2025 Poverty Law Conference: Full Schedule

1:00pm CDT

Texas Council on Family Violence (TCFV)’s 89th Legislative Session Update

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

Join the Texas Council on Family Violence (TCFV) for an in-depth look at domestic violence related bills that intersect with housing, family law, protective orders, and economic justice passed during the 89th Texas Legislature. We will also discuss TCFV’s funding and legislative priorities and share insight on supporting the implementation of new laws designed to protect survivors and enhance their safety and stability. We’ll highlight opportunities to engage in the legislative session to help shape future policies.

Speakers

Molly Voyles

Director of Public Policy, Texas Council on Family Violence

Jen Mudge

Texas Council on Family Violence

Wednesday August 27, 2025 1:00pm - 2:00pm CDT
Room 412 500 E 4th St, Austin, TX 78701

2:15pm CDT

When Tech Turns Toxic: Digital Abuse & Intimate Partner Violence

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

Room 412

This training will help the audience understand digital abuse within the context of intimate partner violence. It will discuss how Texas law defines crimes related to digital abuse, federal laws relating to digital abuse, common forms of digital abuse, best practices for digital safety, and legal protections available to survivors of digital abuse.

Speakers

Kaitlyn Eberhardt

Education & Outreach Director, Texas Advocacy Project

Kaitlyn Eberhardt is the Education & Prevention Director at Texas Advocacy Project, a non-profit organization providing free legal and social services to survivors of domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, human trafficking, and child abuse. She leads conversations... Read More →

Beeral Gupta

Staff Attorney, Texas Advocacy Project

Beeral Gupta has been a passionate advocate for survivors of domestic violence for her entire legal career. With a Juris Doctorate from South Texas College of Law (2006) and a BBA in Finance and Marketing from the University of Texas at Austin (2003), she skillfully combines her legal... Read More →

Wednesday August 27, 2025 2:15pm - 3:15pm CDT
Room 412 500 E 4th St, Austin, TX 78701

3:30pm CDT

The Intersection of Human Rights, Domestic Violence, and Human Trafficking: Legal Frameworks and US Obligations

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

Room 412

This presentation explores the role of human rights frameworks in addressing domestic violence (DV) and human trafficking (HT), focusing on both domestic and international legal structures. It examines the human rights principles applied to these issues, the US's legal obligations, and notable case studies, including Jessica Lenahan's landmark legal battle and the impact of international treaties like CEDAW and the Palermo Protocol. The presentation also identifies gaps in US policy and enforcement, offering insight into ongoing efforts to enhance accountability and support for survivors.

Speakers

Emily Gustafson

Texas Advocacy Project

Wednesday August 27, 2025 3:30pm - 4:30pm CDT
Room 412 500 E 4th St, Austin, TX 78701

9:00am CDT

Empowering Crime Survivors with Web3 Technologies: Decentralization, Immutability, and Data Ownership

Thursday August 28, 2025 9:00am - 10:00am CDT

Room 412

Imagine escaping an abusive situation with no identification, no proof of the abuse you endured, and no access to a bank account. This is the harsh reality for many crime survivors whose abusers use coercion, such as destroying identifying documents and exerting financial control, to trap survivors in a cycle of abuse and vulnerability. Web3 concepts provide immutable (tamper-proof) decentralized (peer-to-peer governed) user-centric solutions such as self-sovereign identities, InterPlanetary File Systems (IPFS), and decentralized finance (DeFi).

When identifying documents are destroyed, it becomes difficult for survivors to prove their identity for employment, education, and accessing benefits like housing, food stamps, and medical care. Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) allows individuals to own, control, and access their digital identity, ensuring their identity remains intact even if physical documents are lost. Abusers often destroy evidence, such as voice messages, texts, social media posts, etc., that could corroborate abuse. This destruction prevents survivors from participating in justice processes, such as the investigations and prosecution of their abusers, or petitioning for protective orders. It also hinders access to restorative services, like domestic violence shelters or therapy for trafficking survivors, when survivors must prove their specific victimization. InterPlanetary File Systems (IPFS) enable users to securely store and share data, preserving evidence that can corroborate victimization and abuse. Many survivors escape with little or no credit history and are often barred from traditional financial services, such as opening a personal checking account. Decentralized Finance (DeFi) provides access to financial services without relying on a central authority. Through DeFi, individuals can borrow and lend money directly to each other, bypassing traditional barriers. Join this session to explore how these innovative Web3 tools can help create a safer, more supportive environment for crime survivors.

