PBJ 2010 Partner Organizations

The Pro Bono in January 2010 Trip will actually be two trips: one to Houston and one to the Rio Grande Valley.

(1) One group of students will travel to the Rio Grande Valley, in the very southern part of Texas near the border with Mexico, where they will be working with the following 4 organizations:

South Texas ProBAR

"The South Texas Pro Bono Asylum Representation Project (ProBAR) is a national effort to provide pro bono legal services to asylum seekers detained in South Texas by the United States government. The project recruits, trains and coordinates the activities of volunteer attorneys, law students and legal assistants. ProBAR is a joint project of the American Bar Association, the State Bar of Texas and the American Immigration Lawyers Association. The Texas Access to Justice Foundation provides support to this project."

South Texas Civil Rights Project (TCRP)

"The Texas Civil Rights Project (TCRP) promotes racial, social, and economic justice through education and litigation. TCRP strives to foster equality, secure justice, ensure diversity, and strengthen communities. TCRP was founded in 1990 as part of Oficina Legal del Pueblo Unido, a non-profit community-based foundation located in South Texas."

Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRLA)

"Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRLA) is a nonprofit organization that provides free legal services to the residents of Southwest Texas who are unable to afford the fees of attorneys in private practice. In eight of the counties, TRLA also provides representation in criminal cases through its Public Defender Division. TRLA also serves migrant and seasonal farm workers throughout the states of Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky."

(2) A second group of students will be traveling to Houston to work with another great organization:
Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program (HVLP).

"HVLP helps low-income citizens that other programs often cannot serve, such as those who may not meet the financial criteria of other legal assistance programs or non-US citizens. This is what makes HVLP unique. HVLP’s commitment to helping those in need strongly reinforces how deeply the legal profession cares about the Houston community."

Please check out these organizations' websites to find out about the extensive community work each of these groups have conducted so successfully in the past.

Additionally, HVLP has been recognized as the Pro Bono Program of the Year, and recipient of the 2009 State Bar Pro Bono Award. Congratulations!

We at UT Law look forward to putting our hearts and minds into our work with these impressive organizations in January 2010!