Access To Justice Commission Update

Three Ways to Give This Season
By: Benet Magnuson

It’s the season for giving, and your pro bono service is needed now more than ever. This has been an incredibly difficult year for low-income families. With unemployment doubling in the past few years, 1.8 million children in Texas—one in four—now live in poverty. With families across Texas struggling to make it through this holiday season, your pro bono service is a profound gift – and one only you, as an attorney, can give.

If you decide to volunteer, here are three quick ways to get started now:

1. Take a case from your local legal aid office here. (If you’re not already a member of TexasLawyersHelp.org, you can sign up for free here.) Limited resources force legal aid offices in Texas to turn away half of all qualified clients who come to their door for help. Your pro bono service will mean one fewer family gets turned away this season.

2. Volunteer at a legal poverty organization here. These organizations serve the most vulnerable in your community, and they need attorneys like you to solve a wide range of legal problems. Whatever your practice area, your service can be a lifeline for these families.

3. TYLA’s new “Partnering for Pro Bono” program matches in-house counsel with law-firm lawyers to take pro bono cases from legal aid offices. If you’re in house or at a private practice, you can find a partner who matches your interests on the Partnering for Pro Bono website here. Mentors and mentees can receive up to five hours of CLE credit (including one hour ethics) through the State Bar’s mentorship program. Call Texas Lawyers Care at (800) 204-2222, ext. 1855 for more information.

There are many resources to support your pro bono work at legal aid offices and many other legal services organizations. These resources include malpractice insurance through the State Bar, a pre-screening of referred clients for financial eligibility and justiciability of claims, trainings, free CLEs, and mentorship. Contact Texas Lawyers Care at (800) 204-2222, ext. 1855 for more information about these resources, and please contact your legal services agency to verify the benefits you will receive as a volunteer.

This was a tough – very tough – year for low-income Texans. Your pro bono service can help these families have happy holidays and a happier new year.