David Hall, executive director of Texas RioGande Legal Aid(TRLA), the nation's third largest legal aid provider, is retiring after 42 years with the agency based in Mercedes.

“I'm 75, getting long in the tooth. It looked like this was a good opportunity for TRLA to look for somebody else,” Hall said.

Hall joined TRLA as a board member in 1970, and became executive director five years later. The organization serves 68 counties in Southwest Texas, while its Legal Aid for Survivors of Sexual Assault covers a broader swath of Texas and its Southern Migrant Legal Services served migrant workers in seven states. The agency serves about 25,000 low-income individuals a year and is funded in part by the federal Legal Services Corp. and the Texas Access to Justice Foundation. In this Q&A, Hall talks about the need for agencies like the TRLA, funding, lawyer dedication to pro bono work, and social issues facing low-income Texans.