Texas RioGrande Legal Aid

The State Bar of Texas has encouraged local bar associations to “Fall In” and conduct veterans-focused initiatives. The El Paso Bar Association is proudly answering that call! We are pleased to announce our new initiative, "El Paso Lawyers for Veterans," to address the legal needs of local veterans through pro bono representation and community education presentations. Please join us on November 16th at the UTEP Natural Gas Conference Center from 9 am to 1 pm as we kick off this initiative for a special presentation on legal issues affecting veterans and their families. A very special thanks to our sponsors: the UTEP Law School Preparation Institute, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, and Kemp Smith.

*** For those interested in helping with this initiative:
~We are currently in need of local attorneys interested in speaking at this event on legal issues affecting veterans, as well as attorneys interested in providing free legal representation to low income veterans. If you are interested, please contact Diana Valdez at [email protected].

📣TRLA is sponsoring free legal advice clinics for low-income clients.

📲 Attendance is limited, so if you are interested, don’t delay! To request a clinic appointment, call 361-880-5426 or use this form or QR code below.

📝 Applicants will need to complete a brief screening by phone to confirm eligibility for the clinic.

🗓️ Applications will be taken until November 20, 2024 or until all clinic spots are filled.
On December 4, 2024, volunteer attorneys will be meeting with clients with family law needs; on December 11, 2024, volunteer attorneys will advise clients with wills and estates and real property needs.

💝 Post El Paso Giving Day, we're in awe of the support we received for legal aid.

🫂 A HUGE thank you to those who made this fundraiser possible: Gus & Brisa at Old Sheepdog Brewery, Constance Wannamaker of C R Wannamaker Law and Patrick Gabaldon at GabaldonArt!

👏 Another special thank you to everyone who donated, attended our event yesterday, or helped spread the word about the giving day. We appreciate you all!

⌛ There's just one hour left to support free legal aid for people in need by donating to TRLA's El Paso Giving Day fundraiser!

🫵 Can you help us reach our goal of $5,000? Donations are key support in the fight to achieve justice for all.

🚨 This is the last chance to donate at trla.me/elpasogivingday !

👏 And P.S. - all donors will be entered to win exciting sweepstakes prizes from wonderful local artist, GabaldonArt
Patrick Gabaldon!

❗ Only a few hours until Texas RioGrande Legal Aid's fundraiser ends at midnight MDT!

💗 Your gift will support 100% free legal representation, advice, and education for people in need. This means preventing unlawful evictions, helping survivors of domestic violence with their legal needs, and more across 45 legal practice areas.

🕛 You can give until MIDNIGHT at trla.me/elpasogivingday .

🖼️ ALL donors will be entered to win sweepstakes prizes from local artist, Patrick Gabaldon! Those who give over $250 will also be entered into the grand prize sweepstakes – a beautiful original painting from Patrick.

🎉 Just one and a half hours until the party starts at Old Sheepdog Brewery in El Paso at 5pm MDT! We'll be fundraising for legal aid in honor of El Paso Giving Day, while enjoying tacos, local beer, and soft drinks.

🌮 Reminder that the first 50 visitors will receive a FREE taco dinner + drink plate! And any beers purchased with a TRLA sticker will donate $1 back to legal aid.

🎁 You can donate to our fundraiser until midnight MDT tonight at trla.me/elpasogivingday

🫂 Thank you for your support! Donating to legal aid helps connect your neighbors in need to vital, free legal services.

El Paso area folks! Will we see you tonight at Old Sheepdog Brewery ?

🍻 Come grab a brew with the TRLA crew and support our efforts to raise money for legal aid for El Paso Giving Day!

🌮 We'll be there from 5:00pm MDT til 7:30pm, and the first 50 attendees will get a free taco dinner/drink plate. There will also be beers available for purchase with TRLA stickers where TRLA will receive $1 of each purchase!

🫂 Can't make it? We'd really appreciate it if you considered donating to our El Paso Giving Day campaign.

🎁 Donations make it possible for us to help 17,000+ people a year with their urgent legal issues, whether that be stopping an unlawful eviction, helping a domestic violence survivor with a protective order, or connecting a veteran to the benefits they're entitled to.

🕛 You can give at trla.me/elpasogivingday until 12am MDT (midnight tonight).

🎉 It’s TIME! TODAY is El Paso Giving Day! Visit our profile to donate at trla.me/elpasogivingday and fight for justice.

⚖️We have a goal of raising $5,000 to support 100% free legal services for low-income folks in the El Paso area. We have until MIDNIGHT tonight.

