Giving Back
ASSISTANCE FOR LOW INCOME AND DISADVANTAGED CLIENTS
Visit the websites below for organizations that can provide assistance to low income and disadvantaged clients:
Texas Law Help
Texas Lawyers Help
IOLTA PRIME PARTNERS
Latest Updates and List
Texas Access to Justice Foundation Handout
PRO BONO COMMITTEE
The pro bono committee’s mission is to promote equal access to justice by using volunteer skills and the financial resources of the Litigation Section to support pro bono services. Among other things, the committee oversees Section Members who provide case staffing for local and regional pro bono programs, selects recipients of the Litigation Section Annual Summer Internship Program (awarded to five pro bono providers), and awards four pro bono scholarships to the Annual Litigation Update seminar. The pro bono committee serves the Litigation Section and its members who cumulatively devote substantial volunteer time and money to assist underprivileged Texans.
ACCESS TO JUSTICE PRO BONO SERVICE AWARD
The Texas Access to Justice Commission created the ATJ Pro Bono Service Award to recognize State Bar sections and local bar organizations that create self-sustaining pro bono projects that motivate lawyers to provide pro bono legal assistance to poor Texans. The award is given to three organizations, each of which is representative of a particular size category - either as a large, medium, or small organization. Each of the recipients was presented with $1,000 to sustain their pro bono programs. The winners this year were the SBOT Litigation Section (large-sized recipient), the SBOT Appellate Section (medium-sized recipient), and the Smith County Bar Association (small-sized recipient).
By supporting law students who intern at legal aid providers through the Litigation Section’s Annual Summer Internship Program and awarding scholarships to legal aid attorneys so that they can attend the Annual Litigation Update Seminar, the Litigation Section’s Pro Bono Committee also actively encourages its members to participate in local pro bono programs.
This year the Award went to Carlos Cardenas (C) and was presented to him by Justice Nathan Hecht (L) and the Honorable Ken Wise (R):
