TYLA Officers
   

Rebekah Steely Brooker, President
   

Dustin M. Howell, Chair
   

Sam Houston, Vice President
   

Baili B. Rhodes, Secretary
   

John W. Shaw, Treasurer
   

C. Barrett Thomas, President-elect
   

Priscilla D. Camacho, Chair-elect
   

Kristy Blanchard, Immediate Past President

TYLA Directors
   

Amanda A. Abraham, District 1
   

Sharesa Y. Alexander, Minority At-Large Director
   

Raymond J. Baeza, District 14
    Aaron J. Burke, District 5, Place 1
   

Aaron T. Capps, District 5, Place 2
   

D. Lance Currie, District 5, Place 3
   

Laura W. Docker, District 10, Place 1
    Andrew Dornburg, District 21
    John W. Ellis, District 8, Place 2
    Zeke Fortenberry, District 4
   

Bill Gardner, District 5, Place 4
   

Morgan L. Gaskin, District 6, Place 5
    Nick Guinn, District 18, Place 1
   

Adam C. Harden, District 6, Place 6
   

Amber L. James, District 17
   

Curtis W. Lucas, District 9
    Rudolph K. Metayer, District 8, Palce 1
   

Laura Pratt, District 3
    Sally Pretorius, District 8, Place 2
   

Baili B. Rhodes, District 2
   

Alex B. Roberts, District 6, Place 3
    Eduardo Romero, District 19
    Michelle P. Scheffler, District 6, Place 2
   

John W. Shaw, District 10, Place 2
    Nicole Soussan, District 6, Place 4
    L. Brook Stuntebeck, District 11
   

C. Barrett Thomas, District 15
    Judge Amanda N. Torres, Minority At-Large Director
   

Shannon Steel White, District 12
    Brandy Wingate Voss, District 13
    Veronica S. Wolfe, District 18, Place 2
   

Baylor Wortham, District 7
    Alex Yarbrough, District 16

   

Justice Paul W. Green, Supreme Court Liaison
   

Jenny Smith, Access To Justice Liaison
   

Brandon Crisp, ABA YLD District 25 Representative
   

Travis Patterson, ABA/YLD District 26 Representative
   

Assistant Dean Jill Nikirk, Law School Liaison
   

Belashia Wallace, Law Student Liaison

 

 
TYLA Office

Tracy Brown, Director of Administration
Bree Trevino, Project Coordinator
Michelle Palacios, Office Manager
General Questions: tyla@texasbar.com

Mailing Address

P.O. Box 12487, Capitol Station
Austin, Texas 78711-2487
(800) 204-2222 ext. 1529
FAX: (512) 427-4117

Street Address

1414 Colorado, 4th Floor
Austin, Texas 78701
(512) 427-1529

 

Views and opinions expressed in eNews are those of their authors and not necessarily those of the Texas Young Lawyers Association or the State Bar of Texas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Access To Justice Commission Update

Access To Justice Commission Update

Bank on Justice! Get your money in a Prime Partner bank
By:  Benet Magnuson

The State Bar Board of Directors adopted a resolution supporting the IOLTA Prime Partner Program. The Resolution encourages  Texas lawyers to support the Prime Partner Program in three ways:

1. Ask your bank to become a Prime Partner.
2. If your bank won’t become a Prime Partner, move your money to a Prime Partner bank. A list of Prime Partner financial institutions is available here.
3. Talk to your colleagues about the Prime Partner program and the need for increased funding for civil legal aid in Texas.

The Prime Partner Program provides millions of dollars in funding for legal aid programs in Texas. After interest rates crashed to nearly zero percent in 2008, Prime Partner banks voluntarily agreed to offer one percent interest on lawyer trust accounts. The interest on those IOLTA accounts funds legal aid programs throughout Texas, assisting low-income families through domestic violence, housing, disability, and other legal problems.

The need for legal aid in Texas is at record levels, and your support for the Prime Partner Program is critical. The number of Texans in need has increased by more than 600,000 in two years, and there are now 5.7 million Texans who qualify for legal aid. (To be eligible for legal aid, an individual must earn no more than $13,613 a year. For a family of four, the household income cannot exceed $27,938).

While the need for legal aid rises at an alarming rate in Texas, legal aid organizations also face a crippling funding crisis. In addition to the IOLTA crash, preliminary state budget estimates reflect a reduction of 51 percent in state funding for legal aid, a decline of $23 million.

Your support for the Prime Partner program can bring in millions in additional funding for legal aid. The State Bar Board of Directors, through their January 28 resolution, has made this call to action a top priority for Texas lawyers.