AUSTIN, Texas – Fort Worth lawyer Roland K. Johnson, a partner in Harris, Finley and Bogle, P.C., has been appointed to the board of directors of the Texas Access to Justice Foundation. The State Bar of Texas appointed Johnson to a three-year term on the Foundation that provides grant funding for civil legal aid in Texas.

A proven leader in the Texas legal community, Johnson served as president of the State Bar of Texas for 2009-2010. He holds extensive memberships in professional legal associations, often serving in committee and board positions, and has received numerous awards and recognitions. His extensive legal experience is focused on commercial litigation, arbitrations and legal malpractice matters. Johnson earned his undergraduate and law degrees from Baylor University and is currently serving as president of the Baylor Alumni Association.

“We are delighted to have Roland Johnson join us in our work to ensure access to justice for all Texans,” Richard L. “Dick” Tate, chair of the Texas Access to Justice Foundation, said. “His leadership will be invaluable as we work to build our resources in order to provide basic civil legal services to the increasing number of disadvantaged Texans facing critical legal problems.”

The Supreme Court of Texas created the Texas Access to Justice Foundation in 1984 to provide funding for the civil legal needs of poor and low-income Texans. The Foundation annually awards grants to approximately 40 nonprofit legal aid organizations throughout the state that help struggling Texans in matters involving foreclosures, employment, domestic violence and family law issues. In the Fort Worth-area, those legal aid organizations include Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas, Texas Wesleyan School of Law clinic, and a veterans’ project of the Tarrant County Bar Association.

The Texas Access to Justice Foundation is the largest state-based funding source for civil legal aid in Texas, and has awarded more than $300 million since its inception. The Foundation board of directors consists of 13 attorney and public members, seven of whom are appointed by the Supreme Court of Texas and six by the State Bar of Texas.