University of Richmond School of Law professor wins family advocacy award
September 16, 2009
Dale Margolin, University of Richmond School of Law assistant professor and director of the Jeanette Lipman Family Law Clinic, was awarded the “FACES Empowerment Award” for her dedication to the empowerment of youth aging out of foster care, the education of the community through the Greater Richmond Housing Summit, and her continued efforts to represent youth through the clinic.
FACES of Virginia (Family Advocacy, Collaboration, Empowerment and Support) is a nonprofit organization for foster, adoptive and kinship families and others who support FACES’ advocacy efforts across Virginia.
Margolin directs the Family Law Clinic at the University of Richmond Downtown office at 626 East Broad Street. The clinic provides legal assistance to families and children in the city of Richmond. She supervises Richmond Law students as they represent clients dealing with issues such as abuse and neglect, divorce, custody, children in need of supervision/services, public benefits, housing and domestic violence. The clinic partners with FACES to obtain referrals of youth and families who need legal representation and to educate the community about issues such as affordable housing.
FACES provides a united voice for children, youth and families involved in foster, adoptive and kinship care so all children and youth are treated with dignity, respect and equality.
At a ceremony in Williamsburg, Va., on Sept. 11, Cate Newbanks, executive director of FACES, presented Margolin with the award, which recognizes the efforts of the law school and the university to both enrich the experiences of its students and engage and serve the community.
The FACES award recognizes Professor Margolin for her skill, her innovation and her compassion as an advocate for Richmond’s children and youth,” said Richmond Law dean John Douglass. “She has built a family law clinic where the next generation of lawyers and social workers can learn together while offering services that clients can’t find anywhere else. Her work demonstrates how much can be accomplished when professional training and community service go hand in hand.
Margolin said, “this award is extraordinarily meaningful to me because my entire legal career has been dedicated to the plight of youth aging out of foster care. One of my goals in opening the University of Richmond Family Law Clinic was to address the needs of young people and underserved families in Richmond, and I am thrilled that my students and I have begun to accomplish this in the six months that the clinic has been open. None of our work would have been possible without the remarkable support of the law school, the Jeanette Lipman Foundation and the university.”
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Roberta Oster Sachs
Associate Dean for External Relations
University of Richmond School of Law
E-mail: rsachs@richmond.edu
Phone: 804-287-1855
Linda Evans
Assistant Director of Media & Public Relations
University of Richmond
E-mail: levans2@richmond.edu
Phone: 804-289-8056