Champions of Justice Firm Competition “How It Works” Guide
TAJC – Champions of Justice Firm Competition
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“How It Works” Champions of Justice Firm Competition Guide Contents
Introduction and Overview ................................................................................... 1 Firm Competition Sample Emails .......................................................................... 2 Justice for All Jeans Day ........................................................................................ 5 Contact Information: ............................................................................................. 5
INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW Greetings! Thank you for taking the time to consider participating in the Texas Access to Justice Commission Champions of Justice Firm Competition. What is the Firm Competition? It’s a two-week period in which firms raise awareness about access to justice and ask their attorneys to donate to the Justice for All Campaign. It’s a fun and energetic way for firms to compete against each other while raising money for a great cause. Firms are recognized based on the individual contributions of its lawyers. Firms that raise the highest total dollar amount or that have the highest percentage of contributing attorneys within their respective category will be recognized in the Texas Bar Journal and at the Justice for All reception in October. Firm size categories are as follows: • boutique (5-10 attorneys) • small (11-25 attorneys); • medium (26-75 attorneys); and • large (75+ attorneys). Last year, the competition raised more than $171,000 for access to justice. What’s involved? As the firm captain, we would like your help communicating with the firm’s attorneys over the two-week period and encouraging them to make an Access to Justice (ATJ) Contribution to the Justice for All Campaign. Our goal to make this as easy as possible for you. We’ve prepared everything you need to hold a successful campaign, including emails and graphics similar to the ones shown in this brochure. Any donation is tax-deductible and can be made online (donate.texasatj.org) or by mail. Make checks payable to “SBOT-ATJ Fund”. When is it? April 9-20, 2018. Can other staff participate? Yes! There’s an opportunity for all staff to support access to justice by participating in the statewide “Justice for All Jeans Day” on Friday, April 13, 2018. How are the funds used? All voluntary ATJ Contributions collected through the State Bar of Texas dues statement and Justice for All Campaign are used to support civil legal aid in Texas. Each year, the Supreme Court of Texas issues a court order directing how the funds are to be used. In the past several years, the Court has directed that $200,000 go to the Texas Bar Foundation and the remainder to go to the Texas Access to Justice Foundation. All funds are to be distributed through a grant-making process to civil legal aid providers across the state. We appreciate your support of the Texas Access to Justice Commission and your help in increasing access to justice for those who can’t afford a lawyer. To read legal aid success stories, please visit http://texasatj.org/stories-frontlines. We look forward to working with you! TAJC – Champions of Justice Firm Competition
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FIRM COMPETITION SAMPLE EMAILS There will be 2 emails each week that can be directly forwarded on to firm attorneys during the competition (4 total). You will receive an overview email just before the competition begins, which will be followed by a forward-able email. Please feel free to personalize these emails, however, that’s certainly not necessary. Firm Competition – Sample ‘Overview’ Email
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Firm Competition Sample Email No. 1 (Week 1)
Firm Competition Sample Email No. 2 (Week 1)
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Firm Competition Sample Email No. 3 (Week 2)
Firm Competition Sample Email No. 4 (Week 2)
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JUSTICE FOR ALL JEANS DAY We can also send you an informational email about the statewide Justice for All Jeans Day as well as an email that can be sent to all staff, not just attorneys. Everyone and anyone who wants to wear jeans can make a contribution to the Justice for All Campaign! We’ll also send some flyers that can be posted to encourage participation and Justice for All Jeans Day stickers that can be given out to anyone who participates. The Statewide Justice for All Jeans Day will be Friday, April 13 but feel free to change the date if that day is not a fit for your firm. Sample Justice for All Jeans Day Flier
We intend to send regular communication with your firm’s total Access to Justice Contributions as an aid to you in gauging your firm’s success. We understand it can be difficult to secure contributions solely during a two-week period, so all contributions made on or before July 31, 2018 will be counted toward the Firm Competition. Awards will be presented at a reception in Austin in October 2018. Please let me know if you have any questions. I’m here to help! Contact Information Catherine N. Galloway, Development and Communications Manager Texas Access to Justice Commission Website: www.texasatj.org th 1414 Colorado, 4 Fl. Email: cgalloway@texasatj.org Austin, Texas 78701 Call: 512-427-1892 TAJC – Champions of Justice Firm Competition
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