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2018 Champions of Justice Gala Benefiting Veterans Raises $404,000
The Texas Access to Justice Commission with its co-sponsor, the State Bar of Texas, honored veterans throughout the state at the Champions of Justice Gala Benefitting Veterans last night at the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center in Austin. More than $404,000 was raised to help provide civil legal services to low-income Texan veterans. More »
Texas Access to Justice Commission Quarterly Meeting
The Texas Access to Justice Commission quarterly meeting will be held Wednesday, April 25, at 1:30 at the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center (Rm. 301). More »
Champions of Justice Gala to Benefit Legal Services for Texas Veterans
AUSTIN, Texas – The Texas Access to Justice Commission will host the Champions of Justice Gala Benefiting Veterans at 6:00 p.m. at the AT&T Executive Education & Conference Center in Austin. The gala raises funds for the provision of civil legal aid for low-income Texas veterans. More »
Student loan repayment assistance for lawyers working in legal aid
The Texas Student Loan Repayment Program (SLRAP) helps those choosing to pursue careers in legal aid in Texas. A record number of 183 lawyers are receiving assistance from the Texas SLRAP in 2017-18. More »
Texas Governor appoints Andrew Oldham to the Commission
Andrew Oldham, General Counsel to the Governor, has been appointed by the Texas Governor as liaison to the Commission. Oldham advises the Governor on a range of issues under federal and state law, manages litigation in which the Governor is an interested party, and serves as a frequent lecturer on matters involving the rule of law, the U.S. Constitution, administrative law, federal courts, and federalism. “Mr. Oldham is a brilliantly talented lawyer and has experience at many levels of both state and federal governments. We look forward to his contributions on achieving access to justice in Texas,” said Harry M. Reasoner, chair of the Texas Access to Justice Commission. More »
Life Changing Nickels and Dimes
Book Review: Barbara Ehrenreich’s “Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America” To learn how the working poor survive, author Barbara Ehrenreich lived in three different U.S. cities for a month at a time, working low-paying jobs, at or near minimum wage, and living in housing she could afford on her wages. Ehrenreich’s experience pales in comparison to what it is like to actually be a person living in poverty, navigating everyday life with no money, a stable place to live, access to health care, or the ability to take a day off. However, her realizations serve as a good introduction for people who have not experienced life in poverty and have the power to shatter implicit biases against the working poor by exposing a microcosm of their struggles. More »
Finding Access through Interpretation
When the police responded to a domestic violence call at Layla’s house, they took Layla and her children to a women’s shelter. She’d attempted to leave several times before, but each time her husband would force her back home. With assistance from the women’s shelter staff and a local community program, Layla gathered enough courage to reach out to legal aid. A Texas resident for several years, Layla spoke English but wasn’t proficient enough to convey or understand some of the complex legal terms she knew would be involved if she tried to get legal help. She would need an interpreter. More »
