The Austin Bar Association recently won the 2023 Deborah G. Hankinson Access to Justice Award from the Texas Access to Justice Commission.
The award is given to local bar associations that demonstrate a commitment to access to justice in their communities and to raising financial support for legal service providers on a local and statewide basis.
The Austin Bar won the award for Division III (2,000+ members.) The Austin Bar was recognized for launching, developing, and sustaining numerous pro bono programs, such as Adoption Day, CANLAW clinic for helping cancer patients with end-of-life planning, the Self-Represented Litigant Project supporting litigants on the uncontested civil docket, and the Veterans Initiative, which has helped over 6,000 veterans since its inception.
Additionally, the Austin Bar’s DEI committee supports diversity in the legal profession and compiles resources and information for historically disadvantaged individuals to aid their efforts to access the justice system. The Austin Bar supports the operations of Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas and operates the Lawyer Referral Service of Central Texas, which offers reduced-fee attorneys for eligible applicants.
The award is named after Deborah G. Hankinson, a former Texas Supreme Court Justice, who now works in Dallas as a mediator and arbitrator.
The Austin Bar sincerely thanks the Texas Access to Justice Commission for this distinction. And thank you also to the numerous Austin-area legal organizations that took the time and effort to submit applications for grants from the Austin Bar Foundation.
Together, we’re making a difference in making the law and justice more accessible for people throughout Austin.