The Community Justice Program - A Review

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1 2012 Harrison Tweed Nomination Form Name of Bar Association Nominated: San Antonio Bar Association's Community Justice Program Nominated Bar Address: 100 Dolorosa, Suite 500 Nominated Bar City/State/Zip Code: San Antonio, Texas Nominated Bar Telephone/Fax: / Nominated Bar Executive Director: Amanda Reimherr Buckert, CJP Director Size of Nominated Bar Association: 3,000 Nominated Bar amandab@sabar.org President: Gary Hutton President Address: 100 Dolorosa, Suite 302 President City/State/Zip Code: San Antonio, Texas President Telephone/Fax: / President ghutton@bexar.org President-Elect: Andrew Kerr President-Elect Address: 300 Convent St., #900 President-Elect City/State/Zip Code: San Antonio, Texas President-Elect Telephone/Fax: / President-Elect andy.kerr@strasburger.com Brief Description of Activity (limited to 500 characters): The San Antonio Bar Association's Community Justice Program is a joint project with Texas RioGrande Legal Aid. The CJP provides pro bono legal services to indigent clients with uncontested family law issues, wills, veterans advice, families of special needs children, the homeless & other various legal issues. Since 2002, we has assisted more than 6,000 clients & holds several legal clinics each month with lawyers, judges, court reporters, clerks & other legal staff - all on a volunteer basis. Person w/ most specific information First Name Last Name: Amanda Reimherr Buckert Person w/ most specific information Address: 100 Dolorosa, Suite 500 Person w/ most specific information City/State/Zip Code: San Antonio, Texas Person w/ most specific information Telephone/Fax: , ext. 24 / Person w/ most specific information amandab@sabar.org Nominator First Name Last Name: Amanda Reimherr Buckert Nominator Address: 100 Dolorosa, Suite 500 Nominator City/State/Zip Code: San Antonio, Texas Nominator Telephone/Fax: , ext. 24 / Nominator amandab@sabar.org

2 The Community Justice Program ( CJP ) is a collaborative effort by the San Antonio Bar Association and Texas RioGrande Legal Aid to provide free neighborhood-based legal services to individuals who may not otherwise have access to the legal system. It is alarming to realize that fewer than 20 percent of low-income residents of South Texas can obtain access to legal assistance when faced with a civil problem. That means that four out of five people arrive at the courthouse door to find that they cannot afford the price of admission. Through our volunteers generous donation of their time, the CJP is striving to make a difference in those numbers. The Community Justice Program was founded in October of 2002 by Justice Phylis Speedlin and Judge Karen Pozza. Their dream to provide attorneys with a way to engage in pro bono work in an efficient manner and help alleviate some of the great legal needs of our indigent neighbors has grown into a model program for bar associations pro bono programs. The clinics provide a way for all members of the legal community to interact on a volunteer basis and give back to the community using their skills and expertise. The mission of the Community Justice Program is to support legal representation for indigent residents of San Antonio. A closely related purpose is to provide local attorneys with the opportunity to engage in pro bono work within a comprehensive and efficient clinic setting. The participation of attorneys and volunteers helps open the doors of the Courthouse to those in need. The CJP asks each volunteer to please come back each year and "Just Take One" pro bono case. With this motto and each case an attorney takes through the CJP, that many more Bexar County residents have received the important legal help they needed but could not afford. We welcome individual attorneys to volunteer, and we highly encourage firms or legal organizations to adopt a clinic night each year and send as many attorneys as they can. Knowing that we can count on a firm s yearly participation allows us to ensure that we can continue operating clinics on a regular schedule. The CJP has two full-time staff members and one part-time staff person. The full-time staff operates the program on a daily basis by implementing the clinics, recruiting volunteers and performing all duties and tasks. The part-time employee works 20 hours per week managing the open cases to ensure they are updated and closed in a timely manner. The staff works closely to develop close relationships with all of the local legal organizations, minority bar associations and Page 1 of 20

