News Release

Texas Access to Justice Foundation 
July 19, 2013

Texas Access to Justice Foundation Announces Grants for Veterans' Legal Services
Funds will support 11 nonprofits that provide civil legal services for veterans

Austin, Texas -- The Texas Access to Justice Foundation (TAJF) has announced grants to 11 nonprofit organizations, totaling more than $426,000, which will help fund legal aid for low-income Texas veterans. With these grants, public interest and pro bono lawyers will be able to provide legal representation to Texas veterans with basic civil legal problems such as denial of benefits or disability, family law matters arising from deployment, and other issues that may arise due to a veteran’s absence from home during military service."

The Texas Access to Justice Commission—through its Champions of Justice Gala—raised more than $340,000 in 2013 from law firms and corporate sponsors.  Now in its fourth year, the Champions of Justice Gala has raised more than $1.4 million for veterans’ legal services since its inception.   Along with funding from the Gala and additional support from the TAJF, the Military Law Section of the State Bar of Texas also donated funds to support the grants to the selected nonprofit organizations.

The nonprofits receiving grant awards include:

  • Baylor University School of Law, Waco

  • Cathedral Justice Project, Houston

  • Community Justice Program, San Antonio

  • Fort Bend Lawyers Care, Richmond

  • Houston Bar Foundation, Houston

  • Jefferson County Bar Foundation, Beaumont

  • Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas, Fort Worth (also includes North Texas, Panhandle)

  • Lone Star Legal Aid, Houston (includes East Texas)

  • Oficina Legal del Pueblo Unido Inc., Austin, South Texas

  • Tarrant County Bar Foundation, Fort Worth

  • Texas Legal Services Center, Austin (statewide)

“These legal aid programs will provide civil legal services for those who have served our country and deserve our attention,” Richard L. Tate, chair of the board of directors of the Texas Access to Justice Foundation, said.

TAJF has awarded more than $350 million in its 29 years of existence. Legal aid programs funded by the Texas Access to Justice Foundation help more than 100,000 low-income Texas families each year with their civil legal needs. However, due to a lack of resources, only about 20 to 25 percent of the civil legal needs of low-income and poor Texans are being met.

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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.

 

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

 

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