The South Royalton Legal Clinic at VLGS
Overview
The South Royalton Legal Clinic (SRLC) serves Vermont residents who are unable to afford counsel and need assistance with issues pertaining to Family Law and Veterans. Please see the flow chart below to see if we can assist you.
Working under state and federal student practice rules, approximately 40 Vermont Law and Graduate School student clinicians and work-study students help to represent clients in over 150 court, administrative, and other appearances per year. The clinic has trained many leading legal service providers in Vermont.
Under the guidance of experienced staff attorneys, VLGS students represent clients in state and federal court, as well as administrative hearings. They develop cases from start to finish. This includes interviewing and counseling clients, conducting research via discovery, negotiations, and case and statutory analysis, writing briefs and motions, and preparing for and presenting at trial or hearing. SRLC students have also been involved in Vermont Supreme Court and U.S. District Court cases that have set precedents or clarified important points of law.
Projects
Children First! (CF!) Legal Advocacy Project
This project was formed in 2000 as a result of a report issued by the statewide Commission on the Future of Vermont’s Justice System, which highlighted the need for qualified attorneys to represent children in high-conflict proceedings involving divorce and parenting. Children First! provides legal representation to children caught up in particularly difficult and contentious disputes in family court (divorce, post-judgment, parentage, etc.) and probate court (guardianships). Though all of the clients in Children First! cases are juveniles that are represented by court appointment only, SRLC attorneys and clinicians also in effect assist parents and guardians involved in these cases to refocus their parenting and their involvement in their children’s lives. In this way, the SRLC helps adults assume appropriate parental responsibility for children in terms of their housing, employment, household finances, and education.
Domestic Violence (DV) Project
The Domestic Violence project began in 1997 and provides legal representation to address the legal needs of Vermont victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in final relief from abuse proceedings primarily in Windsor and Orange counties. This project serves as a no-cost resource to survivors of domestic violence, individuals and families that would not otherwise be able to access legal services. The project also provides training to domestic violence and rape crisis advocates.
Veterans Legal Assistance Project (VLAP) of Vermont
VLAP was established in 2014 to provide pro bono legal assistance to Vermont’s military veteran population. The project represents veterans with state civil law issues in Windsor and Orange counties, as well as on a statewide basis in matters concerning veterans law-specific issues, such as appeals from the denial of VA benefits and discharge upgrades. VLAP also assists veterans with debtor issues such as bankruptcy relief, foreclosure defense, and consumer protection. Through ongoing outreach to community partners, VLAP continues to develop awareness of veterans’ needs and advocate for adequate services.
Additionally, The South Royalton Legal Clinic provides assistance to low-income residents of Windsor and Orange Counties by offering legal information on a variety of civil issues. Types of cases include family matters (divorce; separation; parentage; child support); representation of juveniles committed to state custody as Children in Need of Services (CHINS); landlord/tenant law; bankruptcy and consumer matters; wills and guardianships; and family law assistance to prisoners.
Caseload, Student Enrollment, and Case Statistics
During the past 39 years, thousands low-income and unemployed clients have had their essential legal needs served through the South Royalton Legal Clinic by over 1,000 motivated law students. Annually, the clinic provides an estimated $1.5 million in free legal services to Vermonters. As one of Vermont’s three major providers of civil legal services, the clinic has become an essential part of resource delivery throughout the state. The SRLC works collaboratively with many other service providers, including Vermont Legal Aid, Legal Services Law Line of Vermont, Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Assault, The University of Vermont, and Have Justice Will Travel.
The SRLC has represented clients in the following courts: Vermont Superior Court; Windsor, Washington and Orange Family Divisions; Vermont Superior Court, Windsor Civil Division; Vermont Superior Court, Washington and Windsor Probate Divisions; Office of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in St. Albans, VT and Boston, MA; as well as the Offices of Vermont Department for Children and Families (DCF) in White River Jct.
Who We Are
Donald Hayes
- Staff Attorney
- Director, Vermont Veterans Legal Assistance Project
- Director, General Practice Program (GPP)
Mary Mason
- Visiting Assistant Professor
Brett Stokes
- Visiting Professor of Law / Staff Attorney
Candis Darcey
- Office Assistant
Amanda Murphy
- Program Coordinator
Contact Us
If you have questions about the South Royalton Legal Clinic at Vermont Law School and how we might assist you, you are welcome to contact us at the following:
Phone: 802-831-1500
Fax: 802-831-1115
Email: [email protected]
Or through Mail:
South Royalton Legal Clinic
PO Box 117
South Royalton, VT 05068
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