AUSTIN,
Texas The Texas Access to Justice Commission,
the Texas Access to Justice Foundation and Texas legal aid service providers are joining
a national effort to highlight the increasing need to
expand access to justice through pro bono civil legal
services. Texas Pro Bono Week will be recognized
throughout the state from Monday, Oct. 25, through
Friday, Oct. 29, with free legal aid clinics and other
events.
“As more Texans qualify for legal
aid, it is important that we recognize attorneys who
provide pro bono legal services, and encourage other
lawyers to help fill the gap between available legal aid
services and the need for additional help for indigent
Texans with civil legal issues.” Texas Supreme Court
Justice Nathan L. Hecht, the Court’s liaison for access
to justice issues, said. “Especially in the current
economy, the amount of time and resources that are
dedicated to pro bono cases by hard-working attorneys
throughout the state is admirable,”
According to a survey by the
University of North Texas Survey Research Center, Texas
lawyers contributed roughly $13.17 million to $15.06
million in out-of-pocket expenses related to legal
services to the poor in 2009. The survey also found that
a total of 2.24 million to 2.56 million hours of free
legal or indirect services to the poor were provided by
Texas
lawyers. Even so, there is a large unmet need:
It is estimated that there is only one legal aid
lawyer for every 10,838 Texans who qualify for legal
aid.
For some attorneys, the
gratification of helping someone in need is reason
enough to provide pro bono services. Donald Johnston, an
attorney in private practice in
Sherman, has been volunteering with Legal Aid
of NorthWest Texas since before 1987 when the
Grayson County legal aid clinic was founded. He
has been named Pro Bono Attorney of the Year numerous
times with over 100 hours of service each year. “Other
avenues for community service do not compare with
helping a client in need. When that ‘need’ has a face,
the inclination to volunteer becomes a passion,” Johnson
said. “I encourage other attorneys to become active in
pro bono work with the hope that they too find their
passion to help Texans in need.”
Texas Pro Bono Week launches with a
Supreme Court of Texas luncheon hosted by the Texas
Access to Justice Foundation and Justice Nathan L. Hecht
on Monday, Oct. 25, that will provide a report on the
current state of the legal aid system in Texas. Other events planned across the state
include the 5th Annual Pro Bono Awards Event
hosted by Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas in
Midland, the Community Justice Program
Divorce Clinic hosted by Texas RioGrande Legal Aid in Brownsville, and the Pro Bono Awards hosted by
the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program. A complete list
of Texas events can be found by visiting:
www.probono.net/celebrateprobono/events/location.2010-10-01.Texas.
Videos of client and lawyer pro bono stories can be
found at:
http://texasbar.informz.net/texasbar/archives/archive_955568.html
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The Texas Access to Justice Commission was created in 2001 by the
Supreme Court of Texas to develop and implement policy
initiatives designed to expand access to and enhance the
quality of justice in civil legal matters for low-income
Texans. The Commission has created several initiatives
to increase resources and awareness of legal aid. For
more information, please visit
www.texasatj.org.
The created by the Supreme Court of Texas in 1984, is the
primary state-based funding source for the provision of
civil legal aid in Texas. The organization is committed
to the vision that all Texans will have equal access to
justice, regardless of their income. The Foundation
administers a variety of funding sources, which are
earmarked to assist nonprofit organizations in providing
legal aid to approximately 100,000 Texans each year.