3 other bar programs to create a deep and diverse pool of volunteers. As a nonprofit organization, the CJP is responsible for maintaining its financial health and works diligently to procure and manage grants and facilitate approximately five fundraisers each year. Our closest ally is Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, and their staff is a critical part of our success. In the past few years, we have developed a partnership with the St. Mary s University School of Law. Students from the law school attend the clinics to provide support to our volunteer attorneys throughout the clinics. They receive credit for pro bono participation hours and hands-on experience that their regular classes do not provide. We are pleased to also have partnered with AT&T s legal department in the AT&T Excellence in Pro Bono Scholarship Program. AT&T provides a $2,500 scholarship to a deserving law student each semester, who in turn works for 60 hours with the CJP. The CJP accepts uncontested civil matters including divorce, name changes, simple landlord/tenant disputes, probate matters and wills. Texas RioGrande Legal Aid prescreens each client before they come to the clinics to determine their eligibility for our program. Each client must be below certain federal poverty guidelines in order to be accepted by TRLA. Currently, the CJP holds several types of legal clinics or court in various locations. The family law clinics are held at Texas RioGrande Legal Aid and the Wesley Community Center. These clinics provide complete legal service for uncontested civil matters (mostly simple, uncontested divorces) including attorneys, district clerks, notaries, interpreters, support staff, and judges (all working on a volunteer basis). The first neighborhood clinic met at the Carver Academy on San Antonio s east side in October of This clinic was relocated in June 2007 to the Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRLA) offices near downtown. The second CJP clinic opened on San Antonio s west side at St. Mary s University s Center for Legal and Social Justice in April of On January 24, 2006 the CJP opened its third clinic on San Antonio s south side at the Wesley Community Center. The clinics at St. Mary s Center for Legal & Social Justice are our Wills Clinics, which provide wills and ancillary documents for low-income individuals. We are pleased to have recently added two new, different kinds of clinics. The Veterans Clinic at the Audie L. Murphy Veterans Hospital serves indigent veterans in an advice-only setting about a wide variety of legal issues. This clinic also prepares wills for the veterans. The Special Education clinic is an advice-only clinic for parents of special needs children that are trying to understand their rights when navigating the school system. We also partnered with Haven for Hope, a residential facility for the homeless aimed to break the cycle of homelessness, to provide a clinic that assisted with clearing warrants from quality of life infractions that prevented the recipients from obtaining valid identification and employment. We have expanded the program scope to include cases that may need a jury trial or have become contested through our CJP Advanced initiative. This allows attorneys who are looking for trial experience or those who just want to take a case a step further to do so under the privileges and protections of the CJP. To date, we have matched more than 6,000 pro bono cases to volunteer attorneys. The program is designed to allow attorneys from any area of practice the opportunity to participate. This Page 2 of 20

4 is possible because of dedicated mentors who are assigned to each clinic. These mentors are experts in their area of practice and guide the attorneys through their cases from start to finish and are available at the clinic as well as via phone and afterwards. There is an Attorney Information Handout packet that comes in each case file. This provides useful and valuable resources for completing your case. The client case file will have all of your initial pleadings drafted for the attorney, as well as a pro bono retainer agreement, case information sheet and the affidavit of indigence which waives all filing and service fees as well as court costs. We strive to have every document the attorney will need ready for them in your file. The attorneys are able to file their case that night at the clinic with our district clerks and paralegals on hand to make any necessary changes to documents. One of our judges will review the packets and case files with volunteers page by page in an orientation the night of the clinic. We have every sample document that attorneys might need throughout each case and an army of people to assist with any aspect the may need help with. Through Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, each attorney is covered by a $1 million errors and omissions policy. As a CJP volunteer, attorneys are also entitled to receive five free CLE hours (which includes 1 hour of ethics). Our clinics begin at 5:30 p.m. and are usually finished no later than 7:30 p.m., unless otherwise noted as an afternoon clinic. We provide refreshments and door prizes along with a token of appreciation to each volunteer. More information about the CJP can be viewed on our website at We are proud to have the honor to be considered for the 2012 Harrison Tweed award and are grateful for your consideration. Thank you for this opportunity and we look forward to hearing from you. Page 3 of 20

5 Tamaara Piquion American Bar Association Wusth:e ~atwee ~rtlau c!bffariau (!loud of J\pp.eals ~taf af W:exas jlf nuril) JIlistricl 321 North Clark Street Chicago, IL Dear Ms Piquion, I would like to nominate the San -Antonio Bar Association's Community Justice Program for the 2012 Harrison Tweed Award. Justice Phylis Speedlin and Judge Karen Pozza founded the program in October of 2002 with the vision of serving the legal needs of Bexar County's indigent residents and providing attorneys with an opportunity to engage in organized pro bono work. With the support of the entire San Antonio area legal community, the program has served more than 6,000 clients to date. Several times each month, the Community Justice Program holds court in underprivileged areas of the community with pro bono legal clinics. These clinics provide assistance with uncontested family law issues, will preparation, advice to veterans and other legal issues facing the poor. All clinics are staffed with a variety of legal professionals including judges, court reporters, law students, notaries, paralegals and attorneys - all working on a volunteer basis. The Community Justice Program has been a model for pro bono programs throughout the state of Texas, and provided a foundation for many other cities to start similar initiatives. I believe the Community Justice Program is an excellent candidate for the 2012 Harrison Tweed Award, and I appreciate your consideration. Sincerely, J;~/~cw,~ Justice Sandee Bryan Marion CJP Co-chair Page 4 of 20 Not Printed or MaUed at Stale Expense

