The Texas Access to Justice Commission, in conjunction with the General Counsel Forum, raised $71,026 for civil legal aid during the 3rd Annual Charity Golf Classic held Thursday in San Antonio.
This year’s event exceeded the amount raised during last year’s tournament and is more than double the amount raised in the inaugural tournament. The proceeds will be donated to the Texas Access to Justice Foundation.
Legal aid organizations funded by foundation help more than 100,000 low-income Texas families each year. Many need help with critical civil legal issues impacting their very existence such as securing safety for victims of domestic abuse, obtaining medical care for veterans and the elderly, and helping families maintain their housing. Due to a lack of resources, only about 20 percent of the civil legal needs of low-income and poor Texans are being met.
The commission also presented Dell with the annual Magna Stella Pro Bono Award during the General Counsel Forum Magna Stella Awards dinner. The Magna Stella Pro Bono Award recognizes corporate legal departments that promote pro bono legal services within their company and within the corporate community at large.
Dell Legal has a strong culture of helping those in need through pro bono legal services. The program was started about 10 years ago and is one of the oldest programs in Texas.
Dell attorneys provide an average of 865 pro bono hours per year. They assist many organizations, including American Gateways, Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas, Texas Access to Justice Commission, Texas Legal Services Center, BiGAUSTIN, the Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program, and the Austin Bar Association Veteran’s Legal Advice Clinic.
Continuing the tradition of prior general counsel, Dell Legal’s new general counsel, Rich Rothberg, has issued a challenge to all Dell attorneys to provide pro bono legal services.
From staffing a monthly legal aid clinic, helping parents of children with special needs, teaching a monthly class on basic business law, or assisting unrepresented veterans or their family members who have filed appeals at the U.S. Court of Appeals for veterans claims, the Dell Legal team goes above and beyond.