May 2, 2019 by Clarissa Ayala
Lone Star Legal Aid & the Pro Bono Committee of the Family Law Section of the State Bar of Texas Team Up to Provide Free Continuing Legal Education to East Texas Attorneys
For Immediate Release
Huntsville, TX – The State Bar of Texas Family Law Section’s Pro Bono Committee has selected Huntsville as one of the locations this year for its “Family Law Essentials” seminar on May 17, 2019. The event will take place at the City of Huntsville Municipal Court, 717 FM 2821 W., Suite 200 in Huntsville, Texas.
The Family Law Section has hosted these seminars for several years, traditionally in areas where there is a great need for pro bono involvement. Private attorneys who attend will receive free and live continuing legal education in exchange for an agreement to accept two (2) pro bono cases with Lone Star Legal Aid. Pro bono cases are those that are accepted by attorneys who agree to provide representation to the client at no cost. This is especially important in cases where economically disadvantaged Texans would otherwise be unable to see the help of the judicial system in a meaningful way without the assistance of an attorney.
Practicing attorneys within a 100 mile radius of Walker County were sent notices by the State Bar of Texas relative to this event. A Judges panel will be held during the free lunch, generously sponsored by Jenkins & Kamin, LLP and Jacqueline Smith & Associates. Judges scheduled to attend the panel include Hon. Hal Ridley, 278th Judicial District Court, Hon. Shaun Carpenter, 220th Judicial District Court, and Hon. Tracy Sorensen, County Court at Law, Walker County. Eight premier speakers with numerous years of Family Law experience and expertise among them are scheduled to speak on subjects ranging from dealing with social media in a Divorce action to avoiding litigation through mediation.
The event will be moderated by Adam Dietrich with Jenkins & Kamin, LLP and Jacque Smith with Jacqueline Smith & Associates. They are talented Family Law attorneys in their own right who believe in the obligation of every Texas attorney to give back to their community by representing those who cannot afford an attorney. Adam primarily practices in Montgomery and surrounding counties, while Jacque’s primary practice is Harris and surrounding counties. Both of these attorneys are Board Certified in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, a distinction which less than 1% of all attorneys in the State of Texas enjoy. They both serve on the Council of the Family Law Section, have both spoken and directed continuing courses, and volunteer their time mentoring young attorneys.
The event is also generously co-sponsored by TexasBarCLE, TexasBarBooks and the Legal Access Division of the State Bar of Texas.
Without the generous sponsors who provide support for this important and necessary recruiting event, and the attorneys who benefit from it by attending and ultimately performing pro bono service, many of the low income individuals who apply to Lone Star Legal Aid for assistance would be turned away without any representation.
The legal profession and the community it serves all gain from this event because it achieves the goal of recruiting pro bono lawyers by educating the private bar on the remarkable difference that pro bono lawyers make to our nation, to our system of justice, to our communities and, most of all, to the clients they serve.
The Family Law Section (https://sbotfam.org/), through its members, is a leader in the delivery of pro bono services to the economically disadvantaged. It conducts free seminars around the State to educate attorneys on the fundamentals of family law cases. The price of admission to the seminar, which qualifies for mandatory CLE credit, is the commitment to handle two family law pro bono matters in the next twelve months. This and other pro bono initiatives are organized through the Committee, the pro bono arm of the Family Law Section.
Lone Star Legal Aid is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit law firm focused on advocacy on behalf of low-income and underserved populations. Lone Star Legal Aid serves the millions of people at 125% of federal poverty guidelines that reside in 72 counties in the eastern and Gulf Coast regions of Texas, and 4 counties of southwest Arkansas. Lone Star Legal Aid focuses its resources on maintaining, enhancing, and protecting income and economic stability; preserving housing; improving outcomes for children; establishing and sustaining family safety and stability, health and wellbeing; and assisting populations with special vulnerabilities, like those who have disabilities, or who are elderly, homeless, or have limited English language skills. To learn more about Lone Star Legal Aid, and how to apply for legal services, visit our website at www.lonestarlegal.org.
Media contact: Clarissa Ayala, cayala@lonestarlegal.org.
