Cy Pres & Justice for the Most Vulnerable

If you are involved in a class action case and are unable to distribute all the funds, consider designating Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRLA) as a cy pres recipient.  TRLA is a great candidate for fulfilling a case's charitable objective and TRLA is favorably considered by the courts to be an excellent choice for cy pres awards.   By designating TRLA, you ensure that the funds will be used as intended and significantly help fund vital civil legal services in Texas and beyond. 

Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRLA) provides access to justice to indigent Texas residents in myriad case types - including, but not limited to, consumer rights, employment law claims, or antitrust issues. Cy pres funds remain after members do not claim their portion or when the amount of damages to each member is too small to warrant a distribution. The Fifth Circuit requires that residual funds be distributed to the next best use where the recipients reasonably approximate the interests of the class.

For more information on designating TRLA to receive such funds, please contact our Director of Strategic Initiatives, Hannah Allison at cypres@trla.org.

A special thank you to the firms/attorneys who have designated TRLA to receive cy pres funds in the past:

• Benjamin Bingham

• Cary Flitter

• James Shedden

• J Hampton Skelton

• Steve Gardner

• Law Office of James McMillen

• Lawrence W. Schad

• Manuel Newburger

• Matthew Probus

• Richard Tomlinson

• Schad, Diamond, & Shedden, P.C.

• Scott Vogelmeier

• Steven J. Tomiello

• Susan and Larry Zinn