Page 4 - LANWT Annual Report 2018

Dedicated Volunteer Lives a
Life of Service to Others
A “lawyer’s lawyer,” Tip has
been a dedicated pro bono
volunteer since 2003.
With Legal Aid’s help, Tomás and Viola
are happy to have achieved their dream of
home ownership.
Legal Aid Helps
Couple Achieve
Dream of Home
Ownership
THEODORE “TIP” HARGROVE KNOWS THE INFORMAL SALE OF REAL PROPERTY
something about service. With between two parties is fairly
relatives in the military dating back common in West Texas, but
to the American Revolution, Tip is sometimes these agreements suffer
himself a graduate of the Citadel from the lack of understanding of
and served in the U.S. Air Force the terms and poor recordkeeping.
Judge Advocate General’s Corps In those cases, the “sale” often ends
(JAG Corps) in the mid-1970s. up with the seller demanding more
Today, Tip is a solo practitioner money than the buyer agreed to
in San Angelo handling family and pay. Without Legal Aid’s help, Tomás
criminal law cases. Despite his busy and his wife Viola were at risk of
schedule, Tip serves as the Honorary not only paying far more for their
Commander of the 316th Training home than it was worth, but losing
Squadron at Goodfellow AFB in San the home for refusing to make
Angelo, and is a dedicated pro bono additional mortgage payments.
volunteer with Legal Aid. Tomás, a veteran of the U.S. Air
A pro bono volunteer since 2003, Force, and Viola privately purchased
Tip attends Legal Aid’s quarterly a home in West Texas in 2008. They
Veterans’ Legal Clinics, assisting signed a purchase agreement,
veterans and surviving spouses but the seller kept the original
with legal issues, and accepts cases contract and did not give a copy to
through our Equal Justice Volunteer the couple. After years of on-time
Program. Based on his long-standing payments, Tomás believed that the
support and volunteerism, Tip was terms of the contract were met and
presented with the 2018 Criselda contacted the seller to obtain the
Paz Award. During the award deed. The seller kept promising to
presentation last October, Judge get back with the couple, but soon
Jay Weatherby, 340th District Court, started avoiding their calls. Tired of
noted that Tip was well-liked and waiting, Tomás and Viola applied for
respected by judges and attorneys help from Legal Aid.
alike. “He is a ‘lawyer’s lawyer,’ The attorney sent a demand letter
meaning he takes care of his to the seller requesting a copy of the
business, but he also takes very good contract and an accounting of the
care of his clients.” payments, but he did not respond.
When the attorney threatened to
file suit, the seller agreed to meet
in person to discuss the matter.
During the meeting, the seller
admitted that he kept the only
copy of the contract, but no longer
knew where it was. Although the
seller maintained that the couple
still owed him money, he wasn’t
certain of the contract terms. Once
the attorney showed the seller a
valuation of the home, which was
far less than the couple had paid
over the years, the seller agreed to
consider the contract completed and
gave them a deed to the property.