2025 Poverty Law Conference: Full Schedule

1:00pm CDT

Improving Access to Justice for People Sued by Debt Collectors

Wednesday August 27, 2025 1:00pm - 2:00pm CDT

In June of 2024, JP 1.2 launched a pilot to provide people sued by debt collectors with information on how to answer the lawsuit and their legal rights. Defendants were sent a plain language notice explaining what a default judgment is and its implications. The notice included a QR code that linked to a form answer and information on debt collection rights. The pilot was developed in response to a 2020 resolution from the Texas Judicial Council as part of a strategy to decrease default judgments and increase access to justice in debt claim lawsuits. It was implemented with input from the National Center for State Courts, Texas Legal Services Center, and Texas Appleseed.

This panel presents the current pilot results, looking at how access to legal tools and information affected answer rates as well as case outcomes. Insights from the court, TexasLawHelp, and Texas Appleseed provide a roadmap to develop and expand simple court-based efforts to improve justice for unrepresented litigants.

Speakers

Aaron Varner

Co-Managing Attorney, Texas Legal Services Center

Aaron Varner is a staff attorney in Texas Legal Services Center’s Self Represented Litigants Program, which administers TexasLawHelp.org. He has a Master of Public Affairs degree from the University of Wisconsin, where he focused on tech policy, and he received his JD from Chicago-Kent... Read More →

Judge Steven Duble

Justice of the Peace, Harris County Justice of the Peace, Precinct 1

Steven Duble is Justice of the Peace for Precinct 1, Place 2 in Harris County, Texas. He was elected in November 2022 and took office January 2023. He earned his undergraduate degree from Texas Christian University in 1986 and his law degree from the University of Houston Law Center... Read More →

Ann Baddour

Texas Appleseed

Wednesday August 27, 2025 1:00pm - 2:00pm CDT
Room 410 500 E 4th St, Austin, TX 78701

2:15pm CDT

Tackling Coerced Debt: Nuts and Bolts of Helping Survivors Recover

Wednesday August 27, 2025 2:15pm - 3:15pm CDT

Room 410

This will be an interactive lecture that explains how Texas law defines identity theft to include debts obtained by coercion and how to use existing identity theft protections to help survivors recover. Whereas in our previous session we went in depth on the various federal and state laws that address identity theft, in this session we will focus on the nuts and bolts of how to respond to identity theft using Chapter 521 of the Texas Business and Commerce Code and the Fair Credit Reporting Act. We will briefly touch on some of the successes and challenges of our pilot project in the Dallas/Fort Worth metro area. We will walk participants through the process of identifying coerced debt, writing dispute letter, filing a Ch. 521 application, and obtaining an order. We will also share the materials we have prepared for our pilot project, including our case planning tool.

Speakers

Brittany Hightower

Staff Attorney, Lone Star Legal Aid (Texas Coalition on Coerced Debt)

Brittany Hightower is a Staff Attorney at Lone Star Legal Aid with the Individual Safety Unit where she provides legal services to survivors of sexual abuse, including protective orders, divorces, custody, housing, privacy, and more. Prior to joining LSLA, Brittany worked as an attorney... Read More →

Wednesday August 27, 2025 2:15pm - 3:15pm CDT
Room 410 500 E 4th St, Austin, TX 78701

3:30pm CDT

Beyond Passive Debt Defense: Stronger Strategies for Current Challenges

Wednesday August 27, 2025 3:30pm - 4:30pm CDT

Room 410

Debt defense is evolving—and getting tougher! Today’s debt collectors are coming to court with better records. As a result, relying solely on their lack of evidence is no longer enough in many cases. This presentation will expand the defense toolkit by not only reinforcing the tried-and-true defenses but also introducing new strategies that are effective against debt collectors with improved records. You'll learn how to use discovery to your advantage, make evidentiary objections to keep their evidence out, hold the debt collectors to their burden of proof, and utilize arbitration for beneficial results.

Speakers

Melinda Lopez

Senior Staff Attorney, Lone Star Legal Aid

Melinda Lopez is the staff attorney for the Housing and Consumer Unit at Lone Star Legal Aid. She has been with LSLA for over 11 years, the first 5 years were at the Bryan office and is now currently at the Houston office. Throughout the years, she has assisted low-income clients... Read More →

Wednesday August 27, 2025 3:30pm - 4:30pm CDT
Room 410 500 E 4th St, Austin, TX 78701

4:45pm CDT

Family Law Task Force Meeting

Wednesday August 27, 2025 4:45pm - 5:45pm CDT

Room 410

Wednesday August 27, 2025 4:45pm - 5:45pm CDT
Room 410 500 E 4th St, Austin, TX 78701

9:00am CDT

Empowering New Legal Professionals: Drafting Wills and TODDs for Low-Income Texans

Thursday August 28, 2025 9:00am - 11:00am CDT

Room 410

Join us for a dynamic and interactive session designed for beginner attorneys and paralegals looking to develop foundational estate planning skills tailored to the needs of low-income Texans. This session will provide a comprehensive overview of estate planning considerations unique to individuals with limited financial resources, including common challenges, client misconceptions, and best practices for addressing these issues.

Through a hands-on drafting exercise, attendees will review a fact pattern and practice drafting both Wills and Transfer on Death Deeds (TODDs), gaining invaluable experience in navigating real-world legal scenarios. By the end of the session, participants will be better equipped to assist clients in securing their futures, protecting their assets, and avoiding common pitfalls in estate planning.

