Facts & Figures

Currently in Texas, there are approximately 5.3 million people who qualify for legal aid.¹

Over 727,657 (12.4 percent) of Texas families live in poverty.¹
To qualify for legal aid, an individual must not earn more than $13,537 per year. A family of four must not earn more than $27,562 per year. ²
Texas ranks 43^rd in the nation in per capita revenue for the provision of civil legal aid. ³
Due to a lack of resources, only about 20-25 percent of the civil legal needs of low-income and poor Texans are being met. ³

The average starting salary for a public interest attorney is $44,500 per year. Most new law school graduates carry $85,400 or more in student loan debt. ⁴

According to the State Bar of Texas Survey of 2007 Pro Bono Report, Texas attorneys’ estimated the sum total of hours was estimated to be 1.8 million to 2.29 million hours of substantially reduced legal services to the poor . ⁵

In 2009, Texas attorneys donated more than $618,800 through the State Bar of Texas dues collection for the provision of civil legal aid for low-income Texans.⁵
^{Sources:
1 U.S. Census Bureau
2 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
3 American Bar Association PERLS report.
4 Texas Access to Justice Foundation
5 State Bar of Texas}