What Exactly is Legal Aid?
Legal aid is an important part of ensuring that everyone in our society has access to essential services and resources during times of great emotional and financial hardship. It is defined as a program of services, which includes legal information under the auspices of ILAO law, as well as legal representation provided by licensed attorneys. Legal aid programs are created to assist people by providing aid when they cannot afford it. Legal aid services offer assistance to indigent persons in civil legal matters. These are non-criminal matters , such as divorce, housing, visitation, child support, immigration, and other legal issues where a person’s health, safety, or general welfare could be jeopardized without assistance. By offering free legal advice, research, and representation, legal aid services work to ensure that equal access to the justice system exists for all. By leveling the playing field for people seeking legal assistance, legal aid works to increase access to justice for all, especially low-income persons who would otherwise go without legal help.
Various Kinds of Legal Aid Services
Legal aid services offered in Galveston County cover a comprehensive range of civil legal matters meant to help local residents. These services include legal counseling, representation during a hearing or trial, and legal research and training. Legal aid services cannot provide for either criminal defense or legal needs involving other entities within the State of Texas. These legal aid services include: Family law The following organizations and their mediation services to assist with family law cases are available in Galveston: Housing disputes Galveston legal services organizations can assist local residents with such housing concerns as: Consumer rights Galveston residents seeking assistance with a dispute involving a consumer account can turn to the following organizations: Employment issues If you believe that you have been fired unlawfully, the following organizations can assist you with your case:
Eligibility Requirements for Legal Aid in Galveston County
Eligibility for legal aid is not something that is randomly determined in Galveston County. In fact, it is very specific with a few overarching principles being applied, when determining eligibility. First, the individual must be a resident of Texas (in this specific case Galveston County) to be able to access state legal Aid. Second, the individual must have a household or "gross" income that is within the guidelines decided on by the government for free or low-cost legal services. Third, the individual must have a legal problem that legal aid can assist with.
As far as income requirements based on government guidelines, there are various levels. The first level is the household or "gross" income that is at or less than 125 percent of federal poverty guidelines. This level is currently limited to only primary family members, not extended family members. There is also a restricted and expanded level of matching of the household or "gross" income of 201-250 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. Again, this is only for primary family members, not legal guardians, serving as a pre-screening tool.
Who qualifies for legal aid in Galveston County other than those stated above? Obviously, everyone’s needs are unique and there may be exceptions or special circumstances to take into consideration that legal aid considers. For example:
Guardian:
Legal aid may step in to assist, especially in emergency situations for someone who is their guardian.
Incarcerated Individuals:
There is no maxim that an incarcerated individual cannot have access to legal aid help.
Victims of Domestic Violence:
In some cases, if the income requirement is not met, an individual can still proceed with some forms of legal aid services in Galveston County.
Registered domestic partners (same sex or opposite sex):
Since Gay Marriage is legal on the federal level in Texas and Galveston, Gay and or alternative lifestyle individuals may get legal aid service.
Veterans:
Several legal aid organizations in Texas have specific practice areas that are dedicated to aiding veterans, so specific application for this practice would be warranted.
How to Get Legal Aid
Applying for legal aid in Galveston County depends on a number of factors, the most pertinent of which is the type of legal issue you face. Generally, applicants can apply for financial assistance in person, online or over the phone.
In-person applications
For more information, visit the Galveston County Bar Association Law Center. Close proximity to a public bus route is helpful, as there are nine different routes that will take you to the center.
When you arrive at the center, you’ll be given a legal interview. Bring with you a list of your income sources, a list of your family members and an outline of your legal issue.
Telephone applications
People living in Galveston County with a legal issue who are unable to visit the Equal Access Center in person can apply for legal aid over the phone. When you call, you will be connected via a bridge network to The Woodlands based Lone Star Legal Aid office or the United Way’s Disaster Case Management program.
Online applications
Visit the Lone Star Legal Aid website to visit the form for an online application. After registering and completing an application form, your application will be submitted to the Houston-Lawyer Referral Service.
Once your application is submitted, you should receive a follow-up call seeking details about your request for services.
Major Legal Aid Agencies in Galveston County
In addition to the aforementioned service providers, other prominent legal organizations serve Galveston County’s sizeable low income population. The legal services offered by these organizations range from help obtaining social security and government benefits, to family law, housing law and more.
Lone Star Legal Aid (LSLA) LSLA is a vital organization for Galveston County residents who need legal aid. LSLA (formerly known as Gulf Coast Legal Services) has a long history of providing legal services to the low income population. As of September 2017, LSLA serves a 32-county region (which includes Galveston County) and helps thousands of clients every year obtain legal representation, advice, and pro se materials to assist them in their legal cases.
LSLA also facilitates volunteer programs for lawyers across Texas. Through volunteer efforts, LSLA helps educate needy citizens, and supplies a variety of legal services. LSLA can match clients with volunteer attorneys for advice, and when appropriate (and if they qualify) with free or majorly reduced fee attorneys for their legal needs. Clients who use LSLA services must qualify under federal guidelines for poverty.
