The Richmond Community Legal Fund is a nonprofit legal collaborative that connects community members with legal resources, both legal representation and necessary funds for legal defense.

Why is this necessary? 

Federal assaults on the lives and civil liberties of working people are more severe than most of us have seen in our lifetimes. Undocumented and immigrant families are targeted by rapidly escalating raids. Students and teachers are fighting crackdowns on free speech. Trans youth and their families are losing access to care. Public sector workers face repression, cuts, and loss of their livelihood.

What happens next? 

All of us have watched with grief and rage as unjust and illegal policies threaten our daily lives. We are also fighting back—with hope and love for a more just future for all of us. Your donation to the RCLF will directly support urgent responses to community needs: training, legal representation, court fines and fees, and support with legal documentation.

How do I get services? 

Please submit a legal intake form! We will respond via email or phone as soon as possible.

Legal Intake Form (ENG)
‍Formulario de Admisión Legal

Who are we?

The day-to-day governance of the legal fund is handled by a volunteer board of six members: Charlie Schmidt - President, Kaylin Cecchini - Vice President, Michelle Perschbacher - Treasurer, Kristin Reed - Secretary, Leeya Wang - Communications & Outreach, and Jenna Gabriel - Fundraising.

RCLF acts as the fiscal sponsor for OjosRVA, an organization dedicated to the material support of working people affected by Immigration raids. Ojos volunteers canvass capital region communities, identify needs, fundraise, and make referrals for both legal support and family stabilization funds.

RCLF relies on the committed solidarity of our intake and outreach teams to accomplish a mountain of hard, but very necessary work. Here’s just some of what that entails in any given week:

  • legal intakes

  • translation work

  • case reviews

  • referrals

  • trainings & legal clinics

  • community outreach

  • payments

  • accounting

  • compliance

  • communications

  • policy education

  • event planning

  • yard & business sign delivery

  • fundraising

All told, the work of narrowing the justice gap in Richmond is done by over 30 volunteers who bring a wide range of expertise to our team.