little about the Mountain State and the
motto montani semper liberi. We have
now lived here for six years, and we are
thrilled to call this beautiful state home.”
In her role today as the director of
the LUSD clinic at WVU, Garvey over-
sees activities to support the clinic’s
land use planning, land conservation,
flood recovery, dilapidated building
and wastewater projects. She supervises
a team of six attorneys, two certified
land use planners and up to 12 third-
year law students who work on projects
serving more than 50 local government
and nonprofit clients.
“I couldn’t be more proud of the team
we have built at the land use clinic,” she
says. “The core values, work ethic and
character of the people in our office are
beyond compare. The dedicated folks
in our office share the work load, travel
burden and supervision responsibilities.
We would not have accomplished all we
have accomplished in such a short amount
of time without such an amazing group
firing on all cylinders.”
The clinic is an asset to West Virginia,
helping many communities and govern-
ments throughout the state plan for the
future and helping each area overcome
challenges and maintain certain resourc-
es. The clinic is also an asset for WVU
College of Law students.
“As a clinical program, the greatest
value to students is the ability to apply
legal knowledge in a real-world context,”
says Garvey. “Students attend and par-
ticipate in client interviews, negotiations
and public meetings and are also intro-
duced to the substantive law and policy
pertaining to land use, water conservation
and protection, land use planning and
sustainable development principles. In
addition to professional skills, I hope stu-
dents develop an appreciation for public
interest work.”
It is evident that Garvey is committed
to helping communities around the world
through pro bono work. She has dedi-
cated most of her time to organizations
that support clean water initiatives or the
alleviation of poverty, and she serves on
several boards, including the board for
the Northern West Virginia Brownfields
Assistance Center. She is the co-founder
of the West Virginia Alternative Waste-
water Treatment Coalition and was
also recently appointed to the board of
the Center for Community Progress, a
national nonprofit.
“This organization is the only non-
profit specifically dedicated to building
a future in which vacant, abandoned and
deteriorated properties no longer exist,”
she says. “Although the organization has
typically worked in urban environments,
it is expanding its efforts to rural envi-
ronments close to my heart,” she says.
Although she is not a native of West
Virginia, Garvey is a true Mountaineer.
When fellow West Virginians in the
southern part of the state were in need
of help after the devastating June 2016
flood, she and the LUSD clinic answered
the call.
“After the flood, the land use clinic was
approached by several local governments
to assist in long-term recovery efforts,”
she says. “We had been working in the
City of Richwood on a comprehensive
plan that was adopted only days before
the flood. Our primary work has been
Nathan Fetty, Dean Gregory Bowman, Garvey and Jared Anderson
receive keys to the City of Richwood for their flood recovery efforts.
Photo by Chelsi Baker.
Garvey, Priya Baskaran, Allison
Eckman and Dan Eades during a
flood recovery visit to Rainelle, WV.
assistance in long-term planning and
assistance with property law matters.”
The LUSD clinic has since continued
efforts to support communities impacted
by the summer floods of 2016 and 2017,
including developing comprehensive plans
for the City of White Sulphur Springs
and the Town of Clendenin and render-
ing various legal services on behalf of the
Town of Hundred, the City of Richwood
and the Appalachia Service Project for
flood-impacted properties in Rainelle.
Under Garvey’s direction, the LUSD
clinic has helped many other communi-
ties and governments and achieved much
success over the last six years, such as
protecting over 15,000 acres of iconic
West Virginia landscape, facilitating more
than 500 public meetings to encourage
stakeholder engagement in local planning
efforts and training 87 students in real
estate and land use law.
“Working with over 50 local govern-
ments, we have an opportunity to travel
across the beautiful state of West Vir-
ginia,” she says. “Every community is
different, but we consistently hear about
Mountaineer pride, community parks,
natural features and historic gems. I love
introducing my family and friends to these
special places.”
There is no threat of Garvey’s work in
public interest going stagnant, thanks to
the inspiration she finds in those around
her, including her father, who taught her
to work hard and take risks. She also finds
motivation in the students and volunteers
she works with on a daily basis.
“I am constantly inspired by the stu-
dents and AmeriCorps VISTA volunteers
who work in our office,” she says. “Our
clinic works on some of the most chal-
lenging issues faced by communities in
the U.S. Their optimism helps challeng-
ing work seem less daunting.”
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