News and stories about our work to protect and advance the civil legal rights of low-income Texans.
In commemoration of National Pro Bono Week (October 25th – 29th), Lone Star Legal Aid honors the following with Nacogdoches Branch Office Pro Bono Awards: W. Albert Weatherly – Attorney of the Year, Nacogdoches County; Holly Perkins-Meyers – Outstanding Commitment to Pro Bono Service; Carter A. Meyers – Outstanding Commitment to Pro Bono Service; Lynda K. Russell – Outstanding Commitment […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Houston, Texas – Tenants of Coppertree Village Apartment and Lone Star Legal Aid’s Fair Housing Team are celebrating a U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals win. In litigation that spanned over 3 years, Coppertree Tenants shared stories of the deplorable living conditions in the Section 8 Project where they lived. Unable to leave, for fear of losing […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 18, 2021 Media Contacts: Clarissa Ayala, Communications Director at Lone Star Legal Aid, (713) 652-0077 or cayala@lonestarlegal.org Colin Cox, Environmental Integrity Project (832) 316-0580 or ccox@environmentalintegrity.org Austin, Texas. – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, on October 15, 2021, agreed to investigate whether Texas violated the civil rights of a mostly African-American community in Port Arthur by allowing dangerous amounts […]
For immediate release – In commemoration of National Pro Bono Week (October 25th – 29th), Lone Star Legal Aid honors the following with 2021 Tyler Branch Office Pro Bono Awards: Leigh Hunt Goodson – Attorney of the Year, Smith County; Cheryl Ann Wulf – Most Clients Assisted; Pete Milne – Most Pro Bono Cases Litigated; Tab Beall – Outstanding Commitment […]
Houston, Texas – Lone Star Legal Aid has been awarded a $500,000 grant from Wells Fargo Foundation to support the Housing Stability for Low-Income Renters in Harris County Program. With these funds, we will help renters and their families fight eviction, prevent homelessness, and gain housing stability. With Wells Fargo’s help, we will cover legal issues like nonpayment of rent, […]
HOUSTON/GALVESTON—Free legal resources are available to low-income individuals affected by flooding and other conditions created by Hurricane Nicholas. The State Bar of Texas’s toll-free disaster legal services hotline—800-504-7030—puts callers in touch with legal aid providers in their areas who can help with: Replacement of important legal documents lost or destroyed in the disaster; Life, medical, and property insurance claims; Home […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Houston, Texas – Our website has a new look and optimized features, thanks to Roni Lagin & Co. based out of Philadelphia, PA. Much like our Houston office’s renovation, the website has been redesigned to maximize the efficiency of our mission: providing resources and access to free civil legal assistance to low-income Texans. While there are many […]
Houston, Texas – We are celebrating our 1-year anniversary of The Safe Space with a video montage of the past 12 episodes. The Safe Space is a live-streaming video outreach series aimed at providing survivors of sexual assault with free legal information and resources. Sexual violence can have an immediate and devastating effect on the survivor in nearly every aspect […]
The 85-Year-Old Oxbow Petroleum Coke Plant in Port Arthur is One of the Largest Sources of Sulfur Dioxide Pollution in the State EMBARGOED for Release: 10 am CST, Wednesday, August 18, 2021 Media Contacts: Clarissa Ayala, Communications Director at Lone Star Legal Aid, (832) 627-8404 or cayala@lonestarlegal.org Ari Phillips, Environmental Integrity Project, (505) 629-6148, aphillips@environmentalintegrity.org Note to TV reporters and […]
The Shriver Center on Poverty Law has announced the 47 fellows that have been selected to partake in the 2020 Racial Justice Institute, “a leadership program that equips and coordinates anti-poverty advocates to affirmatively advance racial equity.” Attorneys Ashea Jones and Deborah Concepcion will be representing Lone Star Legal Aid as they explore racial equity concepts that they can apply […]
Lone Star Legal Aid and Staff Awarded Three 2021 Pro Bono Excellence Awards Annually, the State Bar of Texas Committee for Legal Services to the Poor in Civil Matters presents awards to individuals, groups, and entities that perform exceptional work in the field of legal services to the poor. Lone Star Legal Aid and staff members, Dana Karni and Lena […]
Houston, TX – In every large city in America, a small amount of housing is reserved for the poor, but it’s usually located in poor neighborhoods: with poor access to transportation, groceries, and jobs. Luckily, conditions improve when neighborhoods gentrify, except long-term residents don’t usually benefit from the improvements. Rising rents usually force out them, thereby continuing a cycle of […]
On April 12, 2021, FEMA began accepting applications for financial assistance for funeral expenses incurred after Jan. 20, 2020, for deaths related to coronavirus (COVID-19), to help ease some financial stress and burden caused by the pandemic. We’ve put together answers to common questions from FEMA’s COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Individuals and Households Program Policy. How can I apply for FEMA […]
The CDC order that stops evictions for nonpayment of rent has been extended to the end of June 2021. In order to get this protection from eviction, tenants are required to submit a declaration to their landlord. Below you will find a declaration in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese: DECLARATION (ENGLISH); DECLARATION (SPANISH); AND DECLARATION (VIETNAMESE). Please review the declaration carefully and […]
Houston, TX – Lone Star Legal Aid is honored to recognize two women that have received prestigious awards during Women’s History Month. Both of these women are making changes within the civil justice system to restore human dignity, heal broken lives, and enhance safety, civility, justice, and equity through their work. Sonia Lopez, Director of Innovative Planning at LSLA, was […]
Did you know that as of January 1, 2021, there have been new Rules of Civil Procedure in Texas? These changes impact all parties in a lawsuit and require information to be shared with the other parties at the beginning of a lawsuit. If the information is not shared by the deadline stated in the new rules, there are consequences. […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Houston, TX – Lone Star Legal Aid is excited to announce it has received a charitable donation from Powered By People on behalf of the Eviction Defense Coalition. Powered By People is a grassroots organization led by former congressman, Beto O’Rourke, that has set forth to mobilize volunteers and raise money to support Texas families. The Covid-19 […]
On February 23, 2021, The Equal Justice Works announced the first ever Disaster Relilience Month set for March. A collaborative of organizations has teamed up to spread awareness about disaster-related challenges and offer resources for disaster preparedness and recovery efforts. Throughout March, Lone Star Legal Aid will join Equal Justice Works, the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, the American […]
Jasmine Melian, a physical therapist assistant at a Houston inpatient rehabilitation hospital, was at work last week when her children and 2 month old grandson lost power at the onset of Texas Winter Storm Uri. They immediately sought shelter with a relative and Jasmine joined them after she got off of work, and together they awaited the return of power. […]
JOINT PRESS RELEASE February 23, 2021 AUSTIN—The State Bar of Texas, the American Bar Association, and legal aid providers across the state remind Texans that a toll-free legal assistance hotline is available to low-income individuals and families affected by the Texas winter storm that began February 11. The hotline—800-504-7030—is available in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese and connects low-income individuals affected […]