We work with underserved individuals and communities throughout Texas to ensure access to high-quality legal services that enable our low-income clients to protect their rights, overcome obstacles, and achieve their goals.  

Ideal candidates will share our vision of a society where the voices of those who have been historically marginalized are amplified and where the laws and systems that govern us are fair, just, and equitable. Our vision is grounded in our commitment to upholding the values of integrity, respect, inclusivity, excellence, and social justice in all aspects of our work. In addition, we strive to be a trusted partner and advocate for those we serve, building strong relationships with clients, communities, and other organizations to effect meaningful change.

Who We Are

TRLA is one of the largest legal aid providers in the country and the largest in Texas. Advocates at TRLA serve low-income clients in 68 counties across west, central, and south Texas and the coastal bend. We represent migrant and seasonal farmworkers throughout Texas and in six other southern states. Specializing in more than 40 civil practice areas, our civil legal services include community preservation and empowerment, economic and social justice, domestic violence and family law, housing, immigration, public benefits, labor and employment, and much more.

What we offer

A career with TRLA offers the opportunity to work with a team of professionals driven by a passion for making a difference in the lives of our client community. Our total benefits package offers 100% employer-paid medical, dental, life, and short-term and long-term disability benefits that start on your first day of employment!  Additional benefits include:

• Generous PTO, plus 14 paid holidays and 2 floater holidays per calendar year

• Loan Repayment Assistance Program (law graduates and attorneys, only)

• 401(k) Profit-Sharing Plan

• Continuing legal education and continuing education for full-time employees

• Flex Spending Account

• Parental & Family Leave
  
  

TRLA IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

At TRLA, we are committed to offering fair and equal employment opportunities to all job applicants and employees. We strictly prohibit any form of discrimination and harassment of any type based on race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.

If you need assistance or accommodation during the application process because of a disability, it is available upon request.

STAFF SPOTLIGHTS

Liam Garcia (he/him) is an attorney with the Domestic Violence/Family Law Team and began working with TRLA in fall 2023 after graduating from the University of Colorado Law School. Prior to joining TRLA, Liam worked with a Denver-area law firm on family law and special immigrant juvenile status cases and was a part of the Colorado Law Juvenile Justice and Family Law Clinic where he provided legal services to local indigent clients. While in law school, Liam also volunteered with the Korey Wise Innocence Project reviewing cases for possible representation and led the Council for Racial Justice and Equity. Prior to entering law school, Liam worked in communications with Texas Court Appointed Special Advocates where he was first exposed to the world of family law.

On choosing public interest law  

Q: What would you say motivated you to choose Public Interest Law and to support TRLA's client base? 

 A: When I first went to law school, I went with the mindset of not doing the law school process for myself, but for the work that I was going to do which was going to be for the community around me. I was more focused on, “How do I go to bed at night and feel good about the day?” 

[. . .] 

With TRLA, I'm able to get a good, like hands-on direct community involvement that I can go home and feel good about. 

[. . .] 

This is how people feel volunteering, but I get paid to do it. It's really good. 

Q: What brought you to domestic violence and family law, specifically, if it's something you're comfortable talking about?  

 A: I was working in communications at Texas CASA [Court Appointed Special Advocates]. And that was a really nice experience, seeing what change can happen outside of the legal field. But for me, once I got to the point of seeing the work and seeing the results, I was like, “I want to do the work. I don't want to talk about the work, I don't want to sell the work, I want to do the work.”  

And so that's what pushed me to law school. From there, I did the Colorado Law Juvenile Family Law Clinic. And that was where I met probably one of the best teachers I've ever had in my life, Colene Robinson, and I worked under her for a year in the Juvenile and Family Law Clinic. I was, at that time, a guardian ad litem for three children. I was counsel to a parent who was a respondent in an abuse and neglect case. Then I was also an attorney for a parent who was seeking Special Immigrant Juvenile Status for their child. And I--when I went to law school--I knew that client services and direct client interactions were really for me, that was the piece that I needed, I needed that community involvement.  

It was really nice because it was exactly what I wanted, like, I want to talk to the client, I want to see how they're doing, I want to know what direction they want me to take this case. At the same time, when your client is a child, it's very interesting, because you have to explain these concepts some adults have trouble understanding to a child, which is even crazier. 

But that and then the Special Immigrant Juvenile Status case I had. That family was so, so grateful. And it didn't even feel like much, but to them, it was the world, you know. We got their daughter on the path to citizenship. And now she can apply with USCIS and start that process.  

[. . .]  

The client was extremely grateful. He said something like, "What can I do for you? Like, what can I pay you?"  

And I replied, "Our services are free, like, we're here to help you."   

Those moments really set me on the path to be in public interest. I had a little bit of the family law experience through CASA, but this really sent me on the path to be like, "Okay, there's nothing more personal than family matters." And I love law that's personal.  

