The Earl Carl Institute for Legal and Social Policy at Texas Southern University’s Thurgood Marshall School of Law Receives $25,000 Grant from The Texas Bar Foundation
Texas Southern University (TSU) has been awarded a $25,000 grant from the Texas Bar Foundation to support a new fellowship program that creates paid public-interest legal service opportunities for law students while expanding access to justice for low-income Texans. Awarded through the Texas Southern University Foundation, the grant will support the Public Interest Law Fellowship Program at TSU’s Thurgood Marshall School of Law (TMSL). The initiative will provide stipends for five Thurgood Law students to deliver supervised public-interest legal services to low-income Texans.
Each fellow will receive a $5,000 stipend while gaining practical experience through Thurgood Marshall School of Law’s public service programs, including those offered by the Earl Carl Institute for Legal and Social Policy, the TMSL Experiential Learning Department, and the Pro Bono Initiatives Program. The fellowship is designed to provide students with hands-on legal experience while delivering critical legal information and self-help assistance in communities that have traditionally lacked access to justice. Experiential learning opportunities for law students have been shown to improve practice readiness, strengthen professional identity formation, and better prepare students for legal practice.
“Access to justice begins with making sure people have somewhere to turn when legal challenges threaten their stability and their future,” said Sarah Guidry, Executive Director of the Earl Carl Institute and Director of the TMSL Experiential Learning Department. “The Texas Bar Foundation’s support will help us serve more Texans while giving our students meaningful opportunities to build their skills, strengthen their commitment to public service, and make a difference in the communities that need them most. The Legal Services Corporation, the nation’s largest funder of civil legal aid programs, estimates that 92 percent of low-income Americans now have unmet civil legal needs.”
Working under the supervision of licensed attorneys and experienced legal professionals, fellows will assist with client intake, development of legal resources, preparation of self-help materials, community legal clinics, and outreach efforts. Their work will support matters involving estate planning and asset preservation, eviction defense, expunction and nondisclosure initiatives, and other civil legal issues affecting low-income Texans.
The program aims to assist at least 100 low-income Texans and conduct at least 4 community legal education events. By combining direct assistance with education and outreach, the initiative seeks to help residents better understand their rights and connect with legal resources.
The entire $25,000 award will fund fellow stipends. TMSL and the ECI will provide in-kind support, including supervision, training, office space, technology, and administrative assistance.
Founded in 1992, the Earl Carl Institute for Legal and Social Policy at TSU’s Thurgood Marshall School of Law works to empower underserved and disenfranchised communities by addressing systemic social issues through legal representation, research, education, and advocacy. For more information, visit Earl Carl Inc.
Since its inception in 1965, the Texas Bar Foundation has awarded more than $32 million in grants to law-related programs. Supported by members of the State Bar of Texas, the Texas Bar Foundation is the nation’s largest charitably funded bar foundation.
