News Release
Program Boost Funding for Legal Services in Texas
AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Access to Justice
Foundation (TAJF) announces the month of
November as Prime Partner Bank Month, a month aimed
at encouraging attorneys to utilize Prime Partner
Banks. The Foundation applauds the financial
institutions and attorneys who help raise money for
free legal services for low-income Texans.
Every year, thousands of Texans face serious legal
problems and need the help of an attorney, but
cannot afford one.
Due to their low income,
5.3 million Texans qualify for free legal assistance
from legal aid organizations throughout the state.
However, legal aid providers only have the resources
to meet 10 percent of the need for their services.
Faced with issues
such as avoiding foreclosure or eviction, escaping
situations of domestic violence, and securing
personal safety and privacy after a sexual assault,
many low-income Texans are left to navigate the
justice system alone.
All attorneys who handle client funds are required
to have an Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts
(IOLTA) account. Settlements and judgments are
placed in these accounts until checks clear and
funds can be made available to a client. The
interest earned on these accounts is pooled into
funding for legal aid organizations. In Texas, the
funds are managed and distributed by the Texas
Access to Justice Foundation (TAJF).
“The IOLTA program is an innovative mechanism to
provide funding for free legal help to victims of
domestic violence, veterans, and families on the
verge of homelessness,” Richard L. Tate,
chair of the board of directors for the Texas Access
to Justice Foundation, said. “But it has one
shortfall – the money raised to help low-income
Texans is tied to interest rates. While low interest
rates may be ideal for Texans looks to buy a home,
they mean devastating drops in the funding available
for legal aid programs.”
Since
2007, Texas legal aid programs have lost more than
$128 million in funding due to low interest rates.
Knowing that adequate
funding for legal aid programs is imperative to
ensuring the sanctity of our justice system, nearly
60 financial institutions in Texas have voluntarily
become Texas IOLTA Prime Partners, banks and credit
unions that pay higher interest rates on IOLTA
accounts to generate more money for legal aid. By
making this investment in access to justice, these
institutions are also making direct investments in
the future of their communities.
“At PlainsCapital, we believe strongly in supporting
the communities we do business in,” Jon Levy,
president PlainsCapital Bank-Austin Westlake, said.
“Through the Prime Partner Program, we have the
opportunity to directly impact our most vulnerable
Texans by helping fund legal representation for
those who can least afford it.”
See a current list of Prime Partner banks in Texas
at: /span>
hhttp://www.teajf.org/financial_institutions/prime_partners.aspx -30-
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 100,000 Texas families each year.
For more information, please visit:
www.teajf.org..
Contact: Kimberly Schmitt
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