2026 Poverty Law Conference: Full Schedule

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7:45am CDT

Breakfast

Friday September 4, 2026 7:45am - 8:50am CDT

Grand Salon C

Friday September 4, 2026 7:45am - 8:50am CDT
Grand Salon C

9:00am CDT

Manufactured Housing in Rural Texas

Friday September 4, 2026 9:00am - 10:00am CDT

Grand Salons AB

Rural Texas has unique housing challenges that manufactured housing attempts to address. Learn about manufactured housing in rural Texas, how to address some of the common issues that arise with manufactured home ownership, and eviction defense involving manufactured housing.

Speakers

Melissa Arano

Staff Attorney, LANWT

Friday September 4, 2026 9:00am - 10:00am CDT
Grand Salons AB

Housing and Consumer

9:00am CDT

Shields for the Vulnerable: Surviving and Thriving in USCIS Advocacy for T, U, and VAWA Cases

Friday September 4, 2026 9:00am - 10:00am CDT

Junior Ballroom

Humanitarian relief for survivors of domestic violence, trafficking, and other serious crimes involves unique procedural hurdles and lengthy wait times. This session provides an advanced toolkit for handling T-visas, U-visas, and VAWA self-petitions. Topics include strategies for obtaining law enforcement certifications, responding to complex Requests for Evidence (RFEs), and utilizing the Bona Fide Determination (BFD) process to secure work authorization for clients earlier in the process. We will also discuss the "Wellness" aspect of this work, focusing on how staff can maintain high-quality representation while managing the secondary trauma inherent in survivor advocacy.

Speakers

Leticia Galicia

DOJ Accredited Representative, RAICES

Bianca Aguilera

Josefina Castro

DOJ Accredited Representative, RAICES

Friday September 4, 2026 9:00am - 10:00am CDT
Junior Ballroom

Immigration Law

9:00am CDT

Expunctions and Nondisclosures: Barrier Removal for Victims

Friday September 4, 2026 9:00am - 10:00am CDT

Classroom 202

Victims face several invisible barriers that make it more difficult for them to leave. Or if they have left, make it very difficult for them to stay away. This presentation can discuss how tools such as expunctions and nondisclosures, amongst others, can assist. The main tools we are going to discuss is going to be related to cleaning up a victims criminal history using expunctions and nondisclosures. Having a criminal history, even when a case was ultimately dismissed, can prevent someone from obtaining employment, housing, etc. and thus make it more difficult for victims to successfully leave. Expunctions would allow victims to erase eligible criminal records, and nondisclosures would allow victims to hide their criminal history. Similarly, victims can also use tools like name changes, occupational driver's license (ODL), etc. to help remove barriers that prevent victims from leaving an abusive relationship.

Speakers

Anwesha Sarkar

Supervising Attorney, Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas

Jessica Picon

Staff Attorney, Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas

Hello! I am a member of the LASSA team, we help survivors of sexual assault receive access to legal representation that is free for them! I enjoy what I do as I feel I am making a difference in the lives of my clients. I am currently handling family law cases, some housing cases... Read More →

Friday September 4, 2026 9:00am - 10:00am CDT
Classroom 202

Multidisciplinary/ Miscellaneous

9:00am CDT

The True Cost of Being "Poor" in Texas

Friday September 4, 2026 9:00am - 10:00am CDT

Classroom 203

Poverty in Texas extends far beyond low-income statistics. It is fundamentally an infrastructure problem where transportation gaps, broadband deserts, wireless coverage limitations, and language access barriers compound each other to create complete service inaccessibility.

This session reveals how these barriers compound to create complete legal service inaccessibility, even when programs like legal aid exist.

 Participants will leave with a framework for analyzing how infrastructure barriers affect their own programs' unmet need, data collection strategies to quantify geographic service gaps, and advocacy strategies for technology solutions that would equalize access to justice.

Speakers

Ashley Oborn

Director of Data Analytics, LSLA

Janice Rivera

Mary Molandes

Director of Case Management System Training, Lone Star Legal Aid

I'm a native of East Texas. I've worked for Lone Star Legal Aid for 25 years, with the last 20 years being the trainer for our case management systems. I also facilitate our Brown Bag Trainings and assist with compliance.

