EQUAL ACCESS TO JUSTICE
CARLOS EDUARDO CÁRDENAS, El Paso
Attorney at Law
State Bar of Texas
35
thANNUAL
CARLOS EDUARDO CÁRDENAS Attorney & Counselor At Law
The Law Firm of Law Offices of
Carlos Eduardo Cárdenas, P.C. Joseph (Sib) Abraham, Jr.
1104 Nueces Of Counsel,
Austin, Texas 78701 717 E. San Antonio Street
(512) 478-7463 El Paso, Texas 79902
(915) 544-7860
EDUCATION
Georgetown University, B.S. in Business Administration 1977
The University of Texas , J.D. 1980
PROFESSIONAL AWARDS & CERTIFICATIONS
College of the State Bar of Texas 1985-1990
Board Certification in Administrative Law- 1989-1999
Texas Board of Legal Specialization
Martindale-Hubbell, Peer Review Rated AV 2005- Present
Founding Life Fellow- El Paso Bar Foundation 2008 American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) 2009-Present
Pro Bono College- State Bar of Texas 2009
Recognized by the Texas Bar Journal as “Access to Justice January, 2010
Pro Bono Champion”
Ft. Bliss Office of the Staff Judge Advocate-Certificate of Appreciation 2010
El Paso Lawyers for Patriots
Life Fellow- Texas Bar Foundation 2010
State Bar of Texas-Certificate of Appreciation 2011
Texas Lawyers for Texas Veterans
Black El Paso Democrats-Certificate of Appreciation 2011
Community Service-Equal Access to Justice
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS & ACTIVITIES
District IX Committee on Admissions-Texas Board of Law Examiners 1990-1991
Board of Directors – El Paso Bar Association 2002-2011
President 2009-2010
El Paso Bar Association Fee Dispute Committee 2006-2010
State Bar of Texas Hispanic Issues Council 2007-2011
State Bar of Texas Local Bar Services Committee 2007-2012
Chair 2011-2012
Council of the Litigation Section-State Bar of Texas 2008-Present Speaker, State Bar of Texas Webinar-Legislative Update on Litigation June, 2009 Speaker, Panel Discussion-State Bar of Texas- Bar Leaders Conference- July, 2010
Texas Lawyers for Texas Veterans
Speaker, Panel Discussion-State Bar of Texas-Bar Leaders Conference- July, 2010
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACCESS TO JUSTICE COMMISSION ... 1
THE FACE OF POVERTY ... 2
HOW IS POVERTY DEFINED? ... 3
JUSTICE GAP ... 3
LEGAL SERVICES PROGRAMS ... 4
PRO BONO HELP IS NEEDED ... 4
CASES TURNED DOWN ... 5
GAPS IN CIVIL LEGAL SERVICES ... 5
LEGAL AID PROGRAMS THROUGHOUT THE STATE ... 6
PROVIDING LEGAL SERVICES TO THE POOR ... 6
STATE BAR OF TEXAS ... 7
AREAS IN NEED OF ASSISTANCE ... 7
HOW TO HELP ON YOUR OWN ... 8
CARLOS
EDUARDO
CÁRDENAS
EQUAL
ACCESS
TO
JUSTICE
Attorney at
Law
El
Paso,
Texas
State
Bar
of
Texas
35
th
Annual
ADVANCED CIVIL TRIAL COURSE
ADVANCED
CIVIL
TRIAL
COURSE
July
27,
2012
– San
Antonio
August
24,
2012
– Dallas
October
19,
2012
– Houston
orne
y
s
ivate
att
m a k i n g
a
d i f f e r e n c e
pr
i
The
Face
of
Poverty
Did you know:
y
•
In
Texas,
more
than
6
million
people
qualify
for
legal
aid.
The
Face
of
Poverty
Equal Access to Justice Chapter 27
How
is
Poverty
defined?
Legal
g
Aid
eligibility
g
y
125%
of
Federal
poverty
level
$13,963
per
year
for
a
single
person
$28,813
per
year
for
a
family
of
four
A f
il
f f
i
l
th
$2 401
th
A
minimum
wage
worker
earns
$15,080
per
year.
A family of four survives on less than $2,401 per month
•
Law
offices,
neighborhoods,
Justice
Gap
and
churches
•
Court
houses
— pro
se
litigants
•
Natural disasters
Natural
disasters
Programs
funded
by
the
Legal
Services
Programs
g
y
Legal
Services Corporation
(LSC)
Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas
Lone Star Legal Aid
Texas RioGrande Legal Aid
Pro
Bono
Help
is
Needed
There
is
one
Texas
attorney
in
private
practice
for every 392 Texans
for
every
392
Texans
There
is
only
Texas
legal
aid
attorney
for
every
11,152
poor
Texans
:
:
Equal Access to Justice Chapter 27
Cases
turned
down
Met
Need
Almost one‐half of all otherwise eligible cases are
rejected by Legal Aid for lack of resources
Unmet
Need
Need
for
civil
legal
services
amongst
poor
Texans
Gaps
in
Civil
Legal
Services
Inadequate
Resources—available
resources
do
not
meet
the
demand
for
services
do not meet the demand for services
Lack
of
money
to
hire
an
attorney
Lack
of
funding
for
legal
services
Funding
Restrictions
Type
of
legal
services
provided
p
Client
eligibility
Resource
limit
Geographic
limitations
Rural
vs.
Urban
Legal
aid
programs
throughout
the
state
To contact the legal aid provider in your area, visit: provider in your area, visit: www.TexasLawHelp.org
Providing
Legal
Services
to
the
Poor
•
Legal
Services
Programs
•
Private
Attorneys
–
Pro Bono
Pro
Bono
•
Self
Help
Equal Access to Justice Chapter 27
State
Bar
of
Texas
•
Aspirational standard
– 50 hours a year
•
What
constitutes
pro
bono?
–
Pro
bono
policy
–
FAQs
•
Report
your
Pro
Bono
Hours
–
Online:
www.texasbar.com/mybarpage
Areas
in
Need
of
Assistance
Types of Legal Aid Cases
F il & D ti Vi l Family & Domestic Violence Immigration Housing Law Probate, Torts, & Incorporation Social Security, Food Stamps, y p other gov't benefits Consumer Protection Education & Juvenile Rights Health Care
How
to
help
on
your
own
Time Commitment
Time
Commitment
2
– 50
hours
Type
of
work
Legal Representation
Legal
Representation
Advice
and
Counsel
Document
Review
Mentoring
SBOT
Legal
Services
Support
Division
Support
Provided
for
Pro
Bono
Attorneys,
Legal
Aid
and
ATJ
infrastructure
•
Malpractice
insurance
•
TexasBarCLE scholarships
•
Mentor/Mentee
MCLE
credit
•
Pro Bono College
Pro
Bono
College
•
Sign
Up
Fund
•
Referral
Directory
•
Emeritus
Attorney
Program