents Five years ago, the commission was ready to embark on a listening tour across the Commonwealth designed to receive feedback from our communities regarding obstacles to accessing legal services and barriers to the administration of justice, but then Covid struck, and the tour was postponed indefinitely.
The commission revived the initiative and has held seven listening sessions this fall in an informal livestreamed town-hall format in the Northern Neck and on the Eastern Shore and in Danville, Windsor, Abingdon, Grundy and Woodstock.
These sessions have been conducted jointly with the Virginia State Bar’s Entry, Growth, and Distribution of Virginia Attorneys Committee, which is studying “legal deserts” and related issues. Members of the commission and the bar committee attend each forum. The information gathered will be used to create reports to present to the full commission and the bar for review, comment and, as appropriate, action.
Advance registration is encouraged but by no means required. There will be light refreshments.
For more information, call Andrea Bridgeman at (703) 216-9310 or send email to [email protected].
