FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Marlena Idrobo, midrobo@mlac.org

Boston, April 15 – The Civil Legal Aid for Victims of Crime Initiative received the 2022 Innovation Award from the Victim and Witness Assistance Board and the Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance as part of their 2022 Victim Rights Awards. 

CLAVC, administered by the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation and the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, helps victims of crime throughout Massachusetts with their related civil legal problems — including family law, housing, immigration, disability rights, child welfare, education, consumer, identity theft, employment rights and public benefits.

 “CLAVC advocates have had a lasting and meaningful impact on the lives of hundreds of people across the state that have been the unfortunate victims of crime,” said Lynne Parker, MLAC executive director, who accepted the award along with Jamie Sabino of MLRI, co-managing attorney of CLAVC, and Catherine Kay, of Community Legal Aid, CLAVC senior supervising attorney.

“The CLAVC Initiative truly was an innovative idea when it was launched five years ago,” Parker said. “CLAVC brought legal services organizations together in a new model and direction, where legal aid lawyers across the state work closely together as part of a virtual law firm serving victims of crime.”

The Innovation Award is one of a series of Victim Rights Awards presented during April, Victim Rights Month. “This April, we celebrate victim rights, equity, and access to services across the Commonwealth,” said MOVA Executive Director Liam Lowney. “The individuals we are honoring this month are tireless leaders that dedicate their time and effort toward upholding victim rights and ensuring survivors have access to information, resources, and equitable services each and every day.”

The CLAVC Initiative is supported by the Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance through a Victims of Crime Act of 1984 grant from the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. MOVA advocates for and assists victims of crime through survivor-informed policy development, fund administration, training, and individual assistance.

Nine CLAVC-funded civil legal aid organizations provide direct legal service:
• Community Legal Aid
• De Novo
• Greater Boston Legal Services
• MetroWest Legal Services
• Northeast Legal Aid
• South Coastal Counties Legal Services
• Children’s Law Center of Massachusetts
• Disability Law Center
• Victim Rights Law Center

VWAB and MOVA will present Victim Rights Awards throughout the month of April to victims, survivors, and providers who have made notable contributions to the victim services field.  

About MLAC 
The Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation is the largest funding source for civil legal aid organizations in Massachusetts. The Commonwealth established MLAC in 1983 to ensure that low-income people facing critical non-criminal legal issues would have access to legal information, advice, and representation.  For more info, please visit mlac.org.

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