2010 Snapshot

2010 Statistics through December 31, 2010

Mission

To provide pro bono legal services to the indigent and low-income men and women of Harris County by promoting volunteerism among the local Bar.

History

HVLP was founded in 1981 by the Houston Bar Association to respond to the working poor population being turned away from legal aid because of funding or policy restrictions. Rather than cap the income guidelines at 125% and require documented citizenship, HBF funding allowed HVLP to provide services for qualified applicants whose income was up to 175% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines and whose status was undocumented. Those guidelines remain in effect today.

HVLP 2010 Statistics as of December 31, 2010

• Screened 24,852 requests for assistance
• Conducted 3,612 in-house interviews
• Referred out 1,956 cases to volunteer attorneys
• Closed 14,664 cases
• Volunteer attorneys time: 17,832 hours. Calculated at $200 per hour, HVLP provided $3,556,400 worth of legal services to indigent and low-income men and women.

Funding Sources

• Houston Bar Foundation
• Texas Equal Access to Justice Foundation (IOLTA, BCLS)
• Houston Galveston Area Council
• Lone Star Legal Aid
• City of Houston
• Ryan White Title 1
• Internal Revenue Service
• Houston Endowment Inc.
• Exxon Mobil Corporation
• AIDS Walk Beneficiary
• Private Contributors

Types of Cases Taken

Family Law Issues, Landlord/tenant issues, Bankruptcies, Consumer issues, Community Development, Estate Planning and Tax controversies. HVLP does not handle criminal proceedings; traffic matters or fee generating cases.