Lone Star Legal Aid Welcomes First Attorney Under Rural Justice Initiative to Expand Legal Services in Texas Legal Deserts

HOUSTON, TX – Lone Star Legal Aid (LSLA) is taking an important step toward closing the justice gap in rural Texas with the hiring of Emily Erdmann, the first staff attorney under the new statewide Rural Justice Initiative. The initiative seeks to address a persistent barrier to justice in Texas: counties where residents must travel outside their communities to find an attorney because no lawyers live locally.

Erdmann will initially be assigned to LSLA’s Bryan office before transitioning to a designated legal desert county, where she will establish a local outpost to provide civil legal assistance to eligible low-income residents.

New Rural Justice Staff Attorney with Board of Directors. L-R: Karen Lukin, Daniel Hu, Dr. Clen Burton, Emily Erdmann, Paul Kruse, and Roosevelt Terry, Jr.

LSLA officially welcomed Erdmann during its third quarterly Board of Directors meeting, held in College Station. Also in attendance were Miranda Doane, the newly appointed Managing Attorney of LSLA’s Bryan Office; Supervising Attorney Kory Kittel; and Litigation Director Leslie Burgoyne. All three will play key roles in implementing the Rural Justice Initiative, working alongside Erdmann to expand LSLA’s presence in rural communities and bring legal assistance closer to residents who need it.

L-R: Emily Erdmann, Kory Kittell, Leslie Burgoyne, and Miranda Doane

L-R: Paul Furrh, Emily Erdmann, Kory Kittell, Leslie Burgoyne, Miranda Doane, and Ernest Brown

The Rural Justice Initiative was developed in response to the growing challenges facing rural Texans who need legal help but have limited access to attorneys in their communities. Although these counties fall within LSLA’s existing service area and are served by established branch offices, residents often must travel to neighboring counties to meet with an attorney in person.

For individuals facing eviction, domestic violence, wrongful denial of public benefits, consumer fraud, or other serious civil legal problems, that distance can become an insurmountable obstacle. Limited transportation, financial constraints, work schedules, and unreliable internet access can make obtaining legal representation especially difficult.

The Rural Justice Initiative is a historic multi-year effort coordinated by the Texas Access to Justice Foundation (TAJF), with initial funding from the Supreme Court of Texas, to create a sustained legal aid presence in rural communities throughout the state.

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