Military Legal Assistance Offices
Visit the U.S. Armed Forces Legal Assistance Locator to locate the nearest military legal assistance office (click on "Advanced" and "Accept"). Servicemembers and their families may access free legal assistance at these offices. See our Working with a Lawyer publication for more details on eligibility.
Legal Aid and Pro Bono Programs
Visit FindLegalHelp.org to locate programs that provide free civil legal assistance. These organizations may or may not have military-specific services. Contact these programs for more details on eligibility.
Lawyer Referral Programs
Visit the Lawyer Referral Directory to locate programs that can connect you to a lawyer who charges for legal services. In the search box, type your state, county, or city to find local programs. Some attorneys with these programs, however, may offer discounted initial consultations or may charge reduced fees based on your income. Contact these programs for more information.
Military/Veteran Specific Programs
If programs are listed below, they are designed to assist military members and/or veterans with legal matters. See the specific details and contact these programs for more information. Also visit nationwide programs.
ABA Free Legal Answers
If you can't afford a lawyer, ABA Free Legal Answers may be able to help. For most civil (non-criminal) legal questions, if your state participates, click on "Select the state where you live" and click on your state to ask a question.
For VA benefits, discharge upgrades, or other veteran-related legal questions: Choose "ABA Federal" in the "Select the state where you live" dropdown menu to ask a discharge upgrade or VA-related question, and receive an answer from an attorney.
State Bar of Texas
P.O. Box 12487
1414 Colorado
Austin, TX 78711-2487
800-204-2222
Texas Lawyers for Texas Veterans: A State Bar of Texas program to establish and assist pro bono legal clinics throughout the state for Texas military veterans and their families who otherwise cannot afford or do not have access to basic civil legal services. Provides resources, training, and materials to assist local bar associations in organizing and maintaining veterans legal clinics. Civil practice areas covered in veterans legal clinics include but are not necessarily limited to Bankruptcy, Child Support, Divorce/Custody, Guardianship/Probate, Landlord/Tenant, Wills/Estate Planning, Employment, Housing, and Tax. Visit the website for more information, including a list of pro bono veterans legal clinics, other legal services resources, disability claims resources, and a list of veterans service provider resources.
Houston Bar Association's Veterans Legal Initiative
HBA's Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program
712 Main Street, Suite 2700
Houston, TX 77002
713-228-0735
Contact- Mickey Baden
[email protected]
The HBA's Veterans Legal Initiative provides pro bono legal services for veterans in Harris County through regularly-scheduled legal advice clinics at several venues, as well as through its Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program. Veterans can get help with legal issues including family law, wills and probate, consumer law, landlord/tenant issues, disability, and veterans benefits. A legal advice clinic is held every Friday afternoon, from 2:00 p.m. until 5:00 pm., at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, 2002 Holcombe, First Floor. No appointment is necessary. Veterans can meet with a volunteer attorney who will provide legal advice and counsel. If the veteran needs further legal assistance, they will be assigned a pro bono attorney through the HBA's Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program. A legal advice clinic is held monthly at the U.S. VETS at Midtown Terrace residential facility for veterans in Houston and quarterly at the DeGeorge at Union Station residential facility for veterans in Houston. Saturday legal advice clinics are held in November and February at an American Legion or VFW post in Houston. More information on the Veterans Legal Initiative is available on the HBA website.
Houston Bar Foundation/Houston Volunteer Lawyers
Veterans Legal Initiative
1001 Fannin Street, Suite 1300
Houston, Texas 77002
Phone: 713-759-1133
Intake: Clinics are held every Friday from 2:00-5:00 p.m. at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center. Saturday clinics are held in surrounding counties. Visit the website for a complete list of upcoming clinics.
Counties Served: Friday clinics serve Harris County; Saturday clinics serve Harris and 16 surrounding counties.
Type of Cases Accepted: Family, Wills and Probate, Consumer, Real Estate, Disability, VA Benefits and other civil cases.
Texas Civil Rights Project
Veteran Services
The Texas Civil Rights Project's Veteran Services provide civil rights legal assistance to low income veterans in Texas. We offer assistance for Civil Rights (Freedom of Speech, Equal Protection), Public Accommodations, Disability Law, Access to Public Records, Discharge upgrades, Denial of Veteran benefits due to discharge, and many more veteran law related issues
Contact one of the Texas Civil Rights Project offices listed below or fill out an intake online.
Texas Civil Rights Project-El Paso
1317 E. Rio Grande Ave.
El Paso, TX 79902
(915) 532-3799 ext. 16
Monday-Friday MST 9am-5pm
Texas Civil Rights Project-South Texas
P.O. Box 219
Alamo, TX 78516
(956) 787-8171
Monday-Friday CST 9am-5pm
Texas Veteran's Legal Assistance Project.
Hotline FAQs: The Veterans' Legal Assistance Project serves low to moderate income Texas veterans earning up to twice the federal poverty limit, as well as their spouses, dependents, and survivors.
Eligibility Guidelines: To receive services, you must be a Texas veteran, or the spouse, dependent or survivor of a Texas veteran, and have household income at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines.
Services Provided: (1) Legal assistance in civil legal matters, including family law, employment, housing, consumer, bankruptcy, probate, VA benefits; and (2) Referral to private attorney or community services where appropriate.
Contact Info: Call us at 1-800-622-2520. We receive a heavy volume of calls. If you get our voicemail, please give your name, phone number including area code, address, and a brief description of your problem. You may leave more than one phone number. For help or information about state and federal veterans' benefits, call the Texas Veterans Commission Veterans HOTLINE: 1-800-252-VETS (8387) or visit the website.
Texas Lawyers for Texas Veterans – Tarrant County Chapter
1315 Calhoun Street
Fort Worth, Texas 76102
(817) 546-4460 (To make appointments)
(817) 338-4092 (Melissa Sircar, Program Director)
Visit TLTV Website
Program provides pro bono civil legal assistance to veterans who otherwise cannot afford legal services. If you are a veteran or the spouse of a deceased veteran and need legal assistance, call 817-546-4460 for an appointment to a monthly legal clinic. Please leave a message and a volunteer will call you back with information about the upcoming clinic. Please be aware that TLTV does not have staff attorneys or volunteers that can handle emergency matters or issues outside of a legal clinic. At this time, TLTV's resources are limited to Tarrant County cases and issue.