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News Release
Texas Access to Justice Foundation Richard Tate honored with Kleinman Award
AUSTIN, Texas––The
Texas Access to Justice Foundation (TAJF) celebrated 35 years with a special
event featuring renowned author John Grisham at the Fairmont Austin on
October 25.
Grisham practiced
law for a decade and served in the Mississippi House of Representatives
before his success as a best-selling author. He is a strong believer in the
importance of legal aid based on his own experiences seeing the difference
having a lawyer can make in people’s lives. He is also on the Leaders
Council of the Legal Services Corporation, an independent nonprofit
established by Congress in 1974 to provide financial support for civil legal
aid to low-income Americans. “My parents instilled in me that every person is entitled to the same dignity and respect and I’ve used that as guide in helping those less fortunate obtain a ccess to a lawyer,” Tate said. “Legal aid plays a crucial role in ensuring that vulnerable Texans have access to justice to meet their basic civil legal needs.” Former Texas Supreme Court Chief Justices Wallace B. Jefferson and Thomas R. Phillips were honorary co-hosts. Other event co-hosts included former Texas Supreme Court Justice Deborah Hankinson, Denise Scofield, Travis Torrence, Carlos Zaffirini, Jr. and Tate. Since TAJF’s creation, nearly $770 million has been granted by TAJF to legal aid organizations across Texas. With support from TAJF grants, nonprofit organizations throughout the state provide free or low-cost legal services for veterans, victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, the disabled, and others who are vulnerable.
The Texas Access to
Justice Foundation (www.teajf.org), created by the Supreme Court of
Texas in 1984, is the leading 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
more than 150,000 Texas families each year.
Contact: Kimberly Schmitt512-320-0099, ext. 104 kschmitt@teajf.org
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