TEXAS LAWYERS FORTEXAS VETERANS

2012-2013

LEGAL CLINIC HIGHLIGHTSSince the project’s launch in 2010, under the leadership

of then President Terry Tottenham, more than 10,000

veterans have been assisted by more than 3,000 volunteer

attorneys through local bar association veterans’

legal clinics.

The base continues to expand nationwide. Most recently,

State Bar of Texas delegates participated in a training

session for the New

Mexico Bar Association

that is implementing a

veterans’ civil justice

initiative.

The Houston Bar

Foundation, Jefferson

County Bar Foundation,

and Fort Bend Lawyers

Care were joined by Baylor Law School and the Austin

Bar Foundation in an expanded coalition to provide legal

services to veterans in a 17-county area, serving a veteran

population of 500,000.

The Collin County Bar Association, Frisco Bar

Association, Plano Bar Association, Collin County Young

Lawyers Association, Collin County Criminal Defense

Lawyers Association, and Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas

have partnered to hold free legal advice clinics bimonthly

for veterans. Since January 2012, 64

veterans have been served by 28

volunteer attorneys.

Since June 2012, the Jefferson County

Bar Association has assisted

approximately 40 veterans by more

than 25 volunteer attorneys at

veterans’ legal clinics.

The Houston Bar Association conducts weekly clinics at

the DeBakey VA Medical Center, providing assistance to

an average of 36 veterans per week; monthly clinics at the

U.S. VETS at Midtown Terrace residential facility; and

quarterly clinics at DeGeorge at Union Station residential

facility. The HBA and its Houston Volunteer Lawyers

Program have assisted more than 7,500 veterans

since 2008.

The Tarrant County Bar Foundation received the 2012

National Conference of Bar Foundations LexisNexis

Partnerships for Success Award for its Texas Lawyers for

Texas Veterans—TCBA Chapter. Since July 2012, the

Tarrant County Bar has served more than 330 veterans

by more than 50 volunteer attorneys. TCBA currently

takes 60 appointments per clinic and numerous calls for

veterans unable to attend clinics due to health or

transportation problems.

At its November 2012 veterans’ clinic at

the Ambrosio Guillen Texas State

Veterans Home, the El Paso Bar

Association partnered with 12 veterans

agencies and held public information

seminars for veterans. Volunteer

attorneys provided one-on-one

consultations for more than 30 veterans.

Houston Bar Association 2012-2013President Brent Benoit and attorneySusan Sanchez provide legal services toveterans at Houston Stand Down.

Attorneys from the Tarrant County Bar Association participate in the FortWorth Stand Down for Homeless Veterans.

A veteran receives advice at the El Paso Lawyersfor Patriots Clinic in November 2012.

Approximately 150

volunteer attorneys from

the Austin Bar

Association have assisted

approximately 300

veterans at veterans’ legal

clinics since May 2012.

The San Antonio Bar

Association Community Justice Program had more than

85 volunteer attorneys provide legal advice to 166

veterans during its monthly veterans’ legal clinics. Thanks

to a grant from the Texas Access to Justice Foundation,

the CJP created a video to further its outreach efforts

to veterans.

The Galveston County Bar Association held its first clinic

in February 2012 and assisted 31 veterans with the help

of 14 volunteer attorneys.

VETERANS DAY 2012To commemorate Veterans Day, 17 veterans’ clinics were

held across the state in all the major metropolitan areas as

well as in Beaumont, Bell County, Brazoria County,

Hidalgo County, Longview, Midland/Big Spring,

and Porter.

Baylor Law School

held a veterans’

wills clinic, where

attorneys and law

students drafted

wills and estate

planning

documents for 25

veterans. The Hidalgo County Bar Foundation and the

Hidalgo County Bar Association hosted a Wills for

Heroes clinic and provided free wills to more than 50

veterans of South Texas.

The Bell County Bar Association sponsored a legal

advice clinic for veterans near Killeen, serving more

than 40 veterans.

ATTORNEY TRAININGThe Texas Young Lawyers Association distributed more

than 11,500 Resources for Veterans Seeking Help guides

and approximately 3,300 Resources for Lawyers Assisting

Veterans guides.

Thanks to a

grant awarded

by the

American

College of

Trial Lawyers,

the State Bar

of Texas was

able to provide a free live webcast, The Basics of Veterans

Benefits Law: Part II, to those committing to volunteer

at a veterans’ legal clinic.

The Dallas Bar Association held a CLE training on

veterans benefits in January 2013 for approximately 50

attorneys. The DBA serves 45 veterans each month and

has approximately 12 attorney volunteers at its veterans’

legal service clinics.

SPECIAL EVENTSThe Texas Access to Justice Commission raised $340,600

for the provision of civil legal services to low-income

veterans at its Champions of Justice Gala in April 2013.

The State Bar of Texas sponsored the event to ensure that

all proceeds go to veterans’ legal assistance.

With the help of a partnership

with the State Bar of Texas,

the Texas Court Reporters

Association records the oral

histories of American wartime

veterans as part of the Library

of Congress Veterans History

Project. TCRA members have

recorded approximately 200 interviews in conjunction

with local bar associations in San Antonio, Dallas,

Rockwall, Austin, Houston, Brownsville, Corpus Christi,

Hillsboro, and Fort Worth.

texasbar.com/veterans

Providing Legal Counsel To Those Who Served

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A one-on-one legal consultation at theAustin Bar Association’s monthlyveterans’ clinic.

Volunteer attorneys at the Smith County BarAssociation’s first veterans’ legal clinic.

The State Bar of Texas offered a free CLE webcast onthe basics of veterans benefits.

Volunteer attorneys, paralegals,and court reporters join forcesto record veterans’ war stories.