TFDP challenges you to pledge your time to help low income Texans!

About our pro bono program

The Texas Fair Defense Project's mission is to fight to end the criminalization of poverty in Texas. We envision a system of justice that upholds the dignity and civil rights of all people, regardless of income, race, or gender.

Last year, TFDP launched our pro bono program to recruit, train, and supervise pro bono attorneys to join our fight to end the criminalization of poverty. Through the program, pro bono attorneys assist low-income Texans in their communities with Class C misdemeanor cases to help Texans restore their driver's licenses, and with expunction and nondisclosure cases to help Texans better access jobs and housing. With the pro bono program, TFDP focuses on providing zealous, client-centered advocacy to individuals in need of services.

What we're doing next

We're looking to grow our pro bono program to meet the demand for these much-needed services. TFDP's intake for services is up 650% from 2020. In 2022, we are calling upon our pro bono attorneys to meet the moment. We need our pro bono attorneys to provide driver's license recovery and criminal record clearing services to your communities throughout the state. In 2022, we hope to match more pro bono attorneys with more of their neighbors in need of services. We will also be hosting both driver's licence recovery clinics and criminal record clearing clinics throughout the state.

How you can join us

We need attorneys and firms who can commit their time in 2022 to help with one or more of these pro bono opportunities:

Volunteering to help a client with driver's license recovery / Class C ticket help
Volunteering to help a client with criminal record clearing (expunction and/or nondisclosure)
Participating in a driver's license recovery clinic
Participating in a criminal record-clearing clinic

All pro bono volunteers will receive training (with CLE credit) prior to being assigned a client or participating in a clinic. Volunteers will work with staff attorneys who have collectively worked with hundreds of clients. The time commitment for individual clients will vary, while clinics require set times for client assistance.

If you're ready to join us, sign up for one of the options on the right side of this page. We have options for individal attorneys and law firms. We'll follow up with you and get you trained and ready for your pro bono work!

Sign Up

Five Hours

With five hours, you could volunteer your time at a single clinic or complete a single criminal record clearing petition!

Ten Hours

With ten hours, you could volunteer at one drivers license clinic and one criminal record clearing clinic!

Twenty Hours

With twenty hours, you could help a low income Texan get back on the road by repesenting them in a driver's license recovery case.

Forty Hours

With forty hours, you could volunteer at a drivers license recovery clinic to sharpen your skills before taking on a driver's license recovery case or two!

Case Warrior: Fifty Hours

Keep going! Commit to all four options: volunteering at a driver's license clinic, volunteering at a criminal record clearing clinic, taking on an driver's license recovery case AND taking on a criminal record clearing case

Mentor Status: Seventy-Five Hours

Take on the training and casework needed to truly become a subject expert in driver's license recovery and criminal record clearing and become a mentor to new pro bono attorneys in your area

Golden Defender: 100 Hours

Be a leader in the fight to end the criminalization of poverty by taking on an assortment of clinics, driver's license recovery cases, and criminal record clearing cases.

Law Firm: Driver's License Clinic

There's power in numbers! Choose this if your law firm is interested in providing at least 10 volunteer attorneys to participate in a clinic.

Law Firm: Expunction / License Cases

Go the distance! Choose this if you pledge that at least 10 members of your firm want to each take on criminal record clearing and/or driver's license recovery cases.

Organizer

Texas Fair Defense Project Katie Kis kkis@fairdefense.org Austin, TX http://www.fairdefense.org

Nonprofit Organization Donations Tax Deductible

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