The Corner Office
Maria Thomas-Jones, CEO, Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas
Maria Thomas-Jones, CEO, Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas
When Marlene’s home was severely damaged by a storm, she called a contractor. All this 88-year-old Texas widow wanted was reliable repairs made to her home. But that’s not what she got.
The out-of-state roofing contractor she called reinstalled the old gutters and fascia rather than new ones as specified in the contract, and damaged her home. As a result of the shoddy work, a window was broken and a bedroom ceiling was damaged by rain.
We accepted Marlene’s case and sued the contractor for false, misleading, and deceptive actions. As a result of our efforts on behalf of Marlene, she received fair compensation for the damage to her home including a $20,000 punitive settlement against the contractor. And justice was done.
Cases like this happen every day here. When the poorest Texans face fraud, eviction, unemployment, domestic violence, and other urgent challenges they turn to Legal Aid to provide access to justice.
Today, we’re turning to you for help. Your year-end gift of $100, $250, $500 or more will help to advance and protect the rights of low-income people in North and West Texas through representation and advocacy.
The law is for everyone. But not everyone has equal access to the courts. Out-of-state contractors like the one who took advantage of Marlene think they can get away with their bad acts because they believe the low-income Texans whom they harm won’t have the resources to hold them accountable.
We can’t let them get away with it. But to represent clients like Marlene, we rely on the generosity of Texans like you. You may never have called Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas yourself, but there’s a very good chance that someone in your community has:
- Our mission is to ensure equal justice for low-income people through the provision of high-quality legal representation and to improve the lives of low-income Texans through the rule of law.
- With more than 200 lawyers, we represent the rich diversity of its client population through offices throughout North and West Texas.
- Legal Aid is the fifth-largest legal aid organization and has the second-largest pro bono program in the U.S!
We’re there for your neighbors when they need us. So when a neighbor like Marlene is defrauded … when our fellow Texans are evicted from their homes without just cause or due process … or when low-income individuals need legal representation in areas like benefits, consumer fraud, health issues, employment, juvenile, homelessness, and individual civil rights, they don’t have to go it alone. They have someone they can turn to.
As we reach the end of the year, we express our gratitude to our amazing lawyers … our dedicated staff and volunteers … our brave clients who take on the powerful … and to supporters like you whose generosity makes our work possible.
Please make your year-end gift now. Because everyone deserves justice—and justice must be for all.
I truly appreciate your strong support, and I wish you all the best in the New Year.