Since its earliest days, VPLC has believed that a stronger legal aid community leads to greater access to justice. That belief took shape in November 1979, when VPLC hosted the first Annual Statewide Legal Aid Conference (ASC) in Skyland, Virginia, just fifteen months after the organization was founded. What began as an opportunity for legal aid attorneys to learn, collaborate, and address emerging challenges together has grown into a more than 45-year tradition of statewide education, connection, and shared purpose.
Today, that tradition continues.
Registration is now open for the 2026 Annual Statewide Legal Aid Conference, taking place October 14-16, 2026, at the Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hotel in Norfolk, Virginia. This year’s theme, “Making Waves, Going Beneath the Surface,” celebrates the strength, resilience, and impact of Virginia’s legal aid community. It is also a nod to Norfolk’s iconic mermaids and rich waterfront history.
ASC is the only statewide conference dedicated exclusively to poverty law and justice. The conference brings together attorneys, advocates, and community partners from across the Commonwealth for two-and-a-half days of training, networking, collaboration, and professional development. Attendees can expect dynamic sessions on civil legal aid, policy advocacy, legal technology, and community impact, with many sessions offering Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credit.
Attendees can expect dynamic sessions on civil legal aid, policy advocacy, legal technology, and community impact, with many sessions offering Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credit.
ASC’s place in VPLC history goes beyond training and collaboration, however. During the inaugural conference in 1979, VPLC staff member Greg Lucyk made the case for renaming the organization from the Virginia State Legal Aid Society Support Center to Virginia Poverty Law Center. The original name, commonly shortened to “VSLASSC,” had earned the nickname “The Big Pickle” because it sounded remarkably similar to “Vlasic Pickles” (and was quite the mouthful!). Conference attendees agreed that a new name better reflected the organization’s mission, and the change became official in January 1980.
More than 45 years later, ASC remains the premier opportunity for Virginia’s legal aid community to come together, exchange ideas, build relationships, and advance the work of expanding access to justice for low-income Virginians. Whether you’re a longtime member of the legal aid community or attending for the first time, we hope you’ll join us in Norfolk this October.
To learn more about this year’s conference and register, go to https://www.vplc.org/conference.
