Texas Law Firm Responds to Legal Access Crisis for Low Income Clients

March 29th, 2011. By BrendaC

Lawyers Giving Back looks at a side of lawyers you don’t hear too much about—the side that gives back…pays it forward..and shares the love. We’ve found quite a number of attorneys who log non-billable hours helping others—simply because they believe it’s the right thing to do. Their stories are inspiring, and hey, who knew lawyers were so…good? If you’ve got a story to share about an attorney who’s doing the right thing, let us know—we’d love to let others know, too. Today, we’re talking with Texas attorney Amy Dinn of  Gardere Wynne Sewell…

Attorney Amy Dinn: “We can work out a solution and get them through the legal system, which is not intuitive.”

From one end of the country to the other, many Americans simply can’t afford access to lawyer. A study done recently by the Legal Services Corporation estimated 50 percent of the legal needs of indigent Americans who need and qualify for legal aid go unmet.

Attorney Amy Dinn, second from left, and the Pro Bono team at Gardere Wynne Sewell

And in the state of Texas, the Texas Young Lawyers Association recently reported in its newsletter that attorneys in the state are addressing less than 25 percent of the needs of low income Texans. “And there is only one legal aid lawyer for every 10,838 poor Texans,” says Amy Dinn, a lawyer from Texas’ Gardere Wynne Sewell, one of the state’s oldest and largest law firms.

“It is not only important to do pro bono work, our firm has made it a priority,” says Dinn. The Houston Bar Association recently awarded Gardere Wynne Sewell a “Star Volunteer” award for its substantial contribution to working with Texans who need—but can’t afford—access to justice.

There are so many people with legal issues and not enough money to hire a lawyer that more people than ever are trying to represent themselves in court proceedings. According to Dinn, “That can actually impede the system, they aren’t experienced in the courtroom or don’t know the law and it slows down the process.”

“So whatever firms can do, even if it is just one case a year, and even if it is a little out of their comfort zone, it is important to do it,” says Dinn.

Dinn, who is trial lawyer, comfortable with contentious and complex litigation like product liability and corporate business disputes, spends many hours helping low income Texans with everything from name changes to estate planning.

“No, it is not my practice area, but I find it really rewarding,” says Dinn.

I recently worked for a woman whose husband was in jail,” says Dinn. “They had been married for 20 or 30 years but she had not seen him for many years and it was essentially a paper marriage and she needed to extricate herself from the marriage.”

“Many people find themselves in situations that are just too complicated for them to solve by themselves. We can work out a solution and get them through the legal system, which is not intuitive.”

Dinn and a group of other lawyers from Gardere Wynne Sewell, together with the Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program, do no cost wills and estate planning clinics. “It is a two-day process.  We meet with the clients one day, then they come back and we draw up the will and execute it.”

“It can really make a difference in these people’s lives. Especially drawing up the wills—just the emotional comfort they get from knowing that their affairs are in order and that their family is taken care of.“

In addition, Dinn usually does four or five pro bono cases a year. “I think it pushes you in different directions professionally and it is really important to give back,” she adds.

Amy Dinn has a B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin and a J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law. Dinn is a partner in the firm of Gardere Wynne Sewell, LLP. Established in 1909, the firm has offices in Dallas, Houston, Austin and Mexico City. It provides legal services to private and public companies and individuals in areas of government affairs, energy, litigation, corporate, tax, environmental, labor and employment, intellectual property and financial services. 

Tags: Gardere Wynn & Sewell, Lawyers Doing Good, Lawyers Giving Back, Texas attorney, Texas lawyer

This was posted on Tuesday, March 29th, 2011 at 8:45 am and is filed under Emerging Issues, Lawyers Giving Back . Feel free to respond, or trackback. Read our comments policy.