Legal Aid
Generational inequality led this Richmond Law alum to a career in breaking barriers
When Rachael Deane, L’10, set out to be a lawyer, she had a singular motivation: She wanted to make the world a better place. How? That’s what law school would show her.
In her third year at University of Richmond School of Law, Deane had the opportunity to work with organizations representing clients in special education and housing cases. This felt like a tangible way to make a difference — a way she continued to hone after graduation.
“No one should have to choose between caring for a child and their paycheck.”
Through Deane’s career in legal aid and fair housing, she noticed a pattern in the barriers her clients faced. These themes were rooted in generations of poverty, unequal opportunity, and systemic inequities. Drawing on her core motivation to improve the world, Deane pivoted from a career that helped a single family at a time to one that affected the policies that created her clients’ recurring barriers.
“I wanted to focus on systemic policy change,” she says. “To make the most impact, we need to change the groundwater.”
Deane’s pivot led her to become the CEO of Voices for Virginia’s Children, a statewide nonprofit that works to shift public policy and legislation for the positive and equitable benefit of young people. Its advocacy efforts target education, childcare, health, and economic security.
A recent Voices victory came last spring, when it led Virginia to establish the Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program, the first Southern state with such legislation.
“No one should have to choose between caring for a child and their paycheck,” Deane says.
Since her days at Richmond Law, Deane has felt strongly that it’s a privilege to be a lawyer. She believes it’s her duty to put her legal training to work and make Virginia a better place for kids and families.
“Economic policy is child policy and vice versa,” Deane says. “We need to have economically strong families in order to raise strong and vibrant kids.”