Texas local bar associations celebrated for improving access to justice for low-income Texans

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 29, 2026

Media contact: Melanie Dragger
Office Manager, Texas Access to Justice Commission
(512) 427-1838; [email protected]

Texas local bar associations celebrated for improving
access to justice for low-income Texans

Awardees from the Jefferson County Bar Association (JCBA) pose with presenters at the Local Bar Leaders Conference July 24. From L-R: Alex Stelly (JCBA president), Senior Justice Debra Lehrmann (Supreme Court of Texas), Paige Brown (JCBA Young Lawyers Committee), Elijah Smith (JCBA Young Lawyers Committee CLE chair), G. David Smith (president, State Bar of Texas). Photo by Will Korn/Texas Bar Journal.

Houston - The Texas Access of Justice Commission honored four Texas local bar associations Friday for their commitment to access-to-justice issues. Senior Justice Debra Lehrmann of the Supreme Court of Texas presented the Deborah G. Hankinson Awards on behalf of the commission during the State Bar of Texas' Local Bar Leaders Conference.

The Hankinson Awards honor local bar associations and young lawyer affiliate associations that demonstrate a commitment to access to justice by creating initiatives that increase access to civil legal services, increase awareness of access to justice issues, or raise funds for legal aid providers on a local and statewide basis. This year's winners are:

Division I
Division I includes bar associations with fewer than 500 members. It had two award winners this year.

The Bell County Bar Association was selected for its outstanding commitment to providing access to justice to veterans through pro bono service. They hosted two legal clinics in which 17 attorney volunteers served at least 27 veterans, featured speakers on veterans' legal issues at their two latest Bench Bar Conferences, and sponsored their annual Adoption Day in November. The latest Adoption Day set a record, with 17 families participating and 31 children adopted.

The Jefferson County Bar Association was selected for its commitment to advancing access to justice across Jefferson, Orange, Liberty, and Hardin counties. This year, through its Pro Bono Program, 40 volunteer attorneys donated 625 hours to close 57 cases and open 41 new cases for low-income Texans. Their Veterans Legal Initiative hosted two in-person legal clinics and one Stand Down event, reaching more than 400 veterans. Twenty-five volunteer attorneys donated 84 hours to close 18 cases and open 16 new cases this year. They also hosted bimonthly Pro Se Clinics with the family courts this year, helping self-represented litigants with almost 400 uncontested family law cases.

Division III
Division III is made up of bar associations with 2,000 or more members. This year's winner was the Tarrant County Bar Association. They were selected for demonstrating a strong culture of service. Volunteer attorneys in their LegalLine program provided legal guidance by phone to more than 800 community members this year. They also provided direct legal assistance to low-income community members through Tarrant County Volunteer Attorney Services and offered legal guidance and resources to more than 70 others in need. Their annual People's Law School, a free event that helps the public better understand common legal issues, served more than 55 attendees. They also prioritized broad distribution of The Elder Law Handbook, which underwent a comprehensive update, and launched a new centralized, user-friendly website called tcbalawhelp.org to guide people to legal help. Through Texas Lawyers for Texas Veterans, they provided free legal assistance to about 140 veterans via in-person and remote clinics.

Young Lawyer Affiliate
This year's winner among Young Lawyer Affiliates was the Jefferson County Young Lawyers. They paired with their parent organization, the Jefferson County Bar Association, to assist with their Pro Bono Program and Veterans Legal Advice Clinics. The young lawyers affiliate was particularly engaged with Adoption Day this year, which served as a springboard to get young lawyers more involved in other local bar pro bono efforts.