Pro Bono Frequently Asked Questions

Thank you for your interest in supporting survivors of power-based abuse through our pro bono program! Free civil legal services are vital to ensuring our clients’ safety and bridging the justice gap in Texas. 

To get started, please complete our short Pro Bono Application. Once our Pro Bono Director receives your application, we will send you a confidentiality agreement and HIPAA compliance form for you to sign electronically and conduct a background check using publicly available information. This ensures that when you are ready to take a case or participate in a clinic, you are all set to go. 

Absolutely not! Submitting your application is just a way to let us know that you are interested in the work we do and are open to receiving information about our pro bono opportunities. We will NEVER assign you a case without asking you first.  

After submitting your application, completing the background check, and signing the necessary documents, we’ll guide you through setting up your pro bono account in our case management system, Legal Server. You’ll also receive a link to our mandatory online CLE training videos. 

Once you’ve completed the training, you’ll be ready to sign up for a Legal Line clinic or join our protective order program.

Texas Advocacy Project offers a variety of pro bono opportunities, including providing limited scope legal advice through our Legal Line virtual clinics, helping survivors obtain protective orders, working with survivors to clear coerced debt, and developing educational and training materials. Please visit our Pro Bono page for more information about our current opportunities. 

Pro bono work does not have to involve a significant time commitment. In fact, most of our pro bono opportunities are discrete projects that involve fewer than 20 hours of your time. For example, volunteering at a Legal Line virtual clinic might require a couple of hours of your time and can be done from your home or office. TAP welcomes you to contribute as many hours as your schedule allows.  

All attorneys licensed in Texas who are in good standing with the State Bar can participate in TAP’s pro bono opportunities. Retired or out-of-state attorneys may also be eligible to participate in our pro bono opportunities through the State Bar’s NOVA program. See below for more information. 

To volunteer, you’ll need to complete a short Pro Bono Application, sign our confidentiality agreement and HIPAA compliance form, pass a background check, and take our “Quick Start” training, which includes of two hours of CLE training on power-based abuse and general family law issues that impact survivors. 

When you volunteer with us, you’ll begin with our "Quick Start" training program, which prepares you to work with survivors of power-based abuse. This training covers the dynamics of power-based abuse, TAP’s empowerment-based model, and the basics of survivor law. It’s free and offers CLE credits. 

Additionally, we provide program-specific training tailored to the pro bono project you choose to participate in. 

We provide robust support to volunteer attorneys throughout their work with TAP. Our experienced family law attorneys supervise all pro bono assignments, offering direction, feedback, and assistance whenever needed. 

We also supply comprehensive resource materials to help you represent TAP clients effectively. These include detailed instructions and guides (with direct links to statutes), sample pleadings and correspondence, and all required forms. 

Additionally, our team of social workers is available to support you and your client by providing referrals, safety planning, and assistance with non-legal needs that may arise.  

Yes! Volunteering with Texas Advocacy Project is an excellent opportunity to learn about family law. We provide all the training you need, and our experienced family law attorneys are always available to offer support. 

Yes! TAP offers a range of opportunities for volunteer attorneys, including those without litigation experience. One of our greatest needs is for attorneys to volunteer at our virtual Legal Line clinics. This 4-hour commitment is an ideal way for non-litigators to engage in meaningful pro bono work. TAP provides all the training and resources you need to feel confident and prepared to advise our clients.

Absolutely! The Texas State Bar encourages inactive members of the bar to engage in pro bono activities through its New Opportunities for Volunteer Attorneys (NOVA) program. In order to participate, an inactive attorney must be in good standing with the State Bar, complete three hours of CLE annually, and submit a short application. Once approved, you can volunteer your time with Texas Advocacy Project, which is an approved legal organization under the program. 

If you would prefer to volunteer outside of the NOVA program, TAP has several opportunities that do not require you to be a licensed attorney. Please visit our Volunteer Opportunities page or email [email protected] for more information.  

Yes! Attorneys residing in Texas but licensed to practice law in another jurisdiction are able to provide pro bono legal services through the NOVA program. See above for more information. 

If you are a law student or legal professional, please do not fill out our pro bono application and instead please visit our Volunteer page here to fill out our Volunteer Interest Application.

Yes. Pro bono attorneys are covered by our professional liability insurance when assisting TAP pro bono clients. Even if you have your own malpractice insurance, TAP’s coverage will apply while you are performing legal work on behalf of TAP clients.  

It’s easy! Just complete our Pro Bono Application, and we’ll be in touch soon. We can’t wait to welcome you to the TAP pro bono team! 

Yes! You can make a tax-deductible donation to Texas Advocacy Project. The State Bar of Texas even allows attorneys to fulfill their ethical duty to provide pro bono legal services by contributing financially to organizations like TAP (see Texas Bar Pro Bono Resolution).