Friday September 4, 2026 9:00am - 10:00am CDT
Classroom 203

Multidisciplinary/ Miscellaneous

9:00am CDT

Where Do I Even Start and What Does This Even Mean?: Parsing Legal Processes and Procedures for the Pro Se Litigant

Friday September 4, 2026 9:00am - 10:00am CDT

Conference Room 301

Many low-income Texans—to say nothing of nonlawyers in general, regardless of their income level—face reading comprehension barriers that prevent them from fully accessing the civil justice system. TexasLawHelp is often the first place that people land when they’re trying to understand their legal matter. While Beacon Law tries to mitigate the potentially harmful effects the legal system can have on unhoused and indigent clients, their resources—like the resources of all legal aids—are limited. Beacon Law and TexasLawHelp come from slightly different places in legal aid, but both have a lot to share about making legal information accessible.

Explaining complex legal matters issues to legal aid clients presents a challenge. Many U.S. adults read at or below a 6th-grade level, and poverty is associated with lower literacy rates. Legal aid organizations must meet clients where they are—without watering content down to the point of inaccuracy or creating a process that’s too overwhelming for pro se litigants to proceed. The stressors that our populations face further complicate their ability to understand complex legal issues.

This presentation will explore ethical considerations and risks, and offer tools, best practices, and pointers for explaining legal concepts in clear, simple language in a way that empowers and educates. By the end of this session, participants will have a better understanding of the importance of plain language in poverty law, along with the legal and ethical considerations. We will teach strategies for putting this knowledge into action (whether in practice or by writing for the public).

Speakers

Martha Beard-Duncan

Managing Attorney, Texas Legal Services Center

Far West Texas native and longtime Austinite Martha Beard-Duncan is managing attorney of TexasLawHelp.org at Texas Legal Services Center. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from Stanford University, earned her JD from the University of Houston Law Center, and majored in English... Read More →

Stephanie R. Marrone

Managing Attorney / Pro Bono Coordiantor, Beacon Law

Samuel Marsh

Sr. Staff Attorney, Beacon Law

Friday September 4, 2026 9:00am - 10:00am CDT
Conference Room 301

Multidisciplinary/ Miscellaneous

10:15am CDT

Cross-Border Custody Litigation: Hague Convention Remedies and Enforcing Foreign Custody Orders in Texas

Friday September 4, 2026 10:15am - 11:15am CDT

Grand Salons DE

You may not think of yourself as an international family law attorney, but you may already be handling cross-border custody disputes. Domestic violence survivors and immigrant families frequently encounter situations where international borders complicate custody, visitation, and safety planning. Parents may flee another country seeking protection in Texas, while others may face allegations of wrongful removal or retention under international law.

This session, presented by attorneys from the Binational Project on Family Violence at Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, will provide an overview of two of the most important legal frameworks governing international child custody disputes: the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction and the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA).

Attendees will learn how Hague Convention proceedings operate in both incoming and outgoing cases, including available remedies, defenses frequently raised in domestic violence contexts, and issue spotting in potential international abduction cases. The presentation will also cover the registration and enforcement of foreign custody orders in Texas courts under the UCCJEA, including practical guidance for drafting pleadings, preparing evidence and navigating common challenges in enforcement litigation.

This session aims to demystify international custody litigation and equip advocates with practical tools they can use in representing a parent involved in cross-border custody litigation.

Speakers

Ashley Sosa

Oscar Alfaro

Stephanie Favela

Agustin Ferreira

Friday September 4, 2026 10:15am - 11:15am CDT
Grand Salons DE

Family Law

10:15am CDT

Public Housing Authorities & Advocacy Strategies to Preserve Housing

Friday September 4, 2026 10:15am - 11:15am CDT

Grand Salons AB

In this session, we will explore effective ways to advocate before Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) to preserve our clients’ public or subsidized housing. We’ll consider how pressures facing PHAs and housing recipients affect advocacy strategies, when to hold PHAs accountable through litigation versus collaboration, and ethical issues that may arise in making that decision. And, we’ll let you in on the top ten things we believe every housing recipient (and every housing advocate) should know to preserve their housing!

