Funded Programs

Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program
The Houston Bar Foundation provides primary support for the HBA's Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program (HVLP) through an annual grant. HVLP's mission is to provide pro bono representation through volunteer attorneys to indigent and low income residents of Harris County. HVLP provides an important link between the applicant seeking legal assistance and the volunteer providing pro bono services. In 2010, HVLP screened 24,852 applicants for legal services by telephone, face to face at a Family Law Courthouse Booth, and through Saturday legal clinics. From the initial applicant contact, 3,612 interviews were conducted, with 1,956 cases accepted for placement with a volunteer attorney. All applicants received either a referral or advice regarding their legal matters. In many instances, referrals were made to other local assistance organizations because the caller did not have a legal issue that could be resolved by HVLP, or they did not meet the criteria for placement with HVLP. In 2010 HVLP closed 14,664 cases which consisted of applicants that received counsel and advice and those that received complete representation. HVLP currently has 4,198 open cases, 2,906 of which are being handled by volunteers. There are 2,054 attorneys actively engaged in providing representation in a wide range of civil matters, with some attorneys working on more than one case. In 2010, attorneys have reported 17,832 volunteer hours. At the conservative calculated rate of $200 per hour, this represents $3,566,400 in pro bono legal services.

Juvenile Justice Mock Trial Program
The Houston Bar Association’s Juvenile Justice Mock Trial Program is now in its 36th year of teaching young teens about law and the legal system. Each school year, as part of social studies, history or government classes, students at participating schools in the Houston area work with law students and HBA staff to learn about procedures involved in a courtroom trial. Over a five-week period, the students develop their own case story and assume the roles of judge, jurors, attorneys, defendants, plaintiffs and witnesses. At the end of the unit, 40 classes travel to the Harris County courthouse complex where they act out their mock trial in an actual courtroom, through cooperation with the Harris County judiciary. The program focuses on eighth grade students, but has worked with classes of fourth, fifth and sixth graders, including classes for hearing-impaired students. The program has reached more than 37,000 students, encouraging respect for the judicial system and discouraging entry into the juvenile justice system in a negative way. A number of students who have been through the mock trial program have gone on to law school and worked with the program as law students.

‘Now You Are 18’ Handbooks
A grant to the Houston Bar Association Auxiliary Charitable Fund enables the HBAA to distribute copies of the booklet, “Now You Are 18,” to high school seniors throughout Harris County. Prepared by the Texas Lawyers Auxiliary, the booklet explains the importance of knowing one’s legal rights and responsibilities. Topics covered include issues students are likely to encounter as they enter the “real” world, such as renting an apartment, credit and debt collection, employment, and buying a car.

Administration of Justice Scholarship Program
In 1994, the Houston Bar Foundation established annual scholarships to provide continuing education that is directly related to the administration of justice in Harris County. Grants have been made for both individuals and groups for continuing education programs. According to court administrator Jack Thompson, this is the only continuing education grant of its kind for court coordinators.
 

Lawyers Assistance Program
The Houston Bar Foundation provides limited temporary financial assistance to attorneys who qualify and are approved by the Foundation’s Board of Directors as being in need of financial assistance.
 

Historic Document Preservation Project
The Houston Bar Foundation partners with the Harris County District Clerk’s Document Preservation Project to accept donations for preserving historic cases and documents from the courts, dating to the early 1800s. The project has enabled the county to preserve hundreds of judicial records of interest to historians, the bar and the general public, and to make them available through 21st century technology. 

Click here for the Houston Bar Foundation Memorial Donation Form

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