Remember - all donors will be entered to win sweepstakes prizes from local El Paso artist,

🗓️ At 5pm, you can grab a brew with the TRLA crew at Old Sheepdog Brewery, where we'll be fundraising in person! The first 50 attendees will receive a free taco/drink plate. Plus, $1 of beers purchased with TRLA stickers will go back to legal aid.

Date & Time: October 17, 5:00pm – 7:30, come & go
Address: Old Sheepdog Brewery, 3900 Rosa Ave, El Paso, TX 79905

🕛 El Paso Giving Day starts TONIGHT at midnight MDT!

⚖️ TRLA is raising money to continue providing free legal services to low-income residents of the El Paso area.

🖱️ You can donate to legal aid at our page here, all day tomorrow, October 17th: trla.me/elpasogivingday . Remember that all donors will be entered to win prizes from local artist Patrick Gabaldon!

😲 Did we mention that there are prizes for supporting Texas RioGrande Legal Aid for our El Paso Giving Day fundraiser?

🎨 Beloved local artist, former TRLA employee, and public defender Patrick Gabaldon (GabaldonArt) has generously donated an amazing lineup of prizes to TRLA for the second year in a row!

🖼️ There is a highly valuable original painting, a framed print, two pairs of socks, and a tote bag up for grabs! See the pictures for details.

📝 Here’s how it works:
Anyone who donates will be entered to win the print, socks, and tote bag!
Anyone who donates $250 or more will be entered into a sweepstakes to win the original painting.

🎁 Donate and enter to win here on October 17th: trla.me/elpasogivingday

🤲 As Hispanic Heritage month comes to an end - recognized annually from September 15th through October 15th - we are proud to share another part of the TRLA Historical Impact Litigation Series.

🧤Today, 78% of farmworkers in the U.S. identify as Hispanic or Latino. They are subjected to unethical working conditions each day they work.

⚖️ This story, dating back over 32 years, shows how a community coming together to fight for what is right can impact labor rights. Please enjoy.

Community Organizers’ Fight Against Exploitative Employer’s Leaves a Lasting Impact on Their Community   | Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRLA) National Hispanic Heritage Month (HHM) is recognized annually from September 15th through October 15th. As part of our ongoing Historical Impact Litigation series (to read our story from last year, The Onion Revolt, please click here ), we’re honored to release a story dating back 32 years. T

📣Reminder! TRLA is fundraising on El Paso Giving Day THIS Thursday, October 17th.

😋 We’ll be celebrating Thursday evening at Old Sheepdog Brewery starting at 5pm. The first 50 attendees will get a FREE taco dinner plate including a beer or soft drink – thanks to our sponsor C R Wannamaker Law !

🎉 Bring your family & friends – especially anyone who might be interested in supporting justice for low-income families!

In the meantime, donations are open for early giving! Check TRLA out at: trla.me/elpasogivingday

💡 Grab a brew with the TRLA crew! We’re excited to announce we’ll be celebrating El Paso Giving Day at Old Sheepdog Brewery next Thursday, October 17th.

🍻🌮 Come celebrate the giving day with us – we'll have free dinner plates (tacos + beer or soft drink) for the first 50 guests! And there will be delicious local brews for sale all night.

👏 We can’t wait to see you at Old Sheepdog Brewery next Thursday. Bring your family (kids are welcome) and friends!

🎉A big THANK YOU to C R Wannamaker Law for sponsoring this event.

🫂 And of course - thank you to Old Sheepdog for hosting and planning this event with us!

Date & Time: October 17, 5:00pm – 7:30, come & go
Address: Old Sheepdog Brewery, 3900 Rosa Ave, El Paso, TX 79905

⏳ El Paso Giving Day is coming up! Join TRLA for the biggest fundraiser for nonprofits in the El Paso area on October 17th.

💯 TRLA offers 100% free legal representation, advice, and education to low-income families. Access to legal help can change someone’s life, whether that’s by helping them keep their home, connecting them to public benefits, or assisting with custody and divorce.

🕛 Can’t wait to support legal aid in El Paso? Early giving opens TONIGHT at midnight – you can donate to TRLA here: trla.me/elpasogivingday

🥹 We are already missing our summer clerks and interns! Join us in spotlighting our summer 2024 cohort with our 2-part series in which these incredible justice-minded folks share a few thoughts. For part 2 of 2, meet Maryn Rolfson, Nora Crawford, Simran Haribhai, Paul DiFiore, and Sarah Southey.

💻 Eager for long form accounts? Check out some full-length pieces where these quotes originated from at our website https://www.trla.org/student-opportunities and scroll to the bottom of the page!