On doing impactful work at TRLA 

Q: Can you discuss a case or a project that you were involved with that made a positive impact in the lives of clients?  

A: I have something like that. The work I did was small, but the impact was a lot actually. I was assisting with my supervisor, still pre-bar. So, I wasn't licensed yet. And I helped draft some pleadings. The situation was: the father of the child took the child from the client. And she hadn't seen the child in a number of weeks. We were able to file a habeas petition which requires the opposing party to bring the child with them to court so custody can be determined.  

So, we filed the case. And just by filing it, we spooked the other party. In a strange occurrence, the opposing party's mother showed up at HEB, where the client was and just handed her her child.  

She got her child back. It didn't really require a lot of heavy court work, but just the initial filing and serving of the documents was enough to get the person's attention and make them return the child that rightfully needed to be in the custody of the mother.  

Lots of things happen at HEB!  

On the perks of working at TRLA  

Q: Who would you say some of your biggest legal mentors have been at TRLA? 

A:  The two people who have really helped me the most at TRLA have been my supervisor, Nailya Fuller, she takes a light-hearted approach to such hard matters that we deal with. And she always takes the time for me. And I really do appreciate that, especially at this stage of becoming an attorney and just starting out and getting like a good footing on things. Richard Loza has also been a very helpful person to me. And helping me again understand how courts work around here, how to deal with opposing counsel, how to best handle clients, all of that. They have both been great resources for me. 

Q: What would you say is the most unique part about working here? 

 A: The unique part? I would say the support, yeah, the support here has really been amazing. And I'm not trying to say that out of flattery or anything, the support here is awesome. 

I feel like I have people behind my back. Wait, that's not right! [laughs]. I have people supporting me, I have a team of people that I can go to for questions about how things work, questions about how best to do things. I have a whole team of people I can rely on. 

Mary Christine Reed (she/her) is the Group Coordinator of the Economic and Social Justice Group and the Manager of the Education team at TRLA. In 2022, Mary Christine was chosen for the David Hall Award by TRLA’s Board of Directors after being nominated by her colleagues. In the past, she has also been the Director of the Telephone Access to Justice Project, Group Coordinator for Intake, the Director of the Foster Youth Justice Project, and Branch Manager of the TRLA Austin Office. She spent the first five years of her career at TRLA as a staff attorney in the Rio Grande Valley where she handled a wide range of civil legal matters. Mary Christine has been with TRLA for 31 years – and that doesn't even include the time she spent clerking at TRLA as a law student!

IMPACTFUL CAREER MOMENTS

Q: Can you discuss a particular case that you're proud of or look back on for inspiration?

A: There was one case I did when I was a pretty new attorney during my first couple years at TRLA, where I helped a little girl, who was living with her aunt, who had been out of school for many months because her aunt did not have court-ordered control over her and the school district was denying enrollment. I sued the school district and got them to change their policy, because their policy does not comport with state law, and got that child in school.

And that helped me embark on my interest in education and youth issues. At that time, there were also other school districts that were trying to implement policies to basically not provide education to students who were living with someone other than their parent, unless that person had court-ordered control.

Q: What has kept you at TRLA over the years?

A: I've been able to have an impact on the lives of so many clients, that I've been able to have a meaningful career. I've also had different roles that I've played at TRLA, I’ve had a lot of autonomy in what I get to do, and I have been able to continue to grow as an attorney in my roles.

Starting in the 90s I worked on immigrant access to public benefits. There was a significant change in law during round one of the vilification of immigrants. So, I did a lot of training work with TRLA and community partners on those issues. And that work continues today with our public benefits team.

I also spent almost 14 years as the director of the Texas Foster Youth Justice Project, working on how our child welfare system cares for the children that they take into state custody. And I think our project has made very significant improvements in making sure that the agency not only has the policy and benefits in place, but they actually follow them.

WORKING WITH FORMER TRLA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DAVID HALL

Q: What was working with David like?

A: What I’ve appreciated the most was the confidence [David Hall] helped me build to take charge, to go forward, to fully litigate a case, once we'd committed to doing it. That if we needed to go to a jury trial for something ridiculous because the other side was just not willing to settle and was making our lives miserable, we still needed to do that. And that we will do it – do it proudly – and we would make people be afraid to have to litigate us because we weren't going to back down.

At one point [David Hall] said, "You, you're the boss, you make the decisions, I trust you, you know, you decide how to do things." And that meant a lot to me that he instilled that faith in me.

And I also remember one time reviewing this consumer case with him, and trying to decide if it was worthwhile to take and he just walked me through the steps and told me what factors to consider. And all of that contributed to me feeling that I was a very capable attorney, and that, that I should go forward and do the right thing.