2005 Exceptional Pro Bono Award Recipient
Martha Jones, CLA, Austin, winner of this year’s Paralegal Division Exceptional Pro Bono Award, is certainly one of the most deserving paralegal volunteers that the Paralegal Division of the State Bar of Texas has ever had.
In 1994, Martha was awarded the “Outstanding Volunteer” award from Volunteer Legal Services in Austin. In addition to VLS, she has a history of volunteer service with the SBOT Paralegal Division: Martha was Chair of the Continuing Education Committee 1995-1997, the Legal Assistant University Speaker Committee in 2000, and chaired the 2001 Annual Meeting. Martha served on the Board of Directors during 2000-2002 and received the Continuing Education Committee Special Award in 1997 and the Chair of the Year Award in 2000.
Martha has been giving back to the legal community for many years. In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, Martha was personally involved in organizing and getting off the ground a clinic to handle family law pro bono cases. Of course, she then volunteered her time there on a monthly basis.
Martha says it’s the VLS Pro Se Divorce Clinic for people with children that captured her heart. During her years with the clinic, she has helped over 100 people get divorced that otherwise would not have been able to get their lives back on track. She says that it gives her a great deal of satisfaction to help people who feel trapped in a system they don’t understand and that her volunteer work at the clinic has helped her to be more compassionate with her clients.
Martha is such a mother figure and has a way of making the pro se litigants feel respected and worthy. She has a terrific sense of humor which she brings to the clinic. She keeps everyone upbeat and smiling despite the many problems that the clinic clients are experiencing.
Martha is probably one of the best all-time family law legal assistants that Texas has ever had. She brings a wealth of experience and information to the clinic she serves. She regularly goes above and beyond what is required or expected of her. There are many examples of that – from giving her telephone number to a pro se litigant with special needs, personally checking on service, personally calling out-of-county process servers to arrange service, updating forms to keep current of legislative changes – or simply holding someone’s hand or giving them a hug because they are overwhelmed by the process.
If not for Martha, there are many legal assistants who would never have desired to volunteer for VLS. She is one of the most generous and giving souls in our legal community. When Martha asks for your help, you just can’t say no. What a blessing for VLS that she is so committed, capable and well loved.
Martha’s long and respected volunteer career with the Paralegal Division and the VLS Clinic deserves the respect and recognition associated with winning this award. Her professionalism and loving attention paid to the clinic participants has benefited our legal community and has made an enormous difference in the lives of all of those she has helped.
Martha is a TBLS Board Certified Legal Assistant in Family Law and works in Austin, TX, as a paralegal for the law firm of Ausley Algert Robertson & Flores,
LLP.
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