Texas RioGrande Legal Aid Newsroom

Laredo Morning Times – La Ladrillera residents want facility out of neighborhood

Texas RioGrande Legal Aid — Wed, 22 May 2013 17:10:14 +0000

Residents from Barrio La Ladrillera ended a meeting with City Councilwoman Cindy Liendo only minutes after it started Tuesday evening, when they did not receive a pledge from her to support efforts in shutting down a nearby metal recycling facility.

Representatives from Los Olvidados, or “The Forgotten Ones,” now say they are planning their next strategy with lawyers from Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, which may mean a lawsuit aimed at Wilkinson Gary Iron and Metal.

To read the entire article, click here.

El Paso Times – Military, vets can access legal services

Texas RioGrande Legal Aid — Fri, 17 May 2013 15:50:25 +0000

There are many resources available to active servicemembers and veterans. The El Paso legal community continues to reach in a warm abrazo to show its support to them.

Texas Lawyers for Texas Veterans is a State Bar of Texas Committee established to develop and assist pro bono legal clinics throughout the state for veterans and families who cannot afford or do not have access to the legal services they need.

To read the entire article, click here.

Huffington Post – Time to Put Lawyers Back to Work as Public Servants

Texas RioGrande Legal Aid — Thu, 16 May 2013 14:48:28 +0000

Since the start of the Great Recession, numerous articles and reports have detailed the employment woes of lawyers and recent law school graduates. An abundance of lawyers and a decline in traditional law jobs has led to an unfortunate scenario — many lawyers are out of work and those in law school have few prospects

To read the entire article, click here.

Legal Aid Receives Support for Outreach to Rural Texans

Texas RioGrande Legal Aid — Mon, 13 May 2013 15:35:07 +0000

Contact:
Cynthia Martinez, Communications Director * 512-374-2764 * cmartinez@trla.org

WESLACO, Texas – May 13, 2013 – The Texas Bar Foundation has awarded a grant of $11,620 to Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRLA) in support of expanding legal outreach to underserved areas of rural Texas.

The grant will go to support TRLA’s Rural Outreach Initiative (ROI), a program started in 2010 aimed at educating residents of rural areas on TRLA’s services and exploring systemic legal issues in these communities. The ROI is a project of TRLA and the Pro Bono Program at the University of Texas School of Law.

“Low-income Texans living in rural areas often have difficulty accessing the legal system,” said TRLA Executive Director David Hall. “Since we do not have offices in these areas, our Rural Outreach Initiative is vital to giving residents the support they need to fight for their legal rights.”

During the program, TRLA attorneys and UT law students visit small, rural towns and meet with residents regarding legal problems facing the community and services offered by TRLA. Additional visits throughout the year allow advocates to help residents address their legal issues and build relationships with community institutions to ensure that TRLA retains a strong presence in the area.

Added Hall, “The support of the Texas Bar Foundation will go a long way in helping low-income Texans get the legal help they need.”

Since its inception in 1965, the Texas Bar Foundation has awarded more than $14 million in grants to law-related programs. Supported by members of the State Bar of Texas, the Texas Bar Foundation is the nation’s largest charitably funded bar foundation.

Established in 1970, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, Inc. (TRLA) is a nonprofit organization that provides free civil legal services to low-income and disadvantaged clients in a 68-county service area. TRLA’s mission is to promote the dignity, self-sufficiency, safety, and stability of low-income Texas residents by providing high-quality civil legal assistance and related educational services. For more information, including donor and pro bono opportunities, visit www.trla.org.

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El Paso Times – Second El Paso Bike Month expands events

Texas RioGrande Legal Aid — Thu, 09 May 2013 17:11:20 +0000

May is National Bike Month.

So David Samaniego would like his fellow El Pasoans to consider riding to work, school or play.

“I got started seven years ago by watching Lance Armstrong on the Tour de France,” Samaniego said. “I realized how fun bicycling is again. When you’re a kid, you know how fun it really is, but as an adult, you tend to forget. I started for fitness, but now I do it because I love it so much. I try to ride as much as I can.”

To read the entire article, click here.

Kiii – Wreath Display at Courthouse in Honor of Victims of Crimes

Texas RioGrande Legal Aid — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 19:16:46 +0000

There’s a new wreath display at the Lipan Street entrance of the Nueces County Courthouse in honor of those who have been victims of crimes and their families.

To read the entire article,click here.

Fronteras – Guest Worker Programs Have A Long History In U.S.

Texas RioGrande Legal Aid — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 14:58:23 +0000

Fulfilling the demand for unskilled labor is a big part of the immigration bill unveiled by a group of bipartisan senators this week.

One of the oldest and certainly the largest guest worker program in United States history was that of the Braceros. Nearly 5 million Mexican laborers worked in U.S. fields over the course of two decades. Even as Congress debates future programs, unresolved issues remain with both current and past guest workers.

To read the entire article, click here.

Equal Voice – Sequester Stalemate Cuts Legal Aid, Child Care, Housing

Texas RioGrande Legal Aid — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 14:55:01 +0000

Weeks after a political stalemate set in motion $85 billion in federal spending cuts for fiscal year 2013, sequestration has shifted from a political debate in the halls of Congress to a looming reality in neighborhood streets – especially in some of the poorest areas of the country.

To read the entire article, click here.

The Monitor – Federal cuts risk civil legal aid for poor people

Texas RioGrande Legal Aid — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 14:01:39 +0000

Project by project, Graciano Arechiga turned a broken-down house into a home his grandchildren could take pride in.

With its rotting walls and roof, the house was little more than a shell when Arechiga moved it onto a small plot of land owned by his daughter in 2009. Arechiga, a 50-year-old migrant farm worker, set to work on repairs: strengthening its frame with new studs, redesigning its interior space and then replacing Sheetrock and adding carpet.

To read the entire article, click here.

KRGV – Legal Aid Funding in Jeopardy

Texas RioGrande Legal Aid — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 13:23:56 +0000

Federal budget cuts will affect the Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, local leaders said.

The agency could lose three lawyers in the Valley. Several paralegals and clerks also could lose their jobs. The agency operates with federal and state funds.

To watch the news broadcast, click here.