The Austin Bar Foundation (ABF) announced the development and implementation of a Crisis Assistance Pilot program (CAP) designed to assist lawyers in the greater Austin area who need to temporarily step away from practice, according to a press release.
This program was formed in connection with various stakeholders in the legal community to fill the gap when the impacted lawyer needs to temporarily step away from practice for up to 90 days. Once an application is accepted, the program matches the attorney with volunteer lawyers in the same or similar practice area who are willing to temporarily assist with cases while the impacted attorney steps away. Prior to participation in the program, the impacted attorney must designate a custodian attorney with the State Bar of Texas, as well as grant the program permission to privately notify the courts in which the attorney has pending cases.
A presentation about CAP will be held at 1:45 p.m. Friday, July 25, during the Local Bar Leaders Conference at the Westin Galleria in Houston. To assist in the launch, the ABF awarded the program a $15,000 grant using funds raised at the 2025 Annual Austin Bar Foundation Gala, according to a press release. This money will be used to cover program expenses and the impacted attorney’s practice.
The Austin Bar Association and the ABF developed CAP to serve as a template for bar associations throughout the state after the need was identified by State Bar of Texas Immediate Past President Steve Benesh. The program is currently designed to assist civil law practitioners, with plans to expand to the criminal bar in the coming year.
For more information, contact DeLaine Ward at delaine@austinbar.org or 512-472-0279, ext. 104.