HEADNOTES Crain Brogdon: Champions of Justice for All

BY MICHELLE ALDEN

The Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program (DVAP) is very fortunate again this year to receive the support of Crain Brogdon, LLP, with a $25,500 donation. This makes an impressive total of $327,205 from Rob Crain and his previous and current firms, along with a $50,000 pledge to the DVAP Endowment, the Justice Forever Fund. Crain Brogdon, LLP is a team of lawyers and professionals focusing on serious personal injury and wrongful death cases of all types. Though their practice is concentrated in North Texas, the firm handles cases throughout the country.

Why do the accomplished attorneys of Crain Brogdon support equal access to justice? “Justice for one can only happen when there is justice available to all. DVAP opens the courthouse doors to those who often need it most but do not have the means. We are proud to be a small part of our legal community’s most important collective endeavor, supporting DVAP,” said Rob Crain.

2022 was a year of transition for our community. DVAP continued to conduct virtual legal clinics every Thursday and a virtual veteran’s clinic the first Friday of each month, along with periodic specialized wills, driver’s license restoration, and eviction clinics. DVAP also restarted various in-person legal clinics, including those in South Dallas, West Dallas, and at the VA Hospital. The combination of virtual and in-person clinics provides a variety of choices to applicants and volunteers alike so that everyone can choose the most convenient option for themselves.

The largest area of need for DVAP clients continues to be family law. In one such case, “Barbara” came to DVAP seeking help with a custody matter. Barbara and her ex-husband’s divorce decree named them joint conservators of their son, with her ex as primary conservator. However, the decree did not outline a visitation schedule. Initially, the father agreed to allow visitation every other weekend but gradually stopped letting Barbara see their son. She sought assistance with modifying the decree. DVAP volunteer attorney Brian Morrow accepted the case and filed suit to modify. The ex-husband filed an answer and continued to deny Barbara access to their son. Brian set the case for trial. The ex-husband failed to appear, and the judge granted her standard visitation. Barbara was relieved and grateful to be able to spend time with her precious son again.

Each case placed with a volunteer attorney by DVAP can lead to life-changing results—one more parent with access to their children, one more veteran with access to benefits earned, one more grandparent able to adopt a child whose parents are absent, or one more person who is able to finally secure employment due to an old criminal charge being expunged.

“There are many opportunities for lawyers to give time and money to worthwhile causes, but DVAP stands head and shoulders above the rest. I have never second-guessed Crain Brogdon’s contributions to this worthy cause. I know to a certainty that our DVAP contributions are making a real difference in real peoples’ lives,” said Quentin Brogdon

DVAP is a joint pro bono program of the DBA and Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas. The program is the only one of its kind in Texas and brings together the volunteer resources of a major metropolitan bar association with the legal aid expertise of the largest and oldest civil legal aid program in North Texas. For more information, or to donate, visit www. dallasvolunteerattorneyprogram.org. HN

Michelle Alden is the Director of the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program. She can be reached at aldenm@lanwt.org.