Pro Bono Legal Representation for Low-Income Survivors of Domestic Violence

In 2024, 200 family violence survivors received legal advice from VLS volunteer attorneys. Additionally, VLS closed  43 cases for family violence survivors. We also opened 43 cases for family violence survivors and placed 15 of those cases with attorney volunteers.  Seventy-four pro bono attorneys provided these services throughout the year.  Of the 10,104.20 pro bono hours of legal advice and case work provided to low-income and indigent residents of Bastrop, Hays, and Travis counties, 1,971.4 hrs. of those hours were spent directly on domestic violence cases in 2024.  ****These hours represented a value of $591,420 in legal services to the community.******* 

 VLS will continue to provide pro bono civil legal services and crisis intervention services to low-income victims/survivors of family violence, sexual assault, child abuse, and other violent crimes in Central Texas.  Primarily, our work with family violence victims/survivors involves providing legal advice and direct representation in family law cases with a history of domestic violence, with a focus on legal advocacy for victim/survivors—ensuring their safety and taking whatever legal means necessary to keep the survivor and children safe and secure.  Throughout the attorney-client relationship, VLS and its attorney volunteers ensure the safety of the family unit by creating possession and access schedules that provide for the emotional and physical well-being and safety of the child and survivor; arranging supervised or restricted visitation when ordered by the court between the estranged spouse and child/children; as well as obtaining financial support and property divisions that enable the survivor to support themselves and their family, decreasing the likelihood of the survivor returning to the batterer due to financial difficulties.

Further, cases involving violence where the survivor receives legal representation as compared to cases in which the survivor is pro se (self-represented), (1) often decreases the need for, and frequency of high-conflict, contested hearings, (2) prevents needless and frivolous litigation filed by an abusive and controlling opposing party, (3) allows for the proper and effective introduction of necessary evidence, (4) provides protection from abusive and manipulative cross-examination, (5) increases the likelihood that the survivor will be heard, and (6) exponentially increases the likelihood that protective measures are put into place.

As civil legal resources are limited for survivors, VLS works closely with other civil legal service providers in Central Texas, ensuring that, as a community, we are providing representation to as many survivors as possible and minimizing the risk that survivors ‘fall through the cracks’ or that abuse continues due to a lack of civil legal representation.

In 2021, VLS entered a formal relationship with the Travis County Attorney Protective Order Division to accept referrals for divorce and SAPCR cases. In instances when a survivor of family violence files for a protective order, the TCAO refers them to VLS, so that they can file for divorce and/or custody to have legal protections in place past the expiration of the protective order. In 2022, VLS built a secure web-based referral platform for use by County Attorney victim services staff, to facilitate quick referrals to VLS and prevent victims from “falling through the cracks” during the inter-agency referral process.  When the TCAO refers a case to VLS through our portal, our staff is immediately notified and reaches out to the victim. This process is already proving to help victims faster and more effectively.

In 2022, VLS also entered a formal relationship with American Gateways to aid with State-court SAPCR petitions for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status children. We created a secure referral portal, like the portal for the TCAO. American Gateways case management staff can use this portal to make referrals to us. VLS staff is immediately notified of the referral and reaches out to the applicant within 2 weeks. 

In 2024, VLS continued to accept direct referrals from Travis County Attorney’s Office, American Gateways, and the Travis County Law Library, and expanded the program to accept referrals from the Texas Legal Services Center. VLS continued to host in-person clinics at two Austin Public Library locations twice monthly and added monthly in-person clinics at the San Marcos Public Library. The Law Library can help individuals file uncontested divorces, but they can refer individuals with more complicated situations, including domestic violence, directly to VLS.

To provide these critical legal services to domestic violence victims/survivors, VLS utilizes a diverse, high-quality attorney volunteer network and staff, supported by unique VLS resources including legal forms, training manuals, continuing legal education (CLE), three full-time staff attorneys, and experienced mentors.  VLS will continue to recruit, train, retain, and recognize pro bono attorneys handling domestic violence cases to ensure a robust pool of attorney volunteers willing to handle these types of cases.

By providing equal access to justice through pro bono civil legal services, VLS seeks to end the cycle of violence by providing the legal resources and protection necessary to empower victims/survivors to build safe and secure futures for themselves and their children.