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In recognition of a life spent serving others through legal aid service, Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas Attorney Victor Hunt recently received the prestigious James B. Sales “Boots on the Ground” at the Champions of Justice Gala hosted by the Texas Access to Justice Commission in late April. The award honors Victor’s four-decade career providing direct legal representation to low-income clients.
Victor’s career path was set when he discovered an interest in public service law while still in high school in Rockwall. After graduating with honors from Texas A&M—Commerce, Victor obtained his JD at the Texas Tech University School of Law focusing on what others told him was “do-gooder” law. While still a law student, he began interning at the Lubbock office of West Texas Legal Services (WTLS), a predecessor of Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas.
After graduation, Victor started his legal career at WTLS’s Brownwood office. He was the sole attorney. From there his career took him to the Waco office of Heart of Texas Legal Services, now Lone Star Legal Aid.
Moving to Oklahoma to marry, Victor worked for the guardian ad litem who was appointed by the U.S. District Court in the landmark deinstitutionalization class action case, Homeward Bound v. Hissom Memorial Center. The lawsuit closed the infamous Hissom Memorial Center, and enabled the individuals with developmental disabilities who resided in the facility to move to homes and establish jobs in the community.
After the lawsuit’s conclusion, Victor returned to legal aid as an attorney with Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma for 11 years. After his wife passed, Victor returned to Texas and eventually remarried. Since 2017, he has been the primary bankruptcy attorney in LANWT’s Dallas Office.
Though Victor hasn’t seen a tremendous difference in bankruptcy cases since the pandemic, there has been an explosion of eviction cases, struggles in obtaining and keeping a motor vehicles, and very aggressive debt collections experienced by clients. Victor attributes much of this to the 21 percent increase in housing costs and flat wages among the working poor and those with fixed incomes.
Though Victor plans to retire at the end of 2023, he plans to volunteer in some capacity and may take an occasional case. After Victor’s lifetime of serving the cause of justice and “doing good” with his law degree, it is difficult to imagine the experience not having a lingering impact, both on him and the many people he has helped.
Victor’s career path was set when he discovered an interest in public service law while still in high school in Rockwall. After graduating with honors from Texas A&M—Commerce, Victor obtained his JD at the Texas Tech University School of Law focusing on what others told him was “do-gooder” law. While still a law student, he began interning at the Lubbock office of West Texas Legal Services (WTLS), a predecessor of Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas.
After graduation, Victor started his legal career at WTLS’s Brownwood office. He was the sole attorney. From there his career took him to the Waco office of Heart of Texas Legal Services, now Lone Star Legal Aid.
Moving to Oklahoma to marry, Victor worked for the guardian ad litem who was appointed by the U.S. District Court in the landmark deinstitutionalization class action case, Homeward Bound v. Hissom Memorial Center. The lawsuit closed the infamous Hissom Memorial Center, and enabled the individuals with developmental disabilities who resided in the facility to move to homes and establish jobs in the community.
After the lawsuit’s conclusion, Victor returned to legal aid as an attorney with Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma for 11 years. After his wife passed, Victor returned to Texas and eventually remarried. Since 2017, he has been the primary bankruptcy attorney in LANWT’s Dallas Office.
Though Victor hasn’t seen a tremendous difference in bankruptcy cases since the pandemic, there has been an explosion of eviction cases, struggles in obtaining and keeping a motor vehicles, and very aggressive debt collections experienced by clients. Victor attributes much of this to the 21 percent increase in housing costs and flat wages among the working poor and those with fixed incomes.
Though Victor plans to retire at the end of 2023, he plans to volunteer in some capacity and may take an occasional case. After Victor’s lifetime of serving the cause of justice and “doing good” with his law degree, it is difficult to imagine the experience not having a lingering impact, both on him and the many people he has helped.