Please help homeowners like Ann.
In addition to the Justice for All Campaign and the Champion of Justice Society, the Commission offers several opportunities for designated support. If you are interested in making a lasting impact on access to justice through a designated gift through your estate or other gift planning vehicle, please contact ATJmail@TexasATJ.org or 512.427.1855 / 800.204.2222 ext. 1855.
Here are just a few examples of the impact that your contribution can make:
- A $75,000 donation can underwrite equipment, technology, staff, or rent for a legal aid office.
- A $25,000 donation can underwrite a paralegal to support legal aid efforts and advocate on behalf of poor Texans.
- A $10,000 donation can establish a battered women’s assistance project that provides legal assistance to abused woman and their children through collaboration with other service providers.
- A $5,000 donation can provide specialized poverty law training for pro bono and legal aid attorneys in topics such as subsidized housing, consumer protection, and Supplemental Security Income regulations.
- A $1,000 donation can preserve housing for three low-income Texans by preventing wrongful evictions.
Innovative Projects and Programs with a Lasting Impact
New challenges and opportunities are constantly arising for low-income Texans and legal aid providers. The Texas civil legal aid community responds with innovative projects and programs to meet these challenges. You can make a lasting impact by supporting a new project or program, such as a medical-legal partnership, which assists low-income patients with legal issues that impact their health. Other opportunities include a mobile legal clinic that assists people in rural counties where legal resources are scarce and statewide special education workshops for the parents of disabled children. The need is great; so are the opportunities to make real and positive change in your Texas community.
Post-Graduate Fellowships
The Legal Aid Post-Graduate Fellowship provides opportunities for public service employment to dedicated graduates who may not otherwise find such positions early in their career. The fellowship provides funds to an outstanding new lawyer to work with a legal aid organization on behalf of underrepresented individuals. A $130,000 donation would support two years of work for a full-time attorney in a Texas legal aid office.
Internship Programs
A $10,000 gift funds two one-year internships at a legal aid office in Texas. A $100,000 gift funds one internship in perpetuity.
Legacy Gifts
Legacy and planned gifts provide a stable, permanent source of funding that protects the Commission’s ability to positively influence the legal aid community well into the future. Endowed funds are held in perpetuity according to donors’ wishes and are conservatively invested. A portion of the income earned is used as designated by the donor. Common uses for the income earned include specific program support, financial assistance for legal aid attorneys, or general support.
The Texas Access to Justice Commission encourages planned gifts as a primary means of building strong endowment resources. Your gift can help create a lasting legacy and will touch lives through legal aid programs for generations to come.
Legal aid can also be supported through lawsuit awards and settlements:
Cy Pres Awards
In some class-action lawsuits, the mandatory recovery cannot be feasibly and economically distributed to the absent plaintiffs. In these instances, the undesignated funds may be allocated to Texas legal aid. If you are an attorney or judge involved in a class-action case, consider designating legal aid as the recipient of cy pres funds.
Creative Settlements
A plaintiff’s non-pecuniary and punitive claims can be met with charitable donations that make access to justice a reality for poor Texans. This creative solution can offer a defendant positive press and tax benefits. Make legal aid your charity of choice whenever you are negotiating a settlement that includes a charitable donation.
