The Texas Bar Foundation, based in Austin, has awarded Communities In Schools of Houston (CIS) a grant of $10,560 for the Summer Legal Internship program for three Houston-area students in CIS schools. Since 2009, CIS has partnered with the Houston Bar Association (HBA) to provide the HBA/CIS Summer Legal Internship Program.

This eight-week job readiness and enrichment program places academically outstanding CIS high school students in paid internships with Houston-area law firms, corporate legal departments, and public agencies during the summer months. The Texas Bar Foundation’s generous grant of $10,560 will support this year’s program. Grant funds provide stipends to the three student interns who will serve at public agencies and non-profits this summer.

The $10,560 grant from the Texas Bar Foundation represents a significant investment in the HBA/CIS Summer Legal Internship Program and comes at a time when many Houston-area families face financial challenges. This year’s HBA/CIS Summer Legal Internship Program will provide 20 students with paid employment experience, including the three who receive the TBF stipends. This is a valuable opportunity to develop transferable professional skills that will prepare them for life after high school.

CIS of Houston Alumnus, Larry Sorto, who participated in the CIS/HBA Legal Internship Program during his high school years, cites this opportunity for allowing him to provide for his family while in school and for setting him up on a successful post-graduation trajectory.

The law firm where Sorto interned hired him after the program ended, and he continued to work in the legal field for three years. Today, Larry is a college graduate and a member of the CIS of Houston Board of Directors, with plans to give back to the community and help set the next generation of students up for success in school and life.

Since its inception in 1965, the Texas Bar Foundation has awarded more than $25 million in grants to law-related programs. Supported by members of the State Bar of Texas, the Texas Bar Foundation is the nation's largest charitably funded bar foundation.