Speakers

K'Lisha Rutledge

Managing Attorney - Home Preservation Project, Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas

Keidra McGriff

Staff Attorney, Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas

Kelsey Ciluffo

Staff Attorney, Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas

Friday September 4, 2026 10:15am - 11:15am CDT
Grand Salons AB

Housing and Consumer

10:15am CDT

Bridging the Justice Gap: The Community Justice Workers of Texas Model in Action

Friday September 4, 2026 10:15am - 11:15am CDT

Classroom 203

Too many Texans are left to navigate legal challenges without the support they need. The Community Justice Workers of Texas (CJW) Program addresses this gap by training and empowering trusted individuals who are already working or volunteering within Community Partner Organizations (CPOs). These community members help share vital legal information and connect people to appropriate resources and services.

This session will highlight the collaborative efforts of Disability Rights Texas, Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas, Lone Star Legal Aid, Texas Legal Services Center, and Texas RioGrande Legal Aid in tackling the statewide justice gap for low-income Texans. While the program has already achieved meaningful progress, it continues to grow, with the long-term goal of establishing CJWs across Texas to meet the increasing demand for accessible legal support.

Speakers

John Grieger

Managing Attorney, Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas

John Grieger has 34 years of bankruptcy law experience. A graduate of Northwestern University (BA-Spanish) and the University of San Diego School of Law, John returned to his native Chicago after law school and worked as a staff attorney for the Chapter 13 Trustee. After that... Read More →

Jacquelyn (Jackie) Davis

Director of Civil Litigation, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid Inc

Being a first-generation lawyer
any aspect of poverty law practice

Sean Jackson

Executive Director, Disability Rights Texas

Friday September 4, 2026 10:15am - 11:15am CDT
Classroom 203

Multidisciplinary/ Miscellaneous

10:15am CDT

ClearPathTX - Statewide Expunction Project

Friday September 4, 2026 10:15am - 11:15am CDT

Classroom 202

This session will provide both legal education and a practical look at how technology can improve access tojustice by helping legal service providers scale record learing statewide:

1. Substantive Law – An overview of Texas expunction law, including common eligibility issues and practical considerations when screening cases.
2. Collaborative Efforts – How legal aid organizations, pro bono attorneys, and community partners work together through the SEP to expand access to record-clearing services.
3. Technology and Automation - An introduction to the automated expunction screening and document generation tool used by our project. We have hired a software vendor and anticipate new developments that we hope to demonstrate at the conference.

Speakers

Jeff Reichman

January Advisors

Jeff Reichman is the founder of January Advisors, a data science consulting firm that works with nonprofits, researchers, legal aid organizations, public sector agencies, and philanthropy.

Angel G. Williams

Managing Attorney - Statewide Expunction Project, Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas

Friday September 4, 2026 10:15am - 11:15am CDT
Classroom 202

Multidisciplinary/ Miscellaneous

10:15am CDT

If The Shoe Doesn’t Fit…The Impact of Unjust Legal Financial Obligations and a Model for Justice Court Ability to Pay Determinations

Friday September 4, 2026 10:15am - 11:15am CDT

Junior Ballroom

Across the country, unjust fines and fees burden millions of Americans. Rather than serving justice, these legal financial obligations trap people in poverty and prolong their involvement with the criminal justice system. Despite laws on the books that require ability to pay assessments, Texas is no exception. This is especially true in our justice courts, where defendants have no right to counsel and are often unaware of their right to have the judge determine their ability to pay and then sentence appropriately. In this session, Lisa Foster, Co-Founder and Senior Advisor of the Fines and Fees Justice Center, and Judge Steven Duble, Harris County Justice of the Peace for Precinct 1, Place 2, will present on: 1. The impact of unjust fines and fees on individuals, families and communities, 2. The positive outcomes of having effective ability to pay determinations, and 3. How Harris County Justice of the Peace Court 1-2 is seeking to create a model ability to pay assessment process – one that is fair, efficient and effective.