6 ,~LSC LAW OFFICE OF TEXAS RIOGRANDE LEGAL AID, INC. SAN ANTONIO OFFICE T 1 11 N. MAIN AVE. SAN ANTONIO, TX TELEPHONE (210) TOLL FREE (SaO) FAX (2.10) 212-3,774 April 2, 2012 Ms. Tamaara Piquion American Bar Association 321 North Clark Street Chicago, IL RE: 2012 Harrison Tweed Award Dear Members of the Award Corninittee: On behalf of Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid, I submit this letter of support for the nomination of the San Antonio Bar Association for the Harrison Tweed Award. In Bexar COllnty, Texas, there are almost a quarter of a million people whose income falls below the federal poverty guidelines. For every legal aid staff attorney, there are approximately 18,000 eligible clients, and thollsands of people who never gain access to the legal system. Pro bono programs have existed in San Antonio for many years. However, even though the private bar in Bexar County is comprised of over 3000 lav"yers, such programs were able to place only a small number of cases with private alt01'l1eys, and placement was largely accomplished through individual calls to private attorneys. It could take ten to twenty calls just to place one case. Most cases were never placed at ail In 2002, frustrated with the number of pro se litigants appearing before their courts, Justice Phylis Speedlin, and Judge Karen Pozza decided to take on the challenge of designing a new pro bono program in Bexar County. Through their tireless efforts and dedication, the Community Justice Program was born. Their approach was an innovative and creative one. They took the courthouse directly into the low-income community in San Antonio. A joint project of the San Antonio Bar Association, Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid, and other conil1.1unity organizations and legal groups, the Community Justice Program is a collaborative effort by the entire legal community. It is a program that brings the courthouse to the client community through regular evening clinics that provide complete legal services, with attorneys, district clerks, notaries, interpreters, and judges, all working on a volunteer basis. For attorneys with little poverty law experience, there are on-site and off-site attorney mentors available and special training videos to assist them in areas outside their expertise. The availability of training materials and on-site and off-site mentors ha~ made it easier for corporate transactional attorneys to take on cases in areas where they have no experience. The Commwlity Justice Program attracted attorneys who had never been involved in pro bono efforts. Entire law firms and corporate legal staff have adopted individual clinics, and brought 110t only their attorneys, but also their support staff. Since its inception, almost ten years ago, the program has placed thousands of cases with private attorneys, thereby assisting individuals who would, otherwise, have been denied access to the legal system. Page 5 of 20

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8 San Antonio Bar Association Bexar County Courthouse 100 Dolorosa, Suite 500 San Antonio, Texas Fax April 2,2012 OFFICERS GaryW. Hutton President Andrew L. Kerr President~Efect Rebecca Simmons Vice President Thomas g. Keyser Secretary James M. "Marty" Truss Treasurer DIRECfORS Robert J. Barrera Robert R. "Rusty" Biechlin,.Jr. C. Lee CusenbazY" Sara E. Dysart Laura L. Parker Dan J. Vana Beth Watkins Patricia Wueste Phylis J. Speedli'n Immediate-Past President Jimmy Allison Executive Director Paul Torres President Mexican American,Bar Association Santos Vargas President San Antonio Young Lawyers Association Emma K. Cana President' Bexar County Women's Bar Association Tamu K. "TK" Floyd President San Antonio Black Lawyers Association Sylvia A. Cardona Allan K. Ou Bois Directors State Bar of Texas Tamaara Piquion American Bar Association 321 North Clark Street Chicago, 1L Dear Ms Piquion: I am happy to nominate the Community Justice Program for the 2012 Harrison Tweed Award. As the Executive Director of the San Aotonio Bar Association for 48 years, one of the most successful initiatives we have ever had is the CJP. The support for this program spans the entire San Aotonio legal community and has helped to sustain its success for the past decade. The CJP is a shining star of our bar association and has inspired similar programs across the state. Dozens of volunteers attend each clinic to assist indigent clients with an array of legal problems. The program provides attorneys with an efficient setting in which to engage in pro bono work. Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid provides all screening services and malpractice insurance so that attorneys are assured of protection and that they are providing services to the truly needy. I have seen this program grow from a conceptual idea to a thriving entity that is now finnly engrained into the fabric of our local legal community. It is my honor to nominate the CJP for this award and on behalf of the San Aotonio Bar Association, I thank you for this opportunity. Sincerely, Executive Director San Antonio Bar Association Page 7 of 20