Galveston Volunteer Lawyers Program Galveston Volunteer Lawyers Program (GVLP) is a non-profit project of the Galveston County Bar Association which has served the community for over 20 years. GVLP provides several valuable services to those who qualify . GVLP offers a "Self Help Table" which can provide help with local civil matters, guidance on how to fill out various legal forms, and strategies for representing yourself in court. The Self Help Table cannot provide representation to clients in the courtroom.
Also run by GVLP is the "Basic Intake" program. Basic Intake serves to interview people in need, and determine if they may be eligible for an attorney based on their income and the type of case.
Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid (TRLA) TRLA is the largest charitable provider of legal services in Texas. TRLA, like LSLA, serves Galveston County residents if they qualify for the legal services they offer. TRLA provides "teach a person to fish" services, offering clients materials to help them learn to represent themselves in court when necessary. TRLA assists clients with finding the correct forms, and instructs clients on how to correctly fill out the forms.
Other non-profit organizations Several other organizations provide pro bono (or significantly reduced fee) legal services to the needy in Galveston County. These organizations include Advocacy, Inc., American Bar Association, Coalition for the Homeless, Disability Rights Texas, Houston Volunteer Lawyers, and the Legal Assistance Foundation. These programs are also currently taking applicants for their legal services, so reach out to one of these organizations if you or someone you know is in need of legal services.
This variety of legal aid services shows that with some research, low income and vulnerable citizens can access legal aid in Galveston County.
Barriers Faced by Legal Aid Programs
Challenges Faced by Legal Aid Services in Galveston County
Despite the admirable work that legal aid services do, they are not without challenges. In Galveston County, as in the rest of Texas, funding has proven to be a consistent issue. Legal aid programs have faced funding issues from governmental entities and some private individuals and organizations. While non-profits receive a considerable amount of public (i.e., federal and state) and private funding, it is difficult for many of them to meet the challenges they face.
One of the biggest challenges legal aid services face is hunger. Imagine being a legal aid services lawyer in Galveston County, faced with the prospect that a client would go hungry without help. One quick search around Galveston and you will see dozens of places where the hungry can get a meal. But, getting hungry clients to your offices, to ensure they have legal representation is another matter.
With so many people in need of dietary assistance, it is no wonder that sometimes, legal aid services lawyers cannot afford the time or resources to ensure that their clients do not go hungry in Galveston County. And, as you might imagine, the high rate of poverty in the area and problem of hunger are self-perpetuating.
The lack of funding is just one part of the problem. The legal aid services are often inundated by requests for food and other assistance, and that leaves some people without adequate access to food or legal services in Galveston’s growing community. To help alleviate the stresses on families, and ultimately clients, many legal aid services work with local churches and community organizations to help provide food (and other services) to those in need. Also, legal aid services have found ways to incorporate these programs into their legal representation offerings by providing bags of non-perishable food to those in need, through the assistance of the award-winning Galveston County Food Bank. When the government provides insufficient funding for food, legal aid services must turn elsewhere for the resources to assist their clients.
The lack of adequate funding and attorneys to handle the caseloads that have inundated lawyers faced with poverty law issues is another critical issue that affects a legal outcome for clients. Fortunately, many legal aid services in Galveston County are limited to the representation of clients who meet certain income and asset restrictions, while others refer clients to pro bono networks, or partner with other legal aid services to share the burden of representation. However, unfortunately, those same issues have yet to be solved with respect to hunger.
Support and Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteer and support opportunities for Galveston County legal aid services are abundant, and a diverse group of dedicated individuals and organizations help to ensure that legal aid is available to the low-income community in our area. The Galveston County Bar Association volunteers provide services through the local legal clinic. While the clinic primarily serves individuals with family law issues, the volunteer attorneys also help with landlord-tenant and wills and estates cases. Local attorneys donate time and expertise to provide legal representation at early courts, often called "dockets," including child support, family law and eviction dockets.
Numerous local service organizations, such as Catholic Charities and Communities in Schools of Galveston County, volunteer time to promote legal aid efforts in the local community, assist with fundraisers, and support the establishment and operation of the Galveston County Young Lawyers’ Foundation (GCYLF) as a separate 501(c)(3) organization.
Other groups provide financial support to Galveston County legal aid agencies through their fundraising efforts and philanthropic efforts, including the Houston Bar Foundation, The Law Office of Jason Tichenor, Texas Bar Foundation , The Woodlands Bar Foundation and the Houston Young Lawyers Association.
The local bar association strengthens the anti-poverty legal services delivery system by supporting services, such as the Association of Legal Aid Attorneys, Houston Volunteer Lawyers, and South Texas College of Law Houston, which provides free legal counsel and representation; Texas Bar Foundation, which grants scholarships to law students who will work at legal aid in their home counties after law school; and the Law Office of Jason Tichenor, which has provided critical funding to the Galveston County Young Lawyers’ Foundation.
In addition to its financial support, the Houston Bar Foundation is helping not just Galveston County legal aid agencies, but all anti-poverty legal aid agencies in Southeast Texas, by leading the Southeast Texas Partnership initiative. The Houston Bar Foundation acts as the managing partner of the coalition of Southeast Texas bar foundations and local bar associations, targeting the three cities with the most substantial legal aid gaps: Beaumont, Galveston and Galveston County. The Houston Bar Foundation’s contribution is key to these organizations’ collective success in addressing the legal aid gap.