In 2024, Legal Aid of WV (LAWV) celebrates an exciting milestone: the 15th anniversary or birthday of the launch of our statewide intake hotline, ATLAS, which stands for Access to Legal Aid Services.

In 2009, based on a recommendation by one of LAWV’s funders, the Legal Service Corporation, we launched ATLAS, a central intake hotline to provide accessible, reliable, and timely legal assistance to those in need. We wanted to ensure that no matter a person’s location, income, or circumstances, they had access to legal help—a lifeline that could guide them through difficult challenges and protect their rights. Previously, LAWV had relied on a patchwork of overstretched local office staff to answer phones and do complicated intakes.

To form ATLAS, LAWV researched and visited other intake programs and developed the ATLAS structure, placing the core of the intake paralegals in our Charleston office and developing local office protocols and intake manuals.

ATLAS officially launched for calls in 2009. The program originally started by answering calls regionally, eventually expanding statewide. We’ve made many changes to the intake system over the years, including the addition of our online application feature nearly a decade ago, in 2015. 

Due to some of the technology upgrades, we don’t have call data all the way back to 2009, but we know that since October 2017, ATLAS paralegals have completed over 100,000 calls. Averaged out over the full 15 years, it’s likely that in 15 years, paralegals have spoken to 214,275 callers (or nearly 15% of WV’s population)!

“This hotline has become much more than a number people can call; it has been a bridge, connecting individuals, local office advocates, partners, and communities to the legal support they need,” says Adrienne Worthy, LAWV’s executive director. “Through it, ATLAS has helped hundreds of thousands of people gain access to legal help.”

“We’ve come a long way, but we also recognize that our work is far from over,” says Christine Wallace, ATLAS supervising attorney. “The need for legal help in underserved communities is as great as ever. We must continue to innovate, expand, and adapt to meet the growing needs of the people we serve. Whether it’s through new technologies, enhanced outreach, or partnerships, we must push forward with the same passion that launched this hotline 15 years ago.”

Our Current ATLAS Staff
Christine Wallace, ATLAS Supervising Attorney,
Kate White, Access to Services Manager

Paralegals:
Cherie Taylor
Debbie Lucas
Kristina Harris
Jo Fitzwater
Karla Craddock
Juana Chacon
Ash Cowder
Kelly Elswick
Shaynen Jones

Attorneys:
Kenley Hanna
Abigail McDaniel
Maria Almase
Matt Hayes