Advancing Legal Aid in Virginia
Legal Services Corporation of Virginia (LSCV) was formed and incorporated in 1975 by the Virginia State Bar, the Virginia Department of Social Services, and the Virginia Legal Aid Association.
LSCV’s mission is to develop, fund, coordinate, and oversee the delivery of civil legal services to people living in poverty in Virginia. In fiscal year 2022, Virginia’s ten LSCV-funded programs closed more than 29,000 cases, benefiting 445,901 low-income individuals across the Commonwealth.
LSCV administers a loan repayment assistance program for Legal Aid lawyers, and also funds the Virginia Poverty Law Center, which serves as a statewide support center.
LSCV is funded through a state general revenue appropriation, a state filing fee appropriation, the Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts (IOLTA) program, private philanthropy, and corporate giving. Many LSCV-funded programs also receive direct funding through an array of other local, state, and federal sources, as well as through individual and corporate giving.
IOLTA for banks and attorneys
LSCV administers Virginia’s Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts (IOLTA) program, the proceeds of which fund civil legal services for people experiencing poverty.
With few exceptions, Virginia lawyers who receive client or third-party funds are required to place those funds in pooled, interest-bearing accounts at financial institutions participating in the IOLTA program. These banks then send the interest earned directly to LSCV to support civil legal aid for people living in poverty in Virginia.
LSCV celebrates the financial institutions that demonstrate their commitment to our communities by offering the most competitive interest rates on their IOLTA accounts. Visit our IOLTA page to see a list of our prime partner banks, and consider banking with these community-minded industry leaders. IOLTA support is critical to the work of Legal Aid in Virginia.
LSCV’s Annual Report to the Commonwealth provides an overview of the people Legal Aid helps and the nature of the legal needs being met. Legal aid assists low-income Virginia’s struggling with a range of challenges including elder abuse, financial exploitation and consumer fraud, predatory lending, foreclosure, divorce, access to education and other child issues, housing, unemployment, health and more. The report includes client stories, and outcomes achieved by Legal Aid for low-income Virginians.