Lone Star Legal Aid to Lead Rural Justice Project Expanding Civil Legal Services Across Rural Texas

New initiative will bring legal assistance closer to rural communities through local outposts, traveling attorneys, technology, and community partnerships 

HOUSTON, Texas — Lone Star Legal Aid (LSLA) will lead a major effort to expand access to civil legal services in rural Texas as part of the newly launched Rural Justice Initiative, a historic, multi-year investment designed to change how rural Texans connect with legal help. 

The statewide initiative is supported by $26.7 million in first-year funding from the Supreme Court of Texas and administered by the Texas Access to Justice Foundation. Seven legal aid organizations are participating in the initiative: Lone Star Legal Aid, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas, Disability Rights Texas, Family Legal Services of the South Plains, Texas Advocacy Project, and Texas Legal Services Center. Together, the organizations will work to create a stronger and more permanent civil legal aid infrastructure in rural communities.  

“For too many rural Texans, getting legal help can mean traveling a significant distance, navigating limited local resources, or trying to overcome technology and connectivity barriers just to reach an attorney,” said Paul Furrh, Chief Executive Officer of Lone Star Legal Aid. “This investment gives us an opportunity to build something different — a legal aid presence that is closer to the communities we serve, rooted in local relationships, and designed around the realities of rural life. Where someone lives should not determine whether they can access justice.” 

Building Legal Aid Where People Live 

Rural Texans face persistent barriers to civil legal services. Legal aid organizations currently have offices in only 42 of Texas’ 254 counties, while 48 percent of Texas counties have fewer than one attorney per 1,000 residents. Many of the state’s 190 rural counties are considered legal deserts.  

The Rural Justice Initiative is designed to address those barriers by taking legal services beyond the traditional brick-and-mortar law office. 

The initiative will use a hybrid legal services model that combines rural legal outposts located in trusted community spaces, traveling attorneys and coordinated service routes, in-person and virtual assistance, technology-supported services, and community outreach and relationship building. Implementation will take into account the individual needs, existing resources, and local partners within each community.  

Rather than requiring rural residents to find their way to legal aid, the model is designed to create more places and more ways for people to connect with assistance. 

A Lasting Rural Justice Infrastructure 

Across the statewide initiative, initial plans call for establishing 170 rural legal outposts as the multi-year effort progresses. The goal extends beyond providing services in individual cases: the initiative is intended to establish a lasting legal aid infrastructure that rural communities can rely on year after year.  

“This is a generational investment in rural communities and an opportunity to fundamentally change how Texas families access civil legal services,” Betty Balli Torres, Executive Director of the Texas Access to Justice Foundation, said. “We are grateful to the Supreme Court of Texas for recognizing the importance of this work and making a transformative investment in access to justice for rural Texans. Over the next five years, our goal is to establish a trusted, consistent presence in rural communities and reach close to 38,000 additional Texans with civil legal services.” 

Eligible rural Texans will be able to access a full range of civil legal services, with additional support tailored to populations including veterans, people with disabilities, and survivors of domestic violence.  

“This is not simply about putting a pin on a map and calling it access,” Furrh said. “It is about becoming a trusted and reliable part of these communities — listening to what people need, building relationships with local partners, and making sure rural Texans know where they can turn when a civil legal problem threatens their home, family, safety, income, or stability.” 

Additional information about Lone Star Legal Aid’s Rural Justice Initiative, participating communities, services, and opportunities for community partnership will be announced as implementation moves forward. The initiative will also create opportunities for attorneys who want to put down roots in rural Texas—building careers, raising families, and becoming part of the communities they serve. By living and working alongside their clients and neighbors, these attorneys will help strengthen access to justice while building a life in the communities that need their talents most. 

Lone Star Legal Aid (LSLA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit law firm focused on advocacy for low-income populations by providing free legal education, advice, and representation. LSLA serves millions of people at 125% of federal poverty guidelines, who live in 72 counties in the eastern and Gulf Coast regions of Texas, and 4 counties in Southwest Arkansas. To learn more about Lone Star Legal Aid, visit our website at www.LoneStarLegal.org. 

Media contact: media@lonestarlegal.org