President's Page • June 2026
Standing Together: What We've Achieved
Over the past year, I invited members of the State Bar of Texas to “Stand With Santos” in support of greater access to justice for the more than five million low-income Texans who qualify for civil legal aid. This month, as my term as president concludes, it’s time to assess what we’ve accomplished.
When I announced the Stand With Santos campaign at the State Bar of Texas Annual Meeting last June, the goal was to raise $300,000 to fund civil legal help for low-income Texans. I asked you to stand with me as I traveled the state to emphasize that far too many Texans lack access to even basic legal services. While it’s true that Texas lawyers collectively contribute millions of dollars each year in pro bono services and direct donations, low-income Texans still lack sufficient legal help for more than 90% of their civil legal problems due to inadequate funding and limited resources.
To help fill that gap, I challenged you to go to standwithsantos.org and pledge pro bono hours or donate money to the Texas Access to Justice Foundation. I also asked you to invite me to speak to your local bar associations and to coordinate on events to help raise funds and volunteers for the cause. Thanks to your invitations, I brought my message to legal groups from Amarillo and McAllen to El Paso and Tyler. Along the way, individuals and organizations from across the profession offered donations, including the Texas Bar Foundation and the San Antonio Estate Planners Council, which both gave $20,000 or more, and $60,000 raised by LAWtería, an event sponsored by the Hispanic Lawyers Section and the Texas Access to Justice Foundation.
Thanks to all of you, we exceeded our goal. As of press time, the campaign had raised more than $648,000 in total value.
While the campaign carried my name, it was never about me. It was about our fellow Texans who desperately need our help. It was for people like Mateo,1 a naturalized citizen who became homeless after being robbed of his identification. It was for people like Marilyn,2 a domestic violence survivor seeking a protective order, and Diego,3 an elderly veteran in need of disaster unemployment help. And others, like Lydia,4 a woman with disabilities who was denied government health benefits because of an administrative error; and Liz,5 a flood victim facing debt after losing her RV and truck.
In each of these cases, a Texan’s civil legal needs were met because a legal aid attorney or pro bono lawyer stepped in. I shared these stories because they illustrate what legal help makes possible and the role that only lawyers can fill.
I end my term feeling grateful for your service and hopeful that, with continued leadership from our profession, we can reach the day when all Texans have access to the legal help they need.
SANTOS VARGAS
President, 2025-2026
State Bar of Texas
