By Stacey Doré of Energy Future Holdings
(Jan. 29) – Last year, I was asked by Michael Hurst, an exceptional trial lawyer here in Dallas and a stalwart of pro bono work in the community, to serve as an honorary co-chair of the annual Equal Access to Justice Campaign along with the esteemed Jack Balagia, Vice President and General Counsel at Exxon Mobil Corporation.
I was honored to take on this important challenge with Jack and the many other members of the Campaign, including co-chairs Laura Benitez Geisler and Robert Tobey.
The mission of the Equal Access to Justice Campaign is simple: to raise money for the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program (DVAP), which provides civil legal aid to the low-income in our community.
While I have been truly blessed as an adult, I often remember my own upbringing when I am asked to give back to others. I grew up in Crowley, a small town in Louisiana.
My parents were divorced when I was 2, and my mom raised me and my sister on her own on a salary that barely exceeded the poverty line. Growing up, we were fortunate to not have any significant challenges that further tested our limited means. If we had, we would not have been able to afford to access the legal system, and we probably would not have known where to turn.
Whether in rural Louisiana or urban Dallas, prosperity and opportunity are not widely shared, and that means that many people lack access to the basic needs of life, not to mention our legal system.
In Dallas County, for example, approximately 25% of the population qualifies for legal aid.
To put that into context, to qualify for legal aid, an individual must have an income below $14,588 per year and a family of four must have an income of less than $29,813 per year.
DVAP seeks to provide crucial legal services to these folks, many of whom live well below the poverty line. Last year, DVAP opened over 5,200 new cases and closed over 4,300 cases. The cases involved a wide range of important matters, including, among others, family, housing, consumer and wills.
While the number of cases is impressive, the demand continues to outstrip the available resources, leaving critical legal needs unmet.
According to an American Bar Association report, only about 20-25 percent of the civil legal needs of low-income and poor Texas are being met. Similarly, Legal Services Corporation reports that for every one person helped by legal aid, a qualifying individual is turned away.
I believe that as members of a unique and special profession, we can and should do so much more.
That is what we strive to do every day here at EFH. We have a motto in our legal department – “See It. Own It. Solve It.” We apply this motto in our daily work and in our pro bono service and are dedicated to identifying needs, taking ownership of service opportunities and helping to solve the problems facing those less fortunate in our communities.
We encourage our attorneys, non-lawyer employees and outside counsel alike to support pro bono projects that improve the quality of life for the company’s customers and the communities in which our employees live, work and serve.
For example, in Dallas, we work closely with DVAP, both through staffing their legal aid clinics, where lawyers assist with client intake and through fundraising. Some of our lawyers take on pro bono matters from DVAP.
Additionally, last year, our legal department started working on a new guardianship project with Vinson & Elkins and Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. This project assists low-income families whose disabled children are approaching the age of majority. These families need legal assistance obtaining guardianships over children with significant medical and mental issues who are not capable of making medical and legal decisions on their own.
We also try and give back in other ways, including participating in the annual Dallas Bar Association Habitat House project and by actively participating in the company’s annual United Way campaign.
I know the demands – professional and personal – placed on each of us are tremendous, but as we begin this new year, I ask that in 2015 you think of how you can help give back with time or treasure.
For treasure, I ask that you consider making a contribution to the Equal Access to Justice Campaign. We set an ambitious fundraising goal for the year and we were blessed with more than $1.1 million in donations, which is a record.
Leaders of the Dallas Bar are already working on the 2015 fundraising campaign. The need is still there and is bigger than ever. Every single dollar helps serve legal needs for those less fortunate in our community.
To donate, go online to www.dvapcampaign.org or send your check payable to the DBA Community Service Fund and mail to 2101 Ross Avenue, Dallas, 75201. They accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express.
For time, please consider how you can use your special position as a member of the bar to make a difference in the lives of people who cannot afford legal representation. You can do that in a number of ways, including by providing your services to DVAP.
For more information, please visit the DVAP website www.dallasvolunteerattorneyprogram.org or contact my good friend, Chris Reed-Brown at reed-brown@lanwt.org or 214-243-2243.
Stacey Doré is executive vice president and general counsel of Energy Future Holdings Corp., a Dallas-based energy company with a portfolio of competitive and regulated businesses, including TXU Energy, Luminant and Oncor. Before joining EFH in 2008, she was a trial attorney for 11 years at Vinson & Elkins. Stacey serves on the board of Girls Inc. and chairs the Women for Girls. Stacey and her husband live in Dallas and have two sons.
Equal Access to Justice Campaign
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