Speakers

Lisa Foster

Fines and Fees Justice Center, Fines and Fees Justice Center

Lisa Foster is the Co-Executive Director of the Fines and Fees Justice Center, a national nonprofit dedicated to ending the unjust and harmful imposition of fines and fees in the criminal legal system. A retired judge, Lisa is also the former director of the Office for Access to Justice... Read More →

Judge Steve Duble

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

Steve Duble has been the Justice Peace for Harris County Precinct 1, Place 2 (located in downtown Houston) since January 1, 2023. Since taking office, he has taken bold action to increase access to justice. He earned his undergraduate degree from Texas Christian University in 1986... Read More →

Friday September 4, 2026 10:15am - 11:15am CDT
Junior Ballroom

Multidisciplinary/ Miscellaneous

10:15am CDT

Legal Tech Projects: How to Plan, Procure, and Manage Legal Tech Vendor Projects

Friday September 4, 2026 10:15am - 11:15am CDT

Conference Room 301

Managing legal tech vendor projects requires structured planning and ongoing oversight. This session outlines a practical approach to the procurement lifecycle, starting with assessing project viability and securing stakeholder buy-in. We will cover how to draft focused RFPs that define requirements rather than solutions, evaluate vendor proposals, and manage the vendor relationship through completion by monitoring progress and addressing scope creep.

Speakers

Martha Beard-Duncan

Managing Attorney, Texas Legal Services Center

Staci Maloney

Elliott Fontenette

Managing Attorney, TLSC

Friday September 4, 2026 10:15am - 11:15am CDT
Conference Room 301

Multidisciplinary/ Miscellaneous

11:30am CDT

Representing the Whole Family: Non-Legal Services Every Texas Family Lawyer Should Understand

Friday September 4, 2026 11:30am - 12:30pm CDT

Grand Salons DE

This session offers a deep dive into the real-world collaboration between social workers, advocates, attorneys, and families. We will share direct experiences from the field, illustrating how social work intervention acts as a vital "gateway" to services that run alongside and beyond the legal process.

Our discussion focuses on the tactical side of partnership: how we can effectively back each other up both in the courtroom and during day-to-day advocacy. We will tackle the essential challenge of setting boundaries, ensuring every professional has a clear lane and a defined role as the case unfolds.

Speakers

Sylvia Dominguez-Santillan

Rebeca Mendoza

Social Worker, Legal Aid Of Northwest Texas

Lesley Escalante Romero

Social Worker, Legal Aid of Northwest Texas

Friday September 4, 2026 11:30am - 12:30pm CDT
Grand Salons DE

Family Law

11:30am CDT

Powerless: Keeping the Lights on for Tenants, from the Property Code to the Constitution

Friday September 4, 2026 11:30am - 12:30pm CDT

Grand Salons AB

Tenant’s rights to prevent utility shutoffs exist on paper, but not in practice. Although the Texas Legislature implemented what were intended to be accessible, pro se-friendly statutes for both pre- and post-utility termination remedies, those remedies can leave tenants in the dark for weeks. Tenants in manufactured home communities face even more difficulties due to the differences between Chapter 94 and Chapter 92 of the Property Code.

The pre-termination remedy, Section 92.301 of the Property Code, protects master-metered tenants from landlords who don’t pay their bills to the utility company. But tenants can only exercise their right to avoid a cutoff at the utility’s whim.

The post-termination remedy, Section 92.0091 of the Property Code (the writ of restoration), is more accessible in practice. But because it is only accessible post-termination, tenants can go without utilities for weeks while they scramble to hold their landlord in contempt of court. If 92.301 worked, this problem would be significantly mitigated.
This presentation will discuss ongoing constitutional litigation regarding pre-termination shutoffs: terminating an innocent tenant’s utilities violates the 14th Amendment’s due process and equal protection clauses. It will demonstrate how to advocate for tenants facing utility shutoffs outside of court before termination, in Justice Court after termination, and in courts of record for constitutional advocacy. It will also discuss a work-in-progress white paper addressing this problem.

Speakers

Adam Pirtle

Staff Attorney, Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas

Haley Varnadoe

Staff Attorney, Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas

Haley is a staff attorney with the Community Revitalization Project at Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas. Born and raised in Appalachia, her passion for protecting people and environmental resources from industrial exploitation started young. She focuses on environmental justice in the... Read More →

Benjamin Gerzik

Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas, Community Revitalization Project

Friday September 4, 2026 11:30am - 12:30pm CDT
Grand Salons AB

Housing and Consumer

11:30am CDT

Justice Blooms: Coalition Building to Address Legal Needs in Texas Legal Deserts

Friday September 4, 2026 11:30am - 12:30pm CDT

Junior Ballroom

Coalition building with a varied set of legal and non-legal partners in the Texas Panhandle has seeded the environment for a legal desert bloom in this region. This session will cover the successes and lessons learned during the Texas Immigration Law Council’s ongoing Panhandle Project, including practical guidance for coalition building with legal and non-legal partners. This session will cover ethical boundaries of engagement and addressing unauthorized practice of law. Presenters will provide frameworks for coalition building and measuring impact, including what organizations should consider when engaging partners, and deciding on structure of the coalitions. Attendees will leave with a stronger understanding of the coalition building model and concrete examples to utilize in their own work.

