Ready to take your first guardianship case but not sure where to start? This practical, start-to-finish session walks attorneys through filing an uncontested guardianship of the person in Texas. Designed for newer practitioners this training breaks down each stage of the process, from client intake and evaluating alternatives to the hearing and post-appointment reporting requirements.
Participants will learn how to properly assess standing, obtain and review a Physician’s Certificate of Medical Examination (PCME), draft the application, meet service and notice requirements, work effectively with court-appointed counsel, and prepare for a smooth uncontested hearing. The session will also cover post-hearing filings and annual reporting obligations to ensure ongoing compliance.
This course emphasizes a least-restrictive, person-centered approach and practical strategies to avoid common mistakes that delay appointments or create compliance issues.
Attendees will leave with a clear roadmap, practical tools, and confidence to file their first guardianship case.
Disaster Benefits Team Manager, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid
Brittanny P. Gomez is the Disaster Benefits Team Manager at Texas RioGrande Legal Aid and represents low income individuals affected by disasters. Brittanny is a Vice Director of the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division Disaster Legal Services Team and has been recognized... Read More →
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 →
Wednesday September 2, 2026 1:00pm - 2:00pm CDT Classroom 203
Legal Aid organizations have limited staff and funding to provide probate representation, making the justice gap even wider in this practice area. Additionally, there are few options for pro se representation in probate. Understanding the Texas Estates Code as well as how to practice probate law will inform legal aid attorneys of ways to provide advice or support pro bono attorneys in assisted pro se cases as well as representation.
Directing Attorney - Pro Bono, Lone Star Legal Aid
I am the Directing Attorney for Pro bono. I love talking all things pro bono, but you will often find me talking about marketing and recruitment. I have been with Lone Star Legal Aid since December 2019. Prior to that, I was the Pro Bono & Outreach Director and staff attorney... Read More →
The VA Fiduciary Program and VA guardianship rules (particularly the new VA-DOJ framework announced in March 2026) both address support for vulnerable veterans who lack capacity to manage aspects of their lives, but they operate in distinct yet potentially overlapping ways. The VA Fiduciary Program is a federal, VA-specific mechanism focused narrowly on financial management. VA determines if a veteran (due to injury, disease, age, or minority) cannot manage their VA benefits. The new VA guardianship rules, however, allow for broader decision-making over a veteran, which can include health care decisions, living arrangements, and a veteran’s overall personal welfare. Historically, VA has limited involvement here, but the recent VA-DOJ Memorandum of Understanding (MOU, March 2026) enables VA attorneys (appointed as special assistant U.S. attorneys by DOJ) to initiate and participate in state court proceedings to seek guardianship for certain unrepresented veterans—especially those unable to make health care decisions, lacking family/legal support, and needing it for post-acute care transitions (including some homeless or at-risk veterans in VA facilities). Both target impaired or incapacitated veterans to protect their interests and well-being. Attorneys should be prepared to advocate for veterans in either situation.
