Texas Lawyers for Texas Veterans

Bar Organizations Across the State Promote Texas Lawyers for Texas Veterans
By: Kristy Sims Piazza

In commemoration of Veterans Day, bar organizations across the state held events promoting the Texas Lawyers for Texas Veterans project (TLTV). On November 11th, members of TYLA and the State Bar participated in the Veterans Day Parade held in Dallas. Participants in the parade included State Bar President Terry Tottenham and TYLA President Jennifer Morris. To promote the Texas Lawyers for Texas Veterans project (TLTV), participants handed out informational resource guides to all veterans in attendance and their families. The parade was a big success in getting information out to veterans!

Also throughout the month of November, local bar associations hosted numerous veterans clinics to promote the initiative. The clinics were a great success! Statewide, over 250 attorneys volunteered to serve more than 500 veterans. The Jefferson County Bar Association had a huge impact, with thirty volunteers helping 101 veterans. The El Paso Bar Association’s event also generated a big turnout with thirty-seven volunteers and seventy-four veterans. The Bell County Bar Association’s clinic (led by young lawyer Savannah Meyer!) had twenty-seven volunteer attorneys and fourteen paralegal volunteers, and served forty veterans. In addition, the Hidalgo County Bar Association conducted a wills clinic on Veterans Day and helped fifty veterans draft wills and answered questions about other estate planning issues.

The local bar associations involved in the initiative included:

Austin Bar Association

Bastrop County Bar Association

Bell County Bar Association/Bell County Young Lawyers Association

Dallas Bar Association/Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program

Dallas Asian American Bar Association/Dallas Hispanic Bar Association/J.L. Turner Legal Association

Denton County Bar Association/Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas

El Paso Bar Association/El Paso Lawyers for Patriots

Fort Bend Lawyers Care

Galveston County Bar Association/Galveston County Young Lawyers Association

Hidalgo County Bar Association

Houston Bar Association/Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program

Jefferson County Bar Association

Lubbock County Bar Association/Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas

Midland, Ector, Howard, and Trans-Pecos County Bar Associations/Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas and Texas RioGrande Legal Aid

Midland County Young Lawyers Association/Midland County Bar/Congressman Mike Conaway/Judge Rob Junell

Northeast Harris County Bar Association

San Antonio Bar Association/Community Justice Program

Tarrant County Bar Association

There is still time to get involved in serving our veterans. Other events that are scheduled to be held in the upcoming months include a clinic co-hosted by the Midland Young Lawyers Association that will be held on November 30th at the Midland Federal Courthouse. The Brazos County Bar Association will hold a veterans benefits fair and legal clinic on January 15th at the VFW Post #4692 in Bryan. In addition, the Frisco Bar Association, Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas in Johnson and Parker Counties, and the San Angelo Bar Association are all planning clinics to be held in 2011.

If you are interested in getting your local bar association of affiliate involved in this initiative, visit www.texasbar.com/veterans. Now is the time to help serve our veterans!