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It's National Pro Bono Week again! In celebration, the Texas Access to Justice Commission, Texas Access to Justice Foundation, and the State Bar – Legal Services Support Division would like to spotlight a few star pro bono volunteers from across the state.

Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas (LANWT) would like to highlight the amazing work that Anne Shuttee provides as a volunteer attorney. In addition to being active in the Dallas, Plano, Collin County, and the State Bar Associations, Shuttee gives her time generously to helping low-income Texans with their legal needs. As an active volunteer for nonprofit organizations since junior high, she has shown her dedication to helping people for years. She served on LANWT’s Board of Directors for 6 years and was chair for part of that time. She is a zealous volunteer who takes on numerous cases, and is currently offering her services for pro bono mediations.

Shuttee plays a key role in coordinating corporate pro bono attorneys with Legal Aid, and is active in urging the Collin County Bar Association’s pro bono involvement. As past president of the Collin County Bar Association, she was instrumental in creating the Collin County All Bar Coordinating Committee. This committee encourages attorneys from the different sections to volunteer at clinics, take cases, be mentors, and make presentations. This committee also serves to inform the various Bar Associations about what the others are doing so they can plan activities accordingly. Most recently Shuttee chaired a new committee with the Center for Non-Profit Management. They plan to hold a law forum to serve Non-Profits in Collin County. This initiative involves the efforts of Texas C-Bar and LANWT. She has done so much and keeps doing more - it is impossible to keep up with her contributions.

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It's National Pro Bono Week again! In celebration, the Texas Access to Justice Commission, Texas Access to Justice Foundation, and the State Bar – Legal Services Support Division would like to spotlight a few star pro bono volunteers from across the state.

Allan DuBois has been an instrumental supporter of the Community Justice Program and all of their pro bono efforts, in particular the Veterans Legal Clinics. He was critical in helping to secure grant funding from the Texas Access to Justice Foundation to expand and sustain the Veterans Legal Clinics. While he has always been a volunteer and big supporter of pro bono clinics, because he is a veteran himself, Alan has taken a special interest in the veterans’ clinics. He was on the committee that helped to found these clinics and attends every one. He works tirelessly to make sure every client has been served and goes above and beyond to obtain the services for them that they need and/or are entitled to. For example, he recently assisted a veteran with an eviction/housing issue. Along with some law students, Alan went to the veteran’s house and helped him move his belongings out before they were lost forever.

He is revered and respected in the legal community and always seeks to serve others. He is a past president of the San Antonio Bar Association and actively involved in many facets of the State Bar of Texas. He was personally picked by Terry Tottenham to help launch the Texas Lawyers for Texas Veterans initiative in the San Antonio area and, according to Tottenham, has helped to make the “San Antonio project the premier one in the state.” Tottenham added, “Allan has done an outstanding job and is to be commended for his efforts in serving the veterans of San Antonio.”

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It’s National Pro Bono Week again! In celebration, the Texas Access to Justice Commission, Texas Access to Justice Foundation, and the State Bar – Legal Services Support Division would like to spotlight a few star pro bono volunteers from across the state.

Frank Maldonado (pictured in the back row and far left) with a group of low-wage construction worker-clients after Frank had helped them recover over $63,000 in wages that their employer had failed to pay over a period of several months.

Maldonado, a volunteer paralegal with the Equal Justice Center, is a retired career army officer, school teacher, and Austin City departmental manager whose illustrious career includes more specifically:

• Retired as a Lieutenant Colonel from the Army, where he served in Vietnam as a helicopter pilot and later commanded various units, including an airfield in Germany;
• Taught middle school and high school in Austin; and
• Served as Manager of Operation and Maintenance for the City of Austin Aviation Department, helping to manage construction of Austin Bergstrom International Airport.

In his retirement, Maldonado became interested in civil legal services for the poor, so he completed the Paralegal Studies Program at Austin Community College. During this time, he volunteered extensively with CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children) and Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, where he continues to volunteer weekly in addition to his work at the Equal Justice Center. 

In June 2010, Maldonado joined the Equal Justice Center as a volunteer paralegal intake coordinator. He now works 20 to 30 hours per week as a volunteer paralegal directing EJC’s intake process, and interviews new clients every day, in Spanish and English, before meeting with EJC attorneys in a weekly intake review to analyze and determine how EJC can best handle their claims. He supervises interns and volunteers who assist him in the intake process. He assists EJC attorneys in direct legal representation in active cases. Maldonado comments regularly to the staff at EJC that he “just loves talking to people,” and realizes that it is helpful and satisfying simply to orient people to the legal system and explain their rights and options. However, his work often accomplishes so much more because it is the first step in recovering unpaid wages for the working men and women that EJC serves. Not only does he fulfill a vital professional role at EJC, but he also motivates the rest of the staff with his unwavering enthusiasm, cheerful disposition, and grandfatherly poise and wisdom.

