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July 16, 2008 - UR Downtown will serve as a hub of community-based service, learning, research and collaboration with nonprofit and government partners. The downtown campus, located at 626 East Broad Street, will focus on serving Richmond families through three programs: the Richmond Families Initiative, the Center for Pro Bono Service, and the Family Law Clinic.
The goal of UR Downtown is to address pressing community needs through a combination of pro bono legal services provided by law students and attorneys and community-based learning, service and research by undergraduates and faculty. UR will institute rigorous academic assessment of the programs' effectiveness.
UR Downtown springs from collaborations across the university and with community partners. The University of Richmond School of Law and the Bonner Center for Civic Engagement jointly developed the plan to create a centrally located space that allows for engaged, practical education that helps to meet the needs of underserved citizens.
"University of Richmond Downtown is an exciting and vital expansion of our local partnerships," said Edward L. Ayers, president of UR. "Having a space downtown allows the whole university to offer programs and build on our connections with alumni and other local citizens and leaders. The initiative is a wonderful collaboration among the university's academic programs, generous supporters and long-time allies in the community."
UR Downtown will be located in an historic building formerly known as Franklin Federal Savings & Loan, across from the National Theater and the new federal courthouse. The renovation and use of this prime location has been generously provided by the Wilton Companies. This renovation will be certified by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) as a green building with minimal environmental impact. Rich Johnson, president and CEO of the Wilton Companies and a Richmond trustee, said, "We are pleased to be able to support UR's efforts to enable its students and faculty to use its resources to serve our community."
The Richmond Families Initiative (RFI) builds partnerships with agencies working to empower families in the city. The RFI recognizes the importance of addressing the range of issues that can interfere with effective family functioning. Under the leadership of program manager Judy Mejia of the Bonner Center, faculty members and their undergraduate students will conduct research and analyze programs run by local agencies to support metro area families. These agencies will use this information to enhance their effectiveness and develop new programs. In turn, undergraduates will learn from the experience of agency leaders and their clients.
"The university aims to share intellectual resources to support our community partners," said Douglas A. Hicks, executive director of the Bonner Center. "In the big picture, our common work aspires to improve the quality of life for Richmond's citizens."
The Harry L. Carrico Center for Pro Bono Service pairs local attorneys and UR law students to provide legal help to clients. As part of the Richmond Families Initiative, this center will provide legal services to low income clients who are victims of domestic violence seeking protective orders or those seeking a no-fault divorce. "We are pleased to be working with our community partners including the YWCA of Greater Richmond, the Central Virginia Legal Aid Society, the Richmond Bar Association, and the Virginia Bar Association's Young Lawyer's Division. These programs also allow us to draw from the strong network of Law School alumni and other attorneys practicing in the Richmond region," said Richmond Law professor Tara L. Casey, who directs the pro bono center.
The Family Law Clinic is a multidisciplinary project of the Law School's National Center for Family Law and Virginia Commonwealth University. It expands the Law School's clinical model-educating law students through mentored service to clients-in a downtown location. The clinic will be directed by Richmond Law professor Dale Margolin, who will develop and teach the initial family law clinic. Under professor Margolin's supervision, up to ten law students per year will represent clients. Graduate students in social work and psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University will work alongside the UR students and faculty to ensure that clients gain access to psychological care, counseling and social work services. The law clinic has been supported by a generous grant from the Lipman Foundation.
"This is the Law School's first multidisciplinary clinic, and it will give students the opportunity to be trained with the other professionals who often play a pivotal role in family law matters," said Law School Dean John Douglass. "We are grateful to the generous donors who have made it possible for us to provide these essential services for our neighbors, and we look forward to being part of the university's still deeper engagement in the city and the region through UR Downtown."