© 2012 The Texas Lawbook.
By Mark Curriden
Senior Writer for The Texas Lawbook
American Airlines Assistant General Counsel John S.F. Gross and Haynes and Boone partner Greta E. Cowart could be the poster children for all that is good with the legal profession.
They are definitely the reason people should consider contributing to the Equal Access to Justice campaign.
The duo – both experts in labor and employment law – recently represented a woman who had been let go from her job. Her employer officially listed her as being “fired.” As a result, she lost her medical benefits and was ineligible to receive disability benefits.
Poor, out of work and needing pro bono legal assistance, the woman turned to the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program, which turned to Gross and Cowart. Using their legal knowledge and skills, the pair convinced the Texas Workforce Commission and the woman’s former employer to change her records to more accurately reflect that her employment ended because of a medical disability.
Gross and Cowart didn’t stop there. They filed the paperwork that allowed her to make a successful claim for disability retirement benefits.
Gross and Cowart exemplify the 2,389 lawyers who donated time and expertise last year as part of the DVAP, a pro bono effort operated and funded through the Dallas Bar Association’s Equal Access to Justice campaign.
The six-week-old fundraising campaign has netted nearly $600,000 and is just $100,000 short of its goal.
Lawyers, including Lisa Blue Baron and former Texas Supreme Court Justice Deborah Hankinson, have stepped forward during the past month with $25,000 donations.
Several corporate legal departments, including AT&T, ExxonMobil, Energy Future Holdings and Belo, have contributed a combined $40,000.
“The number of people and families in need of legal representation increases exponentially in times of economic duress,” says Belo Deputy General Counsel David Starr. “More people face eviction, domestic abuse increases, and fraud against the elderly and poor skyrockets.
“Year after year, law firms, lawyers in private practice and judges have made sizable donations to support EAJ, and it’s time for corporations and in-house lawyers to do the same,” says Starr. “My employer has supported EAJ for a number of years, and I hope that others will join in this important effort, especially now, when the need is so great.”
ExxonMobil Assistant General Counsel Susan Sanchez also challenges other corporate legal departments to step forward with contributions.
“ExxonMobil believes in doing well by doing good,” says Sanchez. “Our legal staff believes in Justice Lewis Powell, Jr.’s lofty goal, that justice should be the same, in substance and availability, without regard to economic status.”
Michael Hurst, a partner at Gruber Hurst Johansen Hail Shank and chair of the DBA’s fundraising campaign, says the recession hit poor people especially hard.
“More than 600,000 people in Dallas County qualify financially for DVAP’s help,” says Hurst. “Our volunteer lawyers have saved families from foreclosure, have assisted veterans with their benefits, assisted the elderly with their wills, handled guardianships, domestic violence, and other family and consumer-oriented cases.”
For more information about contributing, please visit www.dvapcampaign.org.
© 2012 The Texas Lawbook. Content of The Texas Lawbook is controlled and protected by specific licensing agreements with our subscribers and under federal copyright laws. Any distribution of this content without the consent of The Texas Lawbook is prohibited.