Speakers

Hannah Dyal

Attorney, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid

Hannah Dyal is an Equal Justice Works Disaster Resilience Program Fellow at Texas RioGrande Legal Aid. She recently completed her first Equal Justice Works fellowship on the Disaster Recovery Legal Corps, the first disaster corps of its kind. Hannah has been working in disaster recovery... Read More →

Brittanny Perrigue Gomez

Texas RioGrande Legal Aid

Thursday August 28, 2025 9:00am - 11:00am CDT
Room 410 500 E 4th St, Austin, TX 78701

Probate Estate and Wills

1:00pm CDT

Empowering New Legal Professionals: Drafting Affidavits of Heirship for Low-Income Texans

Thursday August 28, 2025 1:00pm - 3:00pm CDT

Room 410

Join us for an engaging and interactive presentation designed for beginner attorneys and paralegals, focused on drafting Affidavits Concerning the Identity of Heirs for low-income Texans. This session will begin with a comprehensive overview of Texas intestacy laws, providing attendees with the fundamental legal knowledge necessary to understand how assets pass when there is no probated will.

Participants will then engage in a hands-on drafting exercise, working through a fact pattern to draft an affidavit of heirship. This practical session will help attendees develop the skills needed to document heirship correctly, ensuring compliance with Texas law while addressing common challenges that arise when assisting low-income clients.

By the end of the session, attendees will leave with a solid understanding of intestacy laws, hands-on drafting experience, and best practices for issue spotting and risk mitigation—key skills for empowering low-income Texans in securing their rightful inheritance.

Speakers

Hannah Dyal

Attorney, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid

Brittanny Perrigue Gomez

Texas RioGrande Legal Aid

Thursday August 28, 2025 1:00pm - 3:00pm CDT
Room 410 500 E 4th St, Austin, TX 78701

Probate Estate and Wills

3:30pm CDT

Empowering New Legal Professionals: Understanding Capacity and Drafting Advanced Directives for Low-Income Texans

Thursday August 28, 2025 3:30pm - 4:30pm CDT

Room 410

Join us for an insightful and interactive session designed for beginner attorneys and paralegals, focusing on the critical role of Durable and Medical Power of Attorneys and Directives to Physicians (advanced directives) in estate planning for low-income Texans.

The session will begin with a comprehensive discussion on assessing a client’s capacity to execute these legal documents, addressing key legal and ethical considerations. Attendees will then engage in a hands-on drafting exercise, working through a fact pattern to draft various advanced directives. This practical component ensures participants gain real-world experience and develop issue-spotting skills essential for serving vulnerable populations.

By the end of this session, attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of capacity assessment, hands-on drafting experience, and best practices for mitigating risks in advanced directives preparation—all critical tools for empowering clients to make informed decisions about their medical care and estate planning.

Speakers

Hannah Dyal

Attorney, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid

Brittanny Perrigue Gomez

Texas RioGrande Legal Aid

Thursday August 28, 2025 3:30pm - 4:30pm CDT
Room 410 500 E 4th St, Austin, TX 78701

Probate Estate and Wills

9:00am CDT

Wills & Estates for All: Estate Planning for You and Your Low-Income Clients

Friday August 29, 2025 9:00am - 10:00am CDT

Room 410

Presentation of estate planning documents for clients with limited assets, as well as end of life planning.

Speakers

Sheena Teague

Staff Atorney, Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas

Friday August 29, 2025 9:00am - 10:00am CDT
Room 410 500 E 4th St, Austin, TX 78701

Probate Estate and Wills

10:15am CDT

Probate Mythbusters : Probate Methods for Low-Income Texans

Friday August 29, 2025 10:15am - 11:15am CDT

Room 410

Presentation of methods to probate the estates of both testate and intestate decedents, both in and out of the courts. Will discuss basic terminology, intestacy succession, pros/cons of administration, and non-probate ways to settle small estates.

Speakers

Sheena Teague

Staff Atorney, Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas

Friday August 29, 2025 10:15am - 11:15am CDT
Room 410 500 E 4th St, Austin, TX 78701

Probate Estate and Wills

11:30am CDT

Guardianship Guide

Friday August 29, 2025 11:30am - 12:30pm CDT

Room 410

This presentation will begin with an exploration into the circumstances within families that often lead our clients to seek guardianship over their loved ones. Attendees will receive a step-by-step guide to the legal requirements and process of obtaining a guardianship over an adult in Texas, including recent updates to the law by the state legislature impacting the guardianship process. Guardianship is not always the necessary or appropriate solution - even when a well-intentioned loved one believes it is - this presentation will illuminate alternatives to guardianship (e.g. medical power of attorney; representative payee status etc.) that should be considered and implemented prior to seeking a guardianship in some cases. Questions such as if and when a guardianship be terminated and what to do if you believe a client is unjustly under an order of guardianship will be explored. We will also dive into the guardianship of pop-culture celebrity Wendy Williams and her battle to terminate the order and re-gain access to her assets and control of her life.

Speakers

Tiffany C. Green

Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas

Friday August 29, 2025 11:30am - 12:30pm CDT
Room 410 500 E 4th St, Austin, TX 78701

Probate Estate and Wills

2025 Poverty Law Conference

From $306.69