TRLA`s mission is to promote the dignity, self-reliance, security, and stability of low-income Texans by providing quality civilian legal assistance and related educational services. Each year, the organization provides legal services to approximately 23,000 clients. To be eligible, a client must be equal to or less than 200% of the federal poverty guidelines, depending on the client`s circumstances. TRLA was founded in 1970 to provide civil justice services to the poor in ten counties in South Texas. Justice James DeAnda, in partnership with the Texas Trial Lawyers Association, sponsored the formation of TRLA to receive funding from the Federal Office of Economic Opportunities (OPA). David G. Hall was one of the first members of the board of directors of the new organization, but soon became its executive director. Hall resigned in late 2017 and was replaced by Robert Doggett, who spent nearly 20 years at TRLA litigating and advising on cases involving FEMA assistance, mortgage foreclosure, predatory lending and other issues that disproportionately affect low-income people. Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRLA) is a nonprofit organization that provides free legal advice to low-income residents in sixty-eight counties in southwest Texas and represents migrant and seasonal workers throughout the state of Texas and six southern states: Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas. In addition, TRLA runs public defense attorney programs in several counties in southwest Texas that represent poor defendants of felony, misdemeanor, and juvenile delinquency. In 1984, the Texas Supreme Court created the Texas Equal Access to Justice Foundation (TEAJF) to administer funds to support civil justice services for low-income Texans. The primary source of these funds was the Interest on Lawyer Trust Accounts (IOLTA) program, which allowed lawyers to aggregate short-term or nominal deposits made on behalf of clients or third parties into bank accounts where accrued interest was distributed to non-profit providers of free legal services. In 1997, the Texas legislature provided a new funding stream for TEAJF when lawsuits had to include minimal additional fees for free legal services for low-income Texans.
In 2001, the Attorney General of Texas and the Texas Supreme Court agreed that TEAJF should administer a new Civil Justice Services Fund for Victims of Crime to provide free legal services to low-income victims of crime. Finally, in December 2006, the Supreme Court issued an order to amend the IOLTA rules, requiring lawyers to hold their IOLTA accounts with banks that pay interest rates comparable to other similar accounts. The Supreme Court`s action is expected to generate significant new funding for legal services. During the transition years, which began with President Reagan`s first attempt to dismantle the LSC, LSC programs intensified their efforts to find funds that, if necessary, could replace federal funds to provide legal services to the poor. In the 1980s and 1990s, there was an increase in attacks on federal funding, resulting in significant cuts coupled with additional restrictions on who could be served, what types of cases could be covered, and advocacy funds. To be eligible for TRLA`s free legal services, an applicant must meet income, asset, and immigration requirements set forth by the U.S. Congress, Texas Legislature, and other funding sources. TRLA will always try to find a source of funding that allows for representation for people who cannot afford to pay for a private lawyer. Emergency Department: Applicants from Bexar and surrounding counties (Atascosa, Bandera, Comal, Crockett, Edwards, Gillespie, Guadalupe, Karnes, Kendall, Kerr, Kimble, Medina, Real, Sutton, and Wilson) with legal emergency issues can call the TRLA San Antonio office for an emergency appointment at 210-212-3700 or toll free at 800-369-0356. Also in December, TRLA began providing legal advice to border residents affected by the construction of a wall along the Texas-Mexico border.
[9] TRLA has worked to ensure that landowners are informed of their legal rights and do not feel intimidated or compelled to comply with government requests. 28. In June 2002, Coastal Bend Legal Services, Bexar County Legal Aid Association, El Paso Legal Assistance Society and Legal Aid of Central Texas merged to form Texas Rural Legal Aid, Inc. to form a new organization providing legal services to low-income people in an area of 68 counties in southwest Texas. In 1976, the Legal Services Corporation (LSC), an independent firm formed by Congress, funded hundreds of legal services programs across the country, including TRLA and organizations in the urban areas of southwest Texas. During the Carter administration, LSC expanded access to civil justice services to all counties in the United States and its offshore assets. By 1980, TRLA had expanded its operations to 47 counties in South and West Texas. Austin`s legal aid program, established in 1966, expanded to the counties surrounding Travis and the Belton-Ford Hood area and became Legal Aid of Central Texas. The Corpus Christi program in Nueces County expanded to ten other counties in the Coastal Bend region and was renamed the Coastal Bend Legal Services program. TRLA has a total of more than 390 employees, 93% of whom are legal partners who work directly with clients in a variety of practice areas, including: Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, formerly Texas Rural Legal Aid (TRLA), is a nonprofit agency focused on providing free civil justice services to the poor in a service area of 68 counties.