AUSTIN, Texas  — The Texas Access to Justice Foundation (TAJF) announces the creation of the David Hall Fellowship program for legal aid lawyers in Southwest Texas. The announcement was made on March 23 at an event recognizing the recent retirement of Hall as the executive director of Texas RioGrande Legal Aid.

“David Hall’s work in civil legal aid is legendary, and has improved access to justice for thousands of Texans in poverty,” Richard L. Tate, chair of the board of directors for the Texas Access to Justice Foundation, said. “This fellowship will be a lasting reminder of David’s past and future impact on the lives of disadvantaged Texans along our border.”

Hall led Texas RioGrande Legal Aid from its early days defending South Texas farm workers with a handful of attorneys through its transformation into the nation’s third largest legal aid provider, serving 25,000 people annually. He retired in 2017 after 42 years as leader of the organization.

The Texas Access to Justice Foundation will fund and administer a four-year fellowship for a lawyer to provide civil legal services for the underserved population in the 68 counties covered by Texas RioGrande Legal Aid in Southwest Texas. Program details and eligibility guidelines are currently be developed and will be available at www.teajf.org.

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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 more than 150,000 Texas families each year. For more information, please visit: www.teajf.org..