Rep. Lizzie Fletcher (TX-7) and leaders
of the Texas legal community will join the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) as
it kicks off its 50th anniversary year with a forum in Houston on Monday,
January 22. The event will focus on increasing access to justice and highlight
the topics of regulatory reform and responding to domestic violence.
In addition to Rep. Fletcher, speakers
will include Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht, Texas Supreme
Court Justice Brett Busby, CEO of Genesis Women’s Shelter & Support Jan
Edgar Langbein, former White House Counsel and Partner at Locke Lorde LLP
Harriet Miers, and LSC Board Chairman John Levi.
LSC’s Texas grantees Lone Star Legal Aid, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid and Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas will also participate in the event.
The largest funder of civil legal aid for low-income Americans, LSC was established by Congress in 1974. To mark this historic anniversary, LSC is commencing an outreach campaign — “Protecting the Promise” of equal justice. LSC’s 2022 Justice Gap report found that low-income Americans received no or insufficient legal help for 92% of their civil legal problems.
“Far too many people are prevented from seeking or receiving justice because they lack resources,” says LSC President Ron Flagg. “As LSC embarks on its 50th year, we are committed to raising awareness of this crisis and promoting solutions that can expand access to justice for low-income Americans everywhere.”
The first in a series of nationwide events, this forum features panel discussions of two significant topics in access to justice. The first panel on domestic violence comes as news reports indicate that DV cases have rapidly increased since the pandemic. Panelists from prominent organizations supporting Texas survivors will discuss the importance of a coordinated response in providing services.
In the second panel discussion, members of the Texas Access to Justice Commission will look at the role of regulatory reform in expanding access to legal help for low-income and rural Americans. Panelists for these discussions are:
• “Domestic Violence Requires our Collective Response”
- Maisha Colter, CEO, AVDA: Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse
- Judge Dimple Malhotra, Travis County Court at Law #4
- Sonia Lopez, director of Innovative Programming, Lone Star Legal Aid
- Emilee Dawn Whitehurst, president and CEO, Houston Area Women’s Center
- Moderator: Cindy Tisdale, president, State Bar of Texas; partner, Goranson Bain Ausley PLLC; Of Counsel, Lynch, Chappell & Alsup
• “Considering Regulatory Reform with the Texas Access to Justice Commission”
- Lisa Bowlin Hobbs, founding member, Kuhn Hobbs PLLC
- Judge Michael C. Massengale, Arbitrator, Mediator, Referee/Special Master, JAMS
- Kennon L. Wooten, partner, Scott Douglass & McConnico LLP
- Moderator: Ron Flagg, president, Legal Services Corporation
During the forum, LSC Pro Bono Service Awards will be presented to six lawyers with a history of remarkable service to Lone Star Legal Aid, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid or Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas.
The forum will be livestreamed on LSC's Facebook page.
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