AUSTIN, Texas  The Texas Access to Justice Foundation presented El Paso attorney Scott Vogelmeier the "Cy Pres - Impact on Justice Award" at a meeting of the El Paso Bar Association on Oct. 13 for his work in helping more people get legal aid.  Texas Supreme Court Justice Harriet O'Neill presented the award to Vogelmeier during a luncheon at the El Paso Club, Downtown.

Vogelmeier was presented the “Cy Pres: Impact on Justice Award” for his work on securing two unclaimed court awards for the benefit of Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRLA).  TRLA provides basic civil legal services in 68 counties in South and West Texas, including El Paso.  Vogelmeier is a sole practitioner in El Paso whose practice focuses on consumer law.

Justice O'Neill spoke about the importance of increasing access to justice for the approximately 5.1 million Texans who qualify for legal aid during her presentation of the award.  Efforts like this from lawyers make a difference and help low-income Texans seeking protection from devastating domestic violence, assistance with housing issues, assistance in consumer protections issues, and other basic civil matters.