Who We Are
We work to protect the rights and improve the lives of individuals and families and the communities they live in by addressing civil legal issues and securing positive and life-changing outcomes.
Our Vision
Ensure low-income Texas residents and impoverished communities have the ability to effectively assert their rights, achieve protection under the law, and meaningfully access the civil legal justice system.
Our Mission
Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas will ensure equal access to justice and improve the lives of low-income communities by providing high-quality legal representation, strategic litigation, valuable legal advice, and meaningful collaborations, outreach, and community education.
The Values We Live By
Who We Serve
Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas offers free legal assistance to clients who cannot afford to hire a private attorney. Our clients come from all sectors of the community and all walks of life. They are veterans, victims of violence, unhoused persons, and those with medical or mental health issues. They are hard-working minimum wage earners, retirees on fixed incomes, students, grandparents, and single parents.
Our Branch Offices and the Counties They Serve
We provide free civil legal help to low-income residents across the diverse urban, rural, and suburban areas within the 114 Texas counties in our service area.
Our Programs and Projects
Community Lawyering Center (CLC)
Established in 2014 and in partnership with UNT Dallas College of Law, the Community Lawyering Center offers free legal services to eligible clients while providing critical and practical experience to those who want to practice law.
Community Revitalization Project (CRP)
The Community Revitalization Project is a community lawyering group of attorneys and legal professionals. Community lawyering is a process through which advocates contribute their legal knowledge and skills to support initiatives identified by the community that enhance its power, with the goal of supporting lasting changes that bring about social justice.
Disaster Legal Services Unit (DLSU)
Established in 2022 with a disaster grant from the Legal Services Corporation (LSC), the Disaster Legal Services Unit (DLSU) offers education and free legal services to low-income individuals affected by a disaster. Our staff conducts outreach to educate the community about common legal issues after a disaster, and the services LANWT provides to help resolve them.
Home Preservation Project (HPP)
Originally formed to address the rise of housing instability and fight unlawful evictions during the pandemic, the Home Preservation Project (HPP) works collaboratively with eviction courts and partner agencies including homeless shelters and crisis centers to provide coordinated, holistic advocacy throughout our 114-county service area.
Legal Aid Pro Se Assistance (LAPSA)
Our Legal Aid Pro Se Assistance (LAPSA) offices, strategically located in or close to county courthouses, provide limited services to pro se litigants to help them navigate the court system; the project enjoys support from local courts and other county offices, which refer these litigants to our office. The LAPSA attorney helps litigants by reviewing court pleadings and orders to ensure that they comply with state law and local rules, and offers community education events to help people better understand their rights.
Legal Aid for Survivors of Sexual Assault (LASSA)
The Legal Aid for Survivors of Sexual Assault (LASSA) program is part of a statewide initiative providing survivors of sexual assault and sexual violence with free legal help. Services for eligible clients range from advice to full representation.
Low Income Taxpayer Clinic
Our specially trained attorneys represent individuals in federal tax controversy matters before the Internal Revenue Service, and provide direct outreach in the community to inform low-income and English as a Second Language (ESL) taxpayers about their taxpayer rights and responsibilities.
Medical-Legal Partnership (MLP)
Tarrant County Medical-Legal Partnership (MLP), a joint program of Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas and My Health My Resources (MHMR) of Tarrant County, offers civil legal help to low-income individuals who are receiving healthcare services at MHMR. Legal help is provided for those experiencing problems with housing, utilities, public benefits, and personal and financial stability.
Path Beyond Opioids Legal Aid Project
The “Path Beyond Opioids Legal Aid Project” supports holistic civil legal services to income-qualified North and West Texans who have been directly impacted by opioid use disorder. The project offers direct legal services such as addressing legal barriers for people in recovery and their families, which includes helping them expunge or seal eligible criminal records or obtain a valid driver’s license so they can return to work.
Pro Bono Driver’s License/State ID Restoration Project
The Driver’s License/State ID Restoration Project, originally funded by a grant from the Legal Services Corporation, enhances our pro bono volunteer program by offering legal services to eligible clients seeking to restore suspended driver’s licenses or replace lost state identification cards. This project helps ensure that lack of a driver’s license or identification card will not be a barrier to get or maintain employment, apply for earned benefits, or obtain adequate housing. In addition to volunteer attorneys, the project is also assisted by law students from Texas A&M University School of Law, SMU Dedman School of Law, and the University of North Texas College of Law.
Pro Bono Expunction and Nondisclosure Project
The Pro Bono Expunction and Nondisclosure project uses specially trained volunteer attorneys and law students to represent low-income clients in court to expunge or seal their eligible criminal records. Successful expungement and nondisclosure orders allow individuals to obtain jobs, housing, and educational benefits that have been denied because of their criminal records, which may contain stale or incorrect information.
Veterans Project
While all of our offices provide legal help to veterans, we also have a specialized veterans project with a dedicated attorney who provides legal services in all areas of law to eligible veterans and family members in the greater Dallas-Fort Worth area.
The History of Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas
Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas has a long history of serving the community. In December 1951, the organization – then called the Fort Worth Legal Foundation – was established as the first Texas nonprofit corporation dedicated to the singular purpose of providing legal assistance to those unable to afford the professional services of an attorney. The program wasn’t developed out of government support or requirement, but rather through the work of several Texas lawyers who believed that all people should have equal access to justice.
Today, we are the fifth-largest legal aid program in the U.S. serving 114 counties across North and West Texas. We employ nearly 200 attorneys who are supported by a dedicated team of more than 100 paralegals, social workers, and support staff. An additional team of part-time attorneys staff our Legal Aid Line, a statewide legal hotline that helps broaden our ability to assist those in rural areas or who are unable to visit with us in person.
Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas has come a long way from its humble beginnings in 1951. While we now receive funding from federal and state sources, we are not a government agency. We remain a Texas nonprofit organization corporation dedicated to the purposes envisioned by our founders.
Pursue Justice with Us!
Subscribe to our newsletter to stay updated with our latest news and events.