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Law Jam 3 is a benefit concert for pro bono legal aid. The concernt is a joint program of the Dallas Bar Association and Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas that benefits the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program (DVAP).

This event will be held on August 20, 2011 at the Granada Theater in Dallas. Doors will open at 5:30pm with the event beginning at 6pm. Seven bands will be performing: Big Wheel, The Usuals, Black Dirt Tango, The Catdaddies, Blue Collar Crime, The Wrecking Crew, and Texas Rock Association. All of the bands are comprised of Dallas-area lawyers and judges Click here for ticket information.

The mission of DVAP is to increase and enhance pro bono legal services to the poor in Dallas through the recruitment, training, and support of volunteer attorneys.

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The Pro Bono Coordinators Retreat is designed for staff whose primary roles include coordinating pro bono efforts, recruiting private attorneys to provide direct legal services to the poor and/or organizing training events so attorneys can deliver civil legal services to poor Texans.

This two-day event provides valuable training on increasing the quantity and quality of legal services available to the poor through pro bono efforts. The retreat will be held Sept. 7th - 9th, 2011 at the Texas Law Center in Austin.

This year's retreat room block is at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel - Austin University. The room block discount closes August 19th. The deadline to register for the retreat is August 24th. Download the registration form and agenda (both are in pdf format).

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The Texas Veterans Commission today announced the recipients of more than $2 million in grants for veterans' assistance.

Among the awards is a $95,000 grant to the Texas Legal Services Center (TLSC) for the purpose of expanding its Veterans Legal Hotline for Texas veterans who do not have access to civil legal services. According to TLSC's Randall Chapman, the grant will allow it to increase hotline hours and hire additional staff to help provide the service.

Legal services provided to veterans primarily address issues relating to family, employment, housing, consumer, probate, and access to health care and benefits.

For details on State Bar of Texas efforts to provide legal help to Texas veterans, see Texas Lawyers for Texas Veterans.

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Nominations are open for the 2011 Pro Bono Excellence Awards. Each year, the State Bar's Legal Services to the Poor in Civil Matters Committee gives Pro Bono Excellence Awards, which recognize dedicated members of our legal profession who are committed to providing legal services to the poor in Texas. 

The awards include the W. Frank Newton Award, J. Chrys Dougherty Legal Services Award, Frank J. Scurlock Award, Pro Bono Award, and Pro Bono Coordinator Award. Nominations for the 2011 awards are due on February 25, 2011.

To download the nomination forms, please visit www.texasbar.com/probonoawards.

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Editor's note: Lawrence Tu originally posted this piece on a blog for Dell lawyers. It is re-published here with his permission in recognition of Celebrate Pro Bono Week.

By Lawrence P. Tu, senior vice president and general counsel of Dell Inc.

I recently had the privilege of joining a group of Dell attorneys who volunteered to help staff a legal clinic run by Texas RioGrande Legal Aid and Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas, which provides free legal assistance to low-income Central Texans. This is a long-standing program which Dell Legal has supported for over 5 years. The clinic itself operates twice a week, and on the third Wednesday of every month Vinson & Elkins, Dell Legal, and Austin ACC collaborate to provide legal volunteers. It was a sobering and uplifting experiencing, and it made me proud of Dell Legal’s support of this pro bono effort.

The setting was a cafeteria in a middle school located off the highway just north of downtown Austin, over-flowing with dozens of individuals (in some cases couples or entire families) spanning all ages and races. Many had brought documents, pictures, receipts and other files to plead their case. By the time we arrived at 6 PM, each person or group had already filled out a brief in-take form describing why they were there, and these forms were stacked up at the tables at the front of the room staffed by legal aid professionals. The volunteer lawyers go the tables, each is handed a case-form, briefly reviews it, and then calls out the individual’s name; they meet up and then spend as much time as is needed to move the matter forward to the next stage.  We are instructed to conduct an in-depth interview to identify and clarify the client’s issue, and then either help qualifying attendees get their cases referred to Legal Aid or Volunteer Legal Services for formal legal representation, or provide basic advice about next steps for those who do not qualify. A team of professionals from local legal aid organizations is present throughout the evening to advise and guide the volunteers on substantive and procedural questions. As we wrapped up each matter, we would return to the table for another in-take form and start the process with the next “client.” By around 8:30 PM the volunteers had worked through all the stacks of in-take forms and the room had emptied out.

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October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. John G. Levi, Chairman of the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) Board of Directors, made a statement urging lawyers to join the LSC in observing this month, asking lawyers for their continuing support of local legal aid programs.