9 erry Tottenham's long career as an attorney has been successful and rewarding, but there was always something percolating in the back of his mind about :ii;f,:::~to t.ri.eeclini~ do more, more. "My own time in the ~}.""rvi,'p greatly impacted me as a lawyer, ',, have always felt that more should ", be done to take talce care of the young troops returning from war, including meeting their legal needs," he said, said. Following law school, Tottenham served from as a Captain in the Marine Corps, Corps. He is now of counsel in the Austin office of Fulbright & Jaworski.c, and the immediate past president of the " State Bar of Texas, Texas. During the time he was considering a run for that position, he decided to make his idea a reality, reality. "When I was asked to run for President of The State Bar, I had already been interested in trying to help veterans for some time., and I was aware of a program started in Houston where lawyers provided free legal services for veterans, veterans. This prompted a real desire in me to carry that kind of initiative statewide," he said, said. Tottenham emphasized the existing need due to the already large veterans population in Texas, and how that need is rapidly growing as more veterans return home from Iraq and Afghanistan, Afghanistan. He came up with the moniker for his Texas Lawyers for Texas Veterans (TLTV) initiative and created a coalition of interested parties to join him on his mission, mission. "By allying ourselves with the VA medical facilities and other veterans groups from across the state, we could help others buy in to this project," project." he said passionately, passionately. "This was an easy sell and went together like apple pie and motherhood, motherhood. Everyone wanted to get on board," board." Thus, the interest spread like a wildfire and the efforts to help veterans' legal needs has been one of the most unifying, successful projects that the Lone Star State's legal community has ever seen, seen. Locally, Tottenham enlisted his former law school classmate and dear friend, Allan DuBois, to help organize the San Antonio movement of TLTV, TLTV. DuBois, a former Army JAG, explained that when he heard about his longtime friend's plan to assist the legal needs of low-income veterans he was immediately Page 8 of 20 _ntoniol.",('1' ) \m (,1Il1)(T-1 h'} ( 11l!J( I. lmv~~tum \I~:~~ ~'~~ on board to develop a plan of action in San Antonio, Antonio. "When Terry took me aside and said that he had an idea to help veterans as part of his State Bar presidency and gave me the statistics for homeless and impoverished vets I just knew it was something that was badly needed," he said, said. DuBois's own time in the military, along with his strong family ties to the military, inspired him to continue his call to public service and give back to the veteran population within his own community, community. DuBois approached Fourth Court of Appeals Justice Phylis Speedlin about implementing a veterans project locally, locally. Speedlin is also a veteran having served as a First Lieutenant in the Army Nurse Corps from , She is also the cofounder of the Community Justice Program, the President of the Community Justice Foundation, immediate past president of the San Antonio Bar Association and the chair of the SABA's Pro Bono Committee, Committee. "Veterans' needs and issues have a very special place in my heart and I have long wanted to design a pro bono project aimed at serving our local vets, vets. When Terry launched his plan, it was amazing to me that my presidency was the same year as his and this was a perfect matchup," she said, said. Through the hard work of DuBois, Speedlin, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid and the SABA Pro Bono Committee, along with generous funding through the Texas Access to Justice Foundation, monthly veterans' legal clinics are held through the Community Justice Program at the Audie L. Murphy Veterans Hospital In and around San Antonio - which is often referred to as Military City, USA - there has long been an extraordinarily large population of veterans, veterans. Now, the San Antonio Military Medical Center (SAMMC) is the largest inpatient medical facility in the Department of Defense, so many new veterans call this city home, home. Tottenham said he is incredibly proud of wha,t wha.t DuBois,Speedlin and others in San ~tonio have done to make the pro bono

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14 .~. feature Community Justice Program reaches out to low-income citizens Attorney-client privilege '8 JULY Q AIr1'OIItO cu.u.., Page 13 of 20

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