AUSTIN, Texas --  The Texas Access to Justice Foundation announces Becky Baskin Ferguson of Midland and Terry O. Tottenham of Austin have been appointed to serve on its board of directors. The State Bar of Texas appointed these individuals to three-year terms to the Foundation that provides grant funding for civil legal aid in Texas.

Becky Baskin Ferguson, has spent more than 30 years in communications and public service in Midland.  She recently served as three-year term a public member on the State Bar of Texas Board of Directors.  She serves on the Midland Chamber of Commerce Executive Committee, the University of Texas Liberal Arts Council, the University of Texas School of Psychology Advisory Committee, and the State Bar of Texas Advertising Review Committee.  She recently served as chair of the Midland Planning and Zoning Commision and served as co-chair of Midland Vision 2020.  She has worked in local radio and television, as communications coordinator for Midland Independent School District, and on various bond campaigns in the community. Ferguson graduated with a B.S. in Radio, Television, and Film from the University of Texas at Austin and is a member of the Texas Lyceum, a former president of the Midland Citywide PTA, and a founding board member of the George W. Bush Childhood Home.

Austin lawyer Terry O. Tottenham is currently Of Counsel to the firm of Norton Rose Fulbright.  He is certified in personal injury and civil trial law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and was the recipient of its first Pro Bono Award.  A former president of the State Bar of Texas, he initiated a statewide coalition of lawyers who provide pro bono services to needy veterans and their families.  Tottenham is a fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers where he created a nationwide training program for improving trial advocacy skills of pro bono and public interest lawyers. He has served on the State Bar Board of Directors, as founder and chair of the Health Law Section, chair of the Litigation Section, and in leadership capacites in many other local, state, and national organizations. Tottenham received a pharmacy degree from the University of Texas, a J.D. with honors from The University of Texas School of Law, an LL.M. from George Washington School of Law and has received numerous professional awards and honors.

The Supreme Court of Texas created the Texas Access to Justice Foundation in 1984 to provide funding for the civil legal needs of poor and low-income Texans. The Foundation annually awards grants to approximately 35 nonprofit legal aid organizations throughout the state that help struggling Texans in matters involving foreclosures, employment, domestic violence and family law issues.

The Texas Access to Justice Foundation is the largest state-based funding source for civil legal aid in Texas, and has awarded more than $370 million since its inception. The Foundation board of directors consists of 13 attorney and public members, seven of whom are appointed by the Supreme Court of Texas and six by the State Bar of Texas. 

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The Texas Access to Justice Foundation (www.teajf.org), created by the Supreme Court of Texas in 1984, is the leading 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 Texans each year.