Message From The Chair 

     Throughout this year I have had the privilege of serving as Chair of the Houston Bar Foundation. Many ask what is the Houston Bar Foundation and what does it do? As a young lawyer I asked these same questions myself.

     The Houston Bar Foundation is the charitable arm of the Houston Bar Association. It is a qualified 501(c)(3) organization with, primarily, a three-fold mission:
     (1) We support legal assistance programs for low-income residents of Harris County who cannot afford to pay for legal services;
     (2) We sponsor education programs about our legal system; and
     (3) We provide assistance to our fellow attorneys who may be in need.

     The Houston Bar Foundation is the primary benefactor of the Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program ("HVLP") which provides pro bono legal services to low-income and financially disadvantaged residents of Harris County. In 2009, volunteer lawyers devoted 26,580 hours of legal services, handling 2,280 pro bono cases and providing advice and counsel to thousands more through HVLP clinics. From January through July of 2010, volunteer lawyers accepted 1,459 cases for ongoing representation and provided 13,907 hours of legal services. The types of cases handled include family law and child custody matters, probate, consumer and bankruptcy matters, social security benefits, veteran's benefits and AIDS-related legal matters. Of particular note are the HVLP's veteran's clinics and the recently conducted will-a-thon for active duty military personnel about to be deployed to Afghanistan. Few of these pro bono activities could occur without the financial support of the Houston Bar Association.

     In the area of education, for the 19th year, the Houston Bar Foundation is involved, in partnership with the Houston Bar Association Auxiliary Charitable Fund, with the distribution of "Now You Are 18" handbooks to Houston area high school students. These handbooks provide information about our legal system and the rule of law, as well as guidance on certain laws of general interest so that these young people will be better prepared to deal with the real world as new adults. This year approximately 25,000 of the handbooks were distributed.

     As mentioned, we also help local lawyers who are in need of financial assistance. Over the years, we have assisted attorneys whose practices were victimized by hurricanes and storms. We have also provided assistance to lawyers adversely affected by health and medical problems, the need for mental or physical rehabilitation services and other family situations. The Foundation-sponsored lawyer assistance program is now in its 21st year.

     How are we able to do this? The answer is simple: the financial generosity of the lawyers of Houston and the surrounding Harris County area; and careful stewardship of the funds we receive and invest.

     In addition to direct contributions from individuals and firms, the Houston Bar Foundation has two other primary fundraising sources: (1) the annual Harvest Party held each November, and (2) the Fellows program. This year we raised a record $527,500 in underwriting for the Harvest Party. This underwriting comes from the generous support of large, medium and small law firms; corporate legal departments; solo practitioners; and vendors and service providers to the legal profession. Without these funds, the activities of the HVLP would be sharply curtailed and, in some instances, would not exist at all.

     Our Fellows program provides individual members of the bar with the opportunity to make a difference. It involves the commitment to make a modest, tax deductible, financial contribution of approximately $0.55 per day, to the Houston Bar Foundation over a period of ten years. The success of our Fellows program is critical to the financial success of the Houston Bar Foundation. Without the financial support of our Fellows, the scope and reach of the Houston Bar Foundation's charitable activities would be limited. If you are invited to become a Fellow, please give the invitation your serious consideration. We would welcome you coming on board as a Fellow of the Houston Bar Foundation.

     The Houston Bar Foundation wants to continue to help those less fortunate Houstonians who are in need. I want to thank all who have generously supported our past activities. Your continued support will help insure that our mission will continue to serve the generations that follow us.
 

Rocky Robinson

2010 Chair

Houston Bar Foundation

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