Speakers

Marcela Evans

Managing Attorney, Texas Immigration Law Council

Marcela brings a breadth of professional experiences and a multifaceted lens that she applies to her work. Marcela has focused her legal practice on providing stability, security, and education for her clients and communities. Marcela has held various leadership roles at Kids in Need... Read More →

Salvador Gutierrez

Immigration Outreach and Communications Coordinator, Texas Immigration Law Council

Friday September 4, 2026 11:30am - 12:30pm CDT
Junior Ballroom

Immigration Law

11:30am CDT

Representing Unaccompanied Children (UC)

Friday September 4, 2026 11:30am - 12:30pm CDT

Conference Room 301

Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) is a national non-profit organization dedicated to serving unaccompanied children in the immigration system.

The Children’s Immigration Law Academy (CILA) is an expert legal resource center created by the American Bar Association (ABA), dedicated to helping legal practitioners stay up to date on frequent changes in immigration law and policy related to unaccompanied children.

Panelists from KIND and CILA will conduct a detailed training on legal representation of unaccompanied children in removal proceedings and the humanitarian forms of relief available to them. Attendees will learn about how a child is designated an unaccompanied minor, the process of obtaining legal relief and the importance of providing valuable pro bono legal representation for a vulnerable child facing removal. The training will also review the practical and ethical considerations of working with children, while exploring interactive hypothetical case issues with the audience.

Speakers

Salma Hasan

Marisa Peterson

Laura Egan

Laura Egan is a Managing Attorney for Pro Bono and Communications with the Children's Immigration Law Academy (CILA). CILA is a project of the American Bar Association's Commission on Immigration. She has been a part of the CILA team since 2019. Laura has practiced in two areas of... Read More →

Friday September 4, 2026 11:30am - 12:30pm CDT
Conference Room 301

Immigration Law

11:30am CDT

Be a LEGO: What Legal Deserts Teach Us About Building Community Partnerships

Friday September 4, 2026 11:30am - 12:30pm CDT

Classroom 203

A staple in the toy industry is the building blocks known as LEGO – designed to connect, build, and bring structures to life through creativity and ingenuity. Similarly, this session will teach legal advocates how to be a "LEGO", using lessons learned from serving communities in a legal desert to demonstrate practical, adaptable strategies used by TxILC’s Economic Justice Initiative (EJI) fellows for connecting clients to both legal and non-legal resources to bridge the access to justice gap through their work in family law and domestic violence in rural areas. With limited resources and an expansive area to cover, the ultimate question that EJI and the fellows aim to address is how do we best serve our clients with their legal and non-legal needs in a meaningful and intentional way, extending client impact past their case. “What Legal Deserts Teach Us About Building Community Partnerships” will discuss how the community justice worker (non-attorney advocates) framework is being used to address family law and domestic violence cases in rural communities, and teach legal advocates in the session, through hands-on and collaborative activities, strategies on how to identify imminent needs in the community, how to identify key partners that can help address those needs, and how to facilitate sustainable yet flexible support systems specific to each community for attendees to take with them. The approaches shared are designed to be replicated across a range of settings where advocates face challenges in linking clients to meaningful support.

Speakers

Johana Soileau

EJI Legal Access Fellow, Texas Immigration Law Council

Johana Soileau is a graduate of UT Austin with her Bachelor of Arts in Government and Sociology. She has spent many years dedicated to service and empowerment of underrepresented communities through non-profit work, education, mentoring, and now the legal field. Her philosophy is... Read More →

Lisa Davila Lang

Attorney Fellow, Texas Immigration Law Council

Lisa Davila Lang is a first-generation attorney. She began her professional journey in healthcare, earning her Certificate in Vocational Nursing from Western Texas College in 1995, and later her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from West Texas A&M University in 2014. Lisa pursued her... Read More →

Friday September 4, 2026 11:30am - 12:30pm CDT
Classroom 203

Multidisciplinary/ Miscellaneous