His statement explains that domestic violence occurs more often in households facing economic distress. This is especially prominent during our current economic downturn. Levi explains that a third of all cases handled by LSC-funded programs throughout the country involve family law issues, including domestic violence. He says that "at the local level, legal aid programs are partners in efforts to provide comprehensive, coordinated services to assist victims in attaining long-term self-sufficiency and independence from abuse."

Levi states that legal aid lawyers who work throughout the country in the non-profit programs funded by the LSC are "on the front lines in our nation's effort to protect victims of domestic violence and restore them to lives of safety and security." He explains, "Our partners at the national level include the United States Department of Justice, which provides funding to many of our programs through the Violence Against Women Act. Still, the nonprofit programs funded by LSC need far greater resources to adequately address this serious national problem. Access to civil legal aid is vital to our continuing progress to reduce and prevent domestic abuse."

For more information on the Legal Services Corporation and how you can help, please visit the LSC website at http://www.lsc.gov/index.php.

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For Random Profiles, we randomly pick one of our 80,000-plus attorneys, call them, and do a Q&A. We've found that every Texas lawyer has an interesting story. Will yours be next?

Family: Son, Travis and daughter, Chelsea.

Areas of practice: criminal, juvenile, misdemeanor, criminal.

Best thing about being a lawyer: The opportunity to help people.

Bet you didn't know: I help my daughter raise goats for show!

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Jim Sales Presenting Emily Jones with the Emily C. Jones Lifetime Achievement Award

What cause can gather some of the most successful lawyers in the state, all of the members of the Supreme Court of Texas, and dozens of judges, elected officials, and past presidents of the State Bar of Texas in the same room at the same time? Legal services to the poor!

Last night, I attended the Texas Access to Justice Foundation’s 25^th Anniversary Gala. The evening was magical, not because of the fancy dinner, keynote speaker Jeffrey Toobin, or the preparation that enabled a flawless event. The evening was magical because of the presence of the true champions of Texas’ legal community - those who tirelessly give their energy, time, and resources to provide access to justice for low-income Texans. Most important, the event raised more than $300,000 for civil legal services to the poor.

When you work at the State Bar of Texas, you quickly learn that one of the most respected volunteers is James B. Sales of Houston. Everyone refers to Jim Sales as Mr. Sales, because his military background coupled with his strong presence, command ultimate respect. He is widely admired for his tireless service to the Access to Justice Commission, which he served as chair from 2004 to 2009. Mr. Sales received the 2009 Harold F. Kleinman Award, an award named after the first Access to Justice Foundation chairman and established to confer prestige and honor upon leaders who advocate for access to justice. A well-deserved recipient indeed! Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson shared an anecdote from the Court. When the Court approached Mr. Sales to be Chair of the Access to Justice Commission, he looked every justice in the eye and asked for their commitment before he would agree to take the position. Every justice looked Mr. Sales back in the eye and said, “Yes, sir.” Since 2004, Mr. Sales has encouraged Texas lawyers to “put their boots on the ground” to fight for access to justice. He has increased funding, recruited numerous volunteers, and put into place a solid infrastructure that will continue to grow in years to come.

Emily Jones, the first executive director of the Texas Access to Justice Commission, is known for her strong spirit, feisty personality, and her ability to be a strong advocate for access to justice initiatives. No one is a better advocate than Emily, for she knows the facts, the cause is instilled in her heart, she is smart, and her actions speak louder than her words. As Mr. Sales honored Emily with the inaugural Emily C. Jones Lifetime Achievement Award, he shared examples of Emily taking on pro bono cases despite personal health obstacles that would have prohibited most from doing so. There were few dry eyes in the room as Emily accepted her namesake award, which will be used to recognize lawyers like her who have an extraordinary spirit, have demonstrated a strong commitment to legal services in Texas, and have inspired others. (Side note: Even after working with Jim Sales every day for years, Emily still refers to her friend as Mr. Sales.) 

Three Texas attorneys were recognized for their significant contribution to the Cy Pres Awards Campaign. The cy pres awards are residual funds from class action settlements that were not claimed by class members, so responsible attorneys donate the funds to bolster legal services to the poor. Jeff Rasansky of Dallas, Michael E. Smith of Marshall, and Jeremi K. Young of Amarillo donated $230,160 of residual funds from a federal case to the Access to Justice Foundation. This was the first major donation to the fund. 

The heroes mentioned in this post have truly made a difference in the lives of low-income Texans, but much remains to be done. Consider the following statistics: 

• Today, 5.1 million Texans qualify for legal aid.
• There is one legal aid lawyer for every 11,512 Texans who qualify for legal aid.
• Legal aid turns away half of all qualified clients due to lack of resources.

Hopefully these facts will encourage you to put your boots on the ground!

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