Speakers

Ugochukwu, Davina

Lone Star Legal Aid

Davina Ugochukwu is a staff attorney with Lone Star Legal Aid’s Justice for Human Trafficking Survivors program. The JHTS program was created in response to the unique civil legal needs that survivors of labor and sex trafficking face when attempting to stabilize their lives and... Read More →

Thursday August 28, 2025 9:00am - 10:00am CDT
Room 412 500 E 4th St, Austin, TX 78701

10:15am CDT

Navigating New Laws: Legal Strategies for Assisting Defendants in Driver’s License Reinstatement

Thursday August 28, 2025 10:15am - 11:15am CDT

Room 412

The Texas Legislature recently updated Code of Criminal Procedure 45 to 45A. This session will discuss those changes and how they can be utilized to more effectively represent clients trying to regain their driver's license.

Speakers

Justin Thompson

Program Director / Attorney, Beacon Law

Stephanie Marrone

Beacon Law

Sam Marsh

Beacon Law

Thursday August 28, 2025 10:15am - 11:15am CDT
Room 412 500 E 4th St, Austin, TX 78701

1:00pm CDT

Empowered Choices: Legal and Health Interventions for Pregnant and Parenting Youth

Thursday August 28, 2025 1:00pm - 2:00pm CDT

Room 412

This session will explore the legal challenges facing pregnant and parenting youth, the impact of Medical-Legal Partnerships in addressing SDOH, and the role of attorneys in creating pathways to stability for young families. Presenters will share insights from the program's development and implementation, as well as early outcomes and best practices for replicability in other legal aid settings.

Empowered Choices (EC) is an innovative program developed through a Medical-Legal Partnership between Greater Waco Legal Services, a nonprofit law firm, and Waco Family Medicine, a Federally Qualified Health Center. This program integrates legal services with healthcare access to support pregnant and parenting youth, addressing critical social determinants of health (SDOH) that impact maternal and child outcomes.

EC educates young parents about their legal rights and provides direct assistance in establishing a temporary, nonparent caregiver who can make decisions for their child without requiring court intervention. This legal mechanism allows youth to continue their education and employment while maintaining full parental rights. Through educational workshops and direct legal services, EC empowers young parents to make informed decisions, access critical support, and protect their families' futures.

Speakers

Jessica Trevino

Medical Legal Partnership Staff Attorney, Greater Waco Legal Services

Kayla Mize

Director of Operations and Impact, Greater Waco Legal Services

Kayla Mize is a Licensed Master of Social Work with over 10 years of program development and management experience. Her current role is Director of Operations and Impact at Greater Waco Legal Services where she leads internal operations, supervises programs, and drives strategic initiatives... Read More →

Thursday August 28, 2025 1:00pm - 2:00pm CDT
Room 412 500 E 4th St, Austin, TX 78701

Medical-Legal Partnerships

2:15pm CDT

Recipe for Success: Access to Justice through a Medical-Legal Partnership

Thursday August 28, 2025 2:15pm - 3:15pm CDT

Room 412

This fast-paced session includes discussion about identifying patient participants, meeting program requirements for both organizations, the two organizations' staff roles and collaboration, expenses and cost sharing, and important tips for attendees, whether designing a new MLP or restructuring an existing MLP to improve program efficacy.

Speakers

Susan Soto

Staff Attorney / AccessHealth Medical-Legal Partnership, Houston Volunteer Lawyers

Carol Luna

AccessHealth

Darci Moore

Population Health Program Manager, AccessHealth

Thursday August 28, 2025 2:15pm - 3:15pm CDT
Room 412 500 E 4th St, Austin, TX 78701

Medical-Legal Partnerships

3:30pm CDT

Indigent Healthcare in Texas - From COVID to Measles - Where Are We Now?

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

Room 412

With resources and funding from the federal government to the states to support access to healthcare during the pandemic now depleted and no longer available to the states, it has become more difficult for low-income Texans to find healthcare. With a growing measles epidemic, this access has become more urgent. Texas statutory and state constitutional law requires that each county provide access to health care to its indigent residents. While large urban areas can usually meet this requirement, rural parts of the state have fewer resources and larger challenges in providing healthcare. This session will cover how each county meets this indigent healthcare requirement (county indigent healthcare programs, public hospitals, hospital districts) and how to access the services. We will briefly discuss orders requiring hospitals receiving medicaid funding to inquire about citizenship status and our obligations as advocates to explain that requirement of hospitals and the patients option to decline to answer without any consequences to receiving treatment. Finally, the session will allow for discussion of advocacy strategy when a county is not following the law.

