Summary of Grants Awarded by the Public Service Committee During the 2015-2016 Bar Year

Andrews Legal Aid Services “ALAS” program offers pro-bono or reduced-fee legal services for those who are unable to afford traditional legal services.

• Awarded $1,000 to fund the program’s first annual “Do I Need a Will” seminar and clinic.

Cathedral Health and Outreach Ministries DBA The Beacon is a non-profit organization that provides services for poor and homeless citizens of the Houston, Texas, and surrounding areas.

• Awarded $5,000 to provide representation for landlord/tenant education to prevent homelessness, probate actions to prevent foreclosures, fraudulent takings of real property, and estate planning and elder care.

Family Eldercare provides assistance to families in need of senior care for personal care, money management, counseling, and guardianship matters.

• Awarded $7,500 to provide guardianship services to incapacitated individuals referred by surrounding county courts.

Legal Aid Society of Lubbock delivers legal assistance to elders through their Elder Law Outreach Program.

• Awarded $12,500 to initiate a program to increase awareness among elderly about necessity for legal documents, such as simple Wills, Durable Powers of Attorney, Medical Powers of Attorney, and Living Wills.

South Texas College of Law allows a diverse body of students the opportunity for legal education, preparing graduates to serve their communities and the law community with distinction

• Awarded $7,366 to aid in pro-bono project for currently-enrolled law students to increase awareness of the Transfer on Death Deed through outreach activities conducted in the local community.

State Bar of Texas Legal Access Division delivers legal information to low-income Texas families through their publication of the Justice for All calendar, which provides annually-updated information on a variety of legal topics in multiple languages to reach as many as possible.

• Awarded $2,000 to aid in the costs for publication of the 2016-2017 Access to Justice pocket calendar.

Texas Community Building with Attorney Resources (Texas C-BAR) is the leading statewide community development business law pro bono project linking transactional attorneys with nonprofits working to improve the quality of life for low-income Texas families.

• Awarded $10,000 to fund community legal education materials and services, providing information vital to the preservation and transfer of assets in low and moderate income communities.

Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid’s mission is to promote the dignity, self-sufficiency, safety and stability of low-income residents in 68 counties in South, Central, and West Texas by providing high-quality, free civil legal representation, advice, and related legal education.