News Release

Texas Access to Justice Foundation 
September 14, 2016

Texas Access to Justice Foundation Names 2016 Equal Justice Works Fellows

AUSTIN, Texas – The Texas Access to Justice Foundation (TAJF), in partnership with Equal Justice Works, has announced the 2016 Texas Equal Justice Works Fellows: Hannah Alexander, Brooke Bischoff, Hannah Herzog, Ted Evans and Beatrice Roger. The recent law school graduates have developed new and innovative legal projects that will impact lives and serve communities in desperate need of legal assistance.

Since 2002, the Texas Access to Justice Foundation, as part of its commitment to ensuring access to justice for the poor, has sponsored the Equal Justice Works Fellowship projects. The two-year Fellowship projects begin in September. 

The Equal Justice Works Fellowship initiative is the largest postgraduate legal fellowship program in the nation. Each year, hundreds of talented law school graduates apply to the program having designed their “dream job” with a nonprofit organization that has agreed to host the applicant, if awarded a Fellowship. Sponsors review the project proposals and select candidates who meet criteria or otherwise complement their philanthropic and pro bono interests. 

The 2016-18 Fellowship class, their law school, and their projects are:

·         Hannah Alexander, University of Texas School of Law, Equal Justice Center, Dallas. Provide representation to help low-wage, immigrant janitorial workers challenge and prevent workplace sexual assault, theft-of-wages, employer fraud schemes, and similar severe employment abuses.

·         Brooke Bischoff, Northeastern University School of Law, Diocesan Migrant & Refugee Services, El Paso. Provide direct holistic and comprehensive representation to vulnerable low-income female immigrants who have experienced trafficking, violence, crime, or have fled from their country of origin and face wrongful deportation.

·         Hannah Herzog University of Texas School of Law, Texas Civil Rights Project, Houston. Address issues relating to accommodations, and treating people with mental health needs in institutions through litigation, outreach, direct services, and advocacy.

·         Ted Evans, University of Houston Law Center, Disability Rights Texas, Houston (co-sponsored by Sutherland). Provide legal advocacy and community outreach to people with disabilities isolated in work shelters earning pennies an hour in poor work conditions, and shut down the school-to-work shelter pipeline.

·         Beatrice Roger, Northwestern University School of Law, Lone Star Legal Aid, Houston (co-sponsored by Greenberg Traurig LLP). Provide legal advocacy to crime victims, address the cyclical nature of crime by acknowledging and managing trauma, and diminish juvenile crime by incorporating restorative practices into schools.

 

This year, the Foundation is fortunate to have the support of the law firm of Greenberg Traurig LLP and Sutherland to co-sponsor a Fellowship.

“Greenberg Traurig is proud to sponsor Equal Justice Works Fellows in their work with the Texas Access to Justice Foundation,” said Doug Atnipp, Texas Co-Regional Operating Shareholder for Greenberg Traurig, LLP. “Giving back to the communities in which we live and work is an important part of who we are as a firm.”

“We at Sutherland are very pleased to support this Fellowship in partnership with the TAJF.  Equal Justice Works (EJW) has launched scores of impactful public interest careers in its 30 years,” said John Fleming, Pro Bono Partner at Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP.  “Sutherland’s lawyers look forward to working with Ted, TAJF and EJW to help this project make a real difference.”

Continuing Fellows from the 2015 class sponsored by the Texas Access to Justice Foundation are: Esther Kim, Lone Star Legal Aid, Houston; and Tovah Pentalovitch, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, Austin.

The 2017 EJW Fellowship Application/Selection Process is open through Sept. 16, 2016. The application and supporting paperwork are due to Equal Justice Works no later than 5 pm EDT on Sept. 16, 2016.  See, http://www.teajf.org/grants/fellowships.aspx for more information. 

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The Texas Access to Justice Foundation, created by the Supreme Court of Texas in 1984, is the largest 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 approximately 100,000 Texas families each year. For more information, please visit: www.teajf.org.


Equal Justice Works is the national leader in creating public interest opportunities for law students and lawyers. Collaborating with the nation’s leading law schools, law firms, corporate legal departments and nonprofit organizations, Equal Justice Works offers a continuum of opportunities that provide the training and skills that enable attorneys to provide effective representation to underserved communities and causes. Equal Justice Works is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. For additional information about Equal Justice Works, please visit www.equaljusticeworks.org.

 

Contact: Kimberly Schmitt
512-320-0099, ext. 104
kschmitt@teajf.org

 

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