Quotes:
“TRLA’s approach completely stood out to me. The level of detail, the desire to find every resource possible, every piece of evidence that could possibly strengthen our client’s cases, the willingness to appeal and to fight to the furthest extent possible impacted me greatly.” - Maryn Rolfson
“Being able to sit alongside lawyers and watch as they tried to help veterans with their issues real time was a great learning experience...TRLA is embedded in the community and committed to the people that they serve.” - Nora Crawford
“Every task I undertook this summer was fulfilling because I knew that each document I drafted, each custody order I translated, and each Hague application I completed was a step towards helping survivors of domestic violence.” - Simran Haribhai
“Organizations like TRLA can, should, and do help communities raise their voices and build their own power. Be warned, however--if you sign up for this, it’s not a short-term project." - Paul DiFiore
"[TRLA employment attorneys] are willing to unleash the full power of the law to back their clients against unscrupulous employers, ultimately shifting the power balance between employers and workers." - Sarah Southey

🥹 We are already missing our summer clerks and interns! Join us in spotlighting our summer 2024 cohort with our 2-part series in which these incredible justice-minded folks share a few thoughts. For part 1 of 2, meet Abigail Gutierrez, Iliana Moreno, Andrew Rikard, Alfredo Quintanilla, Daniela Contreras, and Aneesa Zubair!

💻 Eager for long form accounts? Check out some full-length pieces where these quotes originated from at our website https://www.trla.org/student-opportunities and scroll to the bottom of the page!

Quotes:
“I saw each of my colleagues provide clients with empathy and dignity when the court didn’t. It reminded me of why I went into the line of work in the first place: to be with people in their mess.” - Abigail Gutierrez
“... TRLA influenced my perspective on the power of public interest law...Not only does it take legal skills, a deep knowledge of the area you serve, it also takes a certain love and passion for community.” - Iliana Moreno
“I realized that TRLA thrives off the passion of individuals who have both moral commitments and particular practice interests. My interest wasn’t an obstacle, but an opportunity to better support the community.” - Andrew Rikard
“My incredibly sage supervising attorney, Javier Riojas, said a successful legal intern at the Eagle Pass office had to be a jack of all trades...TRLA operates as a generous community cornerstone, tailoring whatever specializations they sometimes have to meet for Eagle Pass’ residents.” - Alfredo Quintanilla
“I found that TRLA has made enduring connections in communities throughout their service area, catering to the needs of some of the most vulnerable populations.” - Daniela Contreras
“I knew asylum law was. an uphill battle, but I wanted to learn how it was fought. How does one support clients in a system that sets them up to lose their cases? ... I quickly learned that while we offer our substantive legal expertise, our clients know their experiences best.” - Aneesa Zubair

💙 Thank you to Jefferson Cano for hosting our Marketing & Outreach team yesterday as we filmed oral history interviews with staff! We appreciate your generosity greatly.

There’s ONE HOUR left to support legal aid during the Big Give Fundraiser!

🎉 There is also one last match minute at 5:11pm. If you submit your donation right at 5:11 it can be DOUBLED thanks to matching funds. Pro tip: you can enter your donation information a few minutes before the match minute to make sure you can submit it right at 5:11.

😃 Please share this post with your friends and family so we can make this last hour of fundraising count!

3️⃣ There are still three chances to double your gift to Texas RioGrande Legal Aid! If you submit your donation at exactly 2:11, 3:11, or 5:11pm Central Standard Time, your gift can be matched.

🎁 Not to mention, donations of over $50 will be thanked with a yellow TRLA bandana and donations over $250 will be thanked with a TRLA hoodie!

🖱️ Visit trla.me/big-give to make your gift!

5️⃣ Today, there are five chances to DOUBLE your donation to legal aid during the Big Give fundraiser!

⚖️ When you donate to Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, you fight to prevent evictions and keep people housed in South Central Texas.

🎁 See our profile for more information and to make a gift: trla.me/big-give

🎉 It’s TIME! The Big Give starts now and runs until tomorrow, 9/19 at 6pm.

🚨 The first match minute is at 6:11pm – go ahead and enter your donation information so you can submit it right at 6:11 and DOUBLE your gift! Or, check out the two other match minutes available today.

⚖️ With your donation, we can continue offering 100% FREE legal services to low-income families.

🖱️ Visit trla.me/big-give to donate.

🌶️Come see us this afternoon to start the Big Give!

🥂 We’ll be at the Estancia del Norte from 5-7pm, starting our fundraiser in style. See the picture for more details.

🎉 Thank you to Espinoza & Brock, PLLC for sponsoring this event!