Texas

Cabrini Center for Immigrant Legal Assistance of Catholic Charities

2900 Louisiana St.
Houston, TX 77006
Telephone: (713) 526-4611
Fax: (713) 874-6792
Website: https://catholiccharities.org/supporting-refugees-immigrants/st-frances-cabrini-center-for-immigration-legal-assistance/

19% Children's Law
Does Use Volunteer Attorneys

The Cabrini Center began in 1978 and began representing children in 2002. The Cabrini Center is the largest of the three Houston-based non-profit agencies accredited by the Board of Immigration Appeals to represent individuals in immigration legal matters. Volunteer attorneys are utilized to handle individual cases, and training is provided for CLE credit.

The program does accept calls from children and the public seeking legal information. Clients are referred through the Unaccompanied Immigrant Children Program of Catholic Charities, other attorneys or the children themselves.

Children's Law Clinics

University of Texas at Austin School of Law

727 E. Dean Keeton St.
Austin, TX 78705
Telephone: (512) 232-1290
Fax: (512) 475-8874
Website: http://www.utexas.edu/law/clinics/

100% Children's Law
Does Not Use Volunteer Attorneys

Students in the Children's Rights Clinic represent children in Travis County District Court as student attorneys ad litem in cases in which the state seeks custody or termination of parental rights based on allegations of abuse and neglect. Although the supervising attorneys sign pleadings drafted by the students and accompany the students to formal proceedings, the student attorneys sit "first chair" at hearings, depositions, mediations, and trial appearances, and they research and prepare cases as the primary attorneys.

In the Juvenile Justice Clinic students serve as student attorneys with the Travis County Juvenile Public Defender. Clients are indigent juveniles, aged ten to seventeen, charged with criminal offenses ranging from Class B misdemeanors to first-degree felonies. The Clinic provides an opportunity for students to learn juvenile law, interact with clients, advocate in court proceedings, and participate in educating children about the law. Student attorneys are assigned cases for which they have primary responsibility under the supervision of an experienced attorney in the public defender's office. Students perform all investigation, interviews, discovery, negotiation, and litigation functions on their cases.

Immigrant Children's Assistance Project

South Texas Pro Bono Asylum Representation Project

119 W. Van Buren Avenue
Suite 204
Harlingen, TX 78550
Tel: (956) 365-3775
Fax: (956) 365-3789
Email:  [email protected]
Website:
www.americanbar.org/groups/public_interest/immigration/projects_initiatives/south_texas_pro_bono_asylum_representation_project_probar/

40% Children's Law
Does Use Volunteer Attorneys

The South Texas Pro Bono Asylum Presentation Project (ProBAR) was created in 1989 as a joint project of the State Bar of Texas, the American Immigration Lawyers Association, and the American Bar Association. ProBAR recruits, trains and coordinates the activities of volunteer attorneys, law students and legal assistants from across the country who provide legal services to detained immigrants and asylum-seekers in South Texas.

Founded in 2003 with just one staff-person, ProBAR's Children's Project now has a team of seven attorneys, two Board of Immigration Appeals accredited representatives, fifteen paralegals, and two full-time volunteers. The Children's Project currently serves more than 900 detained, unaccom­panied children at shelters in South Texas by provid­ing them with "Know Your Rights" presentations and coordinating their legal representation.

ProBAR is designed to utilize the services of volunteers who are not experienced in immigra­tion law as well as those who are. We welcome volunteer attorneys, recent law graduates, law stu­dents and legal assistants. Attorneys need not be licensed in the State of Texas to participate.

Justice for Children

6750 West Loop South
Suite 120
Bellaire, Texas 77401
Telephone: 713-225-4357
Website: www.jfcadvocacy.org

100% Children's Law
Does Use Volunteer Attorneys

Justice for Children is a national child advocacy organization with headquarters in Houston, Texas. It was founded in 1987 by Randy Burton, a former Chief Prosecutor of the Family Offenses Section of the Harris County District Attorney's office, and a group of concerned citizens within the community in response to the inadequacies and failure of child protective system to protect abused and neglected children.

Today, Justice for Children continues to function as the voice of the abused and neglected child. The organizations is unique in that its purpose is to advocate and intervene on behalf of the abused and neglected child at any stage of an abused child's case, even prior to any court action. Justice for Children cases involve persons trying to protect an abused or neglected child. Individuals call asking for our assistance and guidance through a system that is often overwhelming, especially due to the emotional and traumatic events that are taking place in an abused or neglected child's life.

The purpose of Justice for Children is to provide a full range of advocacy and services for abused and neglected children; that includes legal advocacy, public policy monitoring, guidance through a complex child protective system, professional referrals, mental health services, court watch, research, education, and emotional support. Justice for Children assists and refers several thousand callers annually through the complicated maze of governmental agencies established to protect abused children. Advocating for an abused or neglected child takes on many different forms of participation and involvement that include, researching and gathering supporting documentation; reviewing supporting documentation; referring persons to professionals; guiding them through the legal and judicial process; initiating child abuse investigations; generating advocacy correspondence and amicus briefs- court hearings; and acting as facilitator of professional services.

Justice for Children proposes and drafts legislation to improve the laws pertaining not only to child abuse and child protection, but also laws concerning the funding for protective services.

W.W. Caruth, Jr. Child Advocacy Clinic

SMU Dedman School of Law

P.O. Box 750116
Dallas, TX 75275-0116
Telephone: (214) 768-3486
Fax: (214) 768-1611
Website: http://www.law.smu.edu/ChildAd/Home

The W.W. Caruth, Jr. Child Advocacy Clinic at Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law in Dallas, Texas represents abused and neglected children in Dallas County. The clinic is appointed by the Juvenile District Courts to serve as Guardian/Attorney ad litem for children. Student attorneys, under the supervision of the clinic director, are responsible for determining the best interests of the children and representing the children's voice in court.

TEXAS LAWYERS FOR CHILDREN
P.O. Box 192586
Dallas, Texas 75219
Phone: (214) 219-5852
Toll Free: (800) 993-5852
Fax: (214) 219-5851
Website: http://www.texaslawyersforchildren.org/

Texas Lawyers for Children's (TLC) mission is to improve case outcomes for abused and neglected children by enhancing the quality of legal services they receive. The most important decisions about an abused or neglected child's future are made in court. TLC exists to help ensure that those decisions are the best possible for the child.

TLC maintains an on-line legal resource center as well as professional e-mail networks and discussion boards.

TLC, along with the Texas Young Lawyers Association and the State Bar Committee on Child Abuse and Neglect, is building a statewide network of attorneys willing to provide pro bono services in areas such as: Trial Preparation Mentoring, Appellate Law, Kinship Placements, Adoption, and Assisting with Representation of Foster Children.