By Allan K. DuBois and Laura Gibson
This Veterans Day, as we honor and thank the brave men and women who served in the United States military, the State Bar of Texas is keenly aware that more must be done to serve our veterans.
Texas continues to have one of the nation’s largest veteran populations. Approximately 1.7 million current Texas residents have served in the military, according to the National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics. We are grateful for their service.
These men and women return from service with complicated health and living issues. No doubt many need the assistance of an attorney to help them navigate benefits and pension claims or to assist in civil or family matters.
The Houston Bar Association is at the forefront of programs designed to serve the legal needs of veterans in Texas. In 2008, under the leadership of then-President Travis Sales, the association established the Veterans Legal Initiative (VLI) with the support of the City of Houston, the regional Veterans Administration, the Texas Veterans Commission, and other organizations. While there are groups that help veterans with housing, employment, and mental health, only lawyers can address the legal needs of low-income veterans.
In 2010, the State Bar of Texas created Texas Lawyers for Texas Veterans, a program modeled off of the HBA’s work that assists local bar associations in establishing pro bono legal clinics to help veterans and their families who otherwise could not afford needed legal services.
Since 2008, the HBA’s program has provided pro bono legal services to 12,414 veterans in Harris and surrounding counties. Since the launch of Texas Lawyers for Texas Veterans, more than 18,000 veterans statewide have been served by 5,000 or more volunteer attorneys.
The HBA recognized that the size and diversity of Houston called for outreach beyond the city limits, to suburbs and towns that account for 65 percent of the population of the greater metropolitan area. With the assistance of grants from the Texas Access to Justice Foundation and the Houston Bar Foundation, the Veterans Legal Initiative has expanded to reach veterans from Galveston to Conroe to Bryan/College Station. In almost any given week, a low-income veteran who needs legal assistance can visit a clinic somewhere in that service area.
At the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, the HBA’s Houston Volunteer Lawyers hold a walk-in clinic 50 Fridays a year, serving 30-45 veterans at each clinic. In outlying counties, the initiative offers an average of two Saturday clinics each month at VA Outpatient Clinics or community centers. We will continue to monitor the needs of our veterans and develop new ways to serve them.
The success of Houston’s program is directly related to the commitment of its volunteer attorneys, who represent a spectrum of the legal community. Some are veterans themselves and know the importance of a helping hand in achieving a successful, balanced life after military service. Through their dedication, these volunteer attorneys have:
- kept a war widow from losing her home to a vendor’s lien after fraudulent repairs;
- returned children to a veteran whose ex-wife had left the state with them;
- granted visitation rights to a veteran whose wife had denied him access to their newborn for nearly a year; and
- given peace of mind to more than a dozen terminally ill patients by providing them with a last will and testament.
These are only a few of the thousands of stories about Houston lawyers serving those who have served us.
So this Veterans Day, as we honor those who have served our country, we have two requests: (1) if you are a Houston-area lawyer, please volunteer with the HBA through www.hba.org; and (2) if you know a veteran who needs legal help, in the Houston area call 713-333-VETS (8387), direct them to texasbar.com/veterans, or call the State Bar of Texas at 800-204-2222 ext. 1514 for more information.
Allan K. DuBois is president of the State Bar of Texas and the owner of the Law Office of Allan K. DuBois in San Antonio, where he handles civil litigation and appeals, mediation, and arbitration. He is a former U.S. Army JAGC lawyer, who has volunteered for veterans legal clinics since their inception. (High-resolution headshot available upon request.)
Laura Gibson is president of the Houston Bar Association. She is a founding partner with Ogden, Gibson, Broocks, Longoria & Hall, LLP. She is board-certified in labor and employment law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. (High-resolution headshot available upon request.)