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28 Headnotes 1 (2004)

handle is hein.barjournals/hdba0028 and id is 1 raw text is: Dallas Bar Association H EADNOTE S Volume 28 * Number 1 • January 1, 2004 Making Quality Legal Services Available to All by Sue Cady J ust ask Michael Shore and Peter Kraus why they give so generously to the Cam- paign for Equal Access to Justice and they'll tell you it is because they see the need every day for high quality legal services for the poor in Dallas. Not for the first time, both of their firms have pledged $25,000 to the 2004 campaign, which funds the Dallas Volunteer Attor- ney Program. DVAP conducts neighbor- hood clinics each month at four community locations; specialty clinics including Debt Counsel- ing Clinic, Legal Clinic for the El- derly and Mental Health Clinic, a Pro se Divorce Clinic; a referral program to large firms and a civil case telephone referrals. Contributions to the campaign allow the work of the Dallas Vol- unteer Attorney Program's volun- teers and staff to continue and, in fact, thrive. With 12 full-time em- ployees who coordinate and sup- port pro bono activities and over 1,000 active volunteers, DVAP helped over 3,000 people from January 1 to November 30, 2003. The program and its volunteers sponsored 72 Neighborhood Legal Clinics, 70 Pro Se Clinics, and 21 CLE programs in 2003. DVAP's work hasn't gone un- noticed. The program and its vol- unteers have received multiple State Bar awards and have been recognized by the American Bar Association. Like the Campaign for Equal Access to Justice, DVAP is a joint program of the Dallas Bar Associ- ation and Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas (formerly Legal Services of North Texas). Both the DBA and LANWT provide financial and management support to the pro- gram, and both bring their indi- vidual strengths to the Campaign and DVAP. The DBA has fundraising experience and the relationship with volunteers and potential volunteers to enhance financial support and recruit- ment. LANWT has the expertise of over 30 years of providing legal assistance to the poor In addition, DVAP provides program support and ancillary services for free MCLE training, professional liability insurance coverage, volunteer court re- porters, volunteer guardians and attorney ad litem and mentoring. Since 1999, Shore and his wife, Judy Keller Shore of Shore*Deary, have contributed $130,X00 to the campaign. Kraus and his firm, Wa- ters & Kraus, L.L.P, have con- tributed $66,0xJ to the campaign since 200(). 'We give because it's easy and it's the right thing to do - a rare combination, Shore said. 'We want to try and even the playing field. Justice is not free and many cannot afford high quality legal services. Kraus said he believes giving back to the legal profession and making access to justice available to all is the right thing to do. The Campaign for Equal Ac- cess to Justice began in 1994. The fundraising drive begins each fall and culminates with the inaugu- ral in January. 'We could not provide the high level of quality legal services we offer without the ongoing and generous support of donors like Michael Shore and Peter Kraus, said Rhonda Hunter, DBA pres- ident. 'We appreciate them and the way they honor us by giving to this campaign. HN Sue Cady is the Communications Director for the Dallas Bar Association. Hunter Takes Reins as 2004 DBA President by Aiex Fleming honda Hunter, a Board Certified Family Law Specialist, has becoen the 95th president in the 131 yearhistory of the Dallas Bar Association. She is the first African-American and the first family lawyer to serve as President. Hunter has served on the Dallas Bar Association board of directors since 1991 in every executive capacity from Secre- tary-Treasurer in 1993 to chair of the Board in 1999, to president- elect in 20)3. Hunter Education is an important theme in the initiatives planned for this year. My goal is to educate the public and the profession during my tenure as president, she said. I am honored that the lawyers of this great organization have selected me to lead it. Hunter will take an educational package to schools through the Law Day and Law and the Schools commit- tees of the Dallas Bar. She will also host a legal clinic for the poor at Belo in March, continuing a program she began as president of the DBA Community Service Fund. Te home for our lawyers should also be known as a place where service is given to the community, Hunter said. We have so many great projects through our sec- tions and committees, I hope to expand the public's knowledge about the resources available through our lawyer volunteers. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court's landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Educa tion. The DBA Commemoration Comnittee, which in- cludes Judge Merrill Hartman, Michael Hurst, Dar- rel Jordan, Paula Mifler, Tonya Parker, Sid and Susan Stahl, Paul Stafford and others is planning a se- nes o events to nonor me signmlcance ani tne nistonc nature of the decision. Dennis Archer, president of the American Bar Association and former mayor of Detroit, is scheduled to keynote Law Day festivities as a part of the commemoration. Hunter first became active in the DBAwhen she be- came a member of the Family Law Section, later serv- SEE RHONDA HUNTER, PAGE 7 MLKLunccon Justice in Education Symposium 3 Mack Tr-1 Judicial Profile 7 e Page 2 Focus on Health Care 8-9

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