FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 19, 2003 Contacts: Laura Figueroa Communications Manager 512.320.0099 x.14 NEW MEMBERS APPOINTED TO THE TEXAS EQUAL ACCESS TO JUSTICE FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS AUSTIN, Texas The Texas Equal Access to Justice Foundation, the largest Texas-based funding source for legal aid organizations in the state, has welcomed four new members and one reappointed member to its board of directors The Texas Equal Access to Justice Foundation board of directors consists of thirteen directors, including the chairman Each director must be a resident of Texas The Supreme Court of Texas appoints the chairman and six directors; the State Bar of Texas appoints the remaining six directors At least two of each group of appointees, other than the chairman, must be public members (they must not be attorneys and must not have, other than as consumers, a financial interest in the practice of law) State Bar of Texas Appointments Dr Douglas Caldwell, Houston (public member) Dr Douglas Caldwell is the vice president and chief operating officer of Technology For All, a national nonprofit initiative focused on bringing technology to underserved communities Gib Walton, Houston (reappointment) Gib Walton is a partner in the Houston office of Vinson & Elkins L.L.P Supreme Court of Texas Appointments Ray Farabee, Austin Ray Farabee worked in the University of Texas System from 1988 to 2002, first as vice chancellor and general counsel and later as special assistant to the chancellor Prior to that he served as a state senator for 13 years -more- TEAJF Welcomes New Board Members Page of Deborah G Hankinson, Dallas Former Supreme Court of Texas Justice Deborah G Hankinson is a partner in the Dallas law firm of Hankinson & Whitaker LLP, where she practices civil appellate law Margarita Sanchez, El Paso (public member) Margarita Sanchez is currently the director of the United Way Kids’ Way program in El Paso, Texas Each new and reappointed board member’s term expires on August 31, 2006 For board of director biographies, visit http://www.teajf.org/about/leadership_admin.html The Texas Equal Access to Justice Foundation (www.teajf.org), created by the Supreme Court of Texas in 1984, is the largest state-based funding source for the provision of civil legal services to poor Texans, otherwise known as Legal Aid The organization is committed to the vision that all Texans will have equal access to justice, regardless of their income The Foundation administers the Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts (IOLTA) Program, the Basic Civil Legal Services (BCLS) Program and the Crime Victims Civil Legal Services (CVCLS) Program The funds from each of these sources are earmarked to assist nonprofit organizations in providing civil Legal Aid to more than 120,000 low-income Texans each year ###