Speakers

Marty Orozco

Litigation Director for Public Benefits & Outreach, Lone Star Legal Aid

Bruce Bower

Volunteer, Texas Legal Services Center (volunteer)

Bruce Bower is a member of the State Bar of Texas and of the Poverty Law Section. The State Bar of Texas lists Mr. Bower as certified to provide representation in guardianship cases in Texas. Mr. Bower was employed by Texas Legal Services Center from 1989 to 2022 and now does... Read More →

Jeff Larsen

attorney, Lone Star Legal Aid

woodworking, traditional music and singing in parts, Shakespeare, Social Security

Thursday August 28, 2025 3:30pm - 4:30pm CDT
Room 412 500 E 4th St, Austin, TX 78701

Medical-Legal Partnerships

9:00am CDT

They Not Like Us: The Grit, Grind, and Heart of Legal Aid Attorneys

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

Room 412

Legal aid attorneys navigate unique challenges that require exceptional grit, dedication, and emotional resilience. The demands of the profession often lead to burnout, secondary trauma, and stress, impacting both professional effectiveness and personal well-being. This interactive session will explore strategies for managing these challenges while fostering a supportive and sustainable work environment.

Speakers

Lindsay Eustace

Attorney, Lone Star Legal Aid

LaRonda Pondexter

Lone Star Legal Aid

Friday August 29, 2025 9:00am - 10:00am CDT
Room 412 500 E 4th St, Austin, TX 78701

10:15am CDT

Huh? . . . Effectively Communicating Legal Topics to Those with Low Literacy Skills

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

Room 412

Communicating complicated legal issues to legal aid clients can be tricky. While not all who experience poverty have lower than average literacy levels, research indicates that, where 20% of all American Adults are functionally illiterate, 43% of Texas adults with the lowest literacy skills are currently in poverty as opposed to 4% of those with the highest literacy skills are currently experiencing poverty. Additionally, 54% of American adults read at or below a 6th grade level and the adult literacy rate in Texas is currently only 81%. This can make communicating complicated legal issues hard. It is important to meet the client population of legal aid organizations where they are without talking down to them. While attorneys are regularly encouraged to not use jargon, shorthand, or acronyms when communicating with clients, explaining complex legal issues to those with lower literacy skills can prove difficult and require additional thoughtfulness. This presentation aims to discuss the importance of presenting information to our client populations in ways that are manageable for them, including the ethical implications of using non-legal terms to describe legal concepts; warn of the pitfalls of communicating to those with lower literacy skills; and share strategies for communicating with individuals in simple, easy-to-understand terms.

Speakers

Melissa Waggoner

Staff Attorney, Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas

Stephanie Marrone

Beacon Law

Sam Marsh

Beacon Law

Friday August 29, 2025 10:15am - 11:15am CDT
Room 412 500 E 4th St, Austin, TX 78701

11:30am CDT

Title IX: We’re Not in Kansas Anymore. How to Navigate the Yellow Brick Road to Keep Survivors in School.

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

Room 412

This session will provide technical guidance on how to help survivor’s meet their education goals after experiencing a sexual assault or domestic violence on campus. Lawyers tend to focus on “winning” by getting a finding of responsibility. Our goal is to provide an alternative type of Title IX practice that focuses on the core goal of Title IX—ensuring the student’s access to their education. Supportive measures are on-disciplinary, non-punitive services available even without a formal Title IX complaint and can include things like counseling, housing assistance, and academic accommodations. We will summarize the relevant regulations and laws as they exist at the time of the presentation and provide a step-by-step process for identifying a survivor’s educational needs after an assault and how to advocate for them. We will cover both K12 schools and higher education.

Speakers

Mary Christine Reed

Economic and Social Justice Group Coordinator, Education Team Manager, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid

As an attorney with Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRLA) since 1993, Mary Christine Reed has assisted low-income clients with a broad range of legal problems, including a frequent focus on issues impacting youth and families. TRLA is a non-profit corporation that provides free civil and... Read More →

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 →

Friday August 29, 2025 11:30am - 12:30pm CDT
Room 412 500 E 4th St, Austin, TX 78701

2025 Poverty Law Conference

From $306.69