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Texas to allow some non-lawyers to provide legal services, joining other states
By Sara Merken
August 7, 20242:24 PM CDTUpdated 11 hours ago
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REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab
Aug 7 (Reuters) - Paralegals in Texas who are licensed under a proposed new program will be able to provide some legal services to low-income individuals, under rules preliminarily approved by the state's top court.
Joining other U.S. states that have created similar programs, the Texas Supreme Court said in an order, opens new tab on Tuesday that allowing licensed legal paraprofessionals to deliver limited legal services in areas including family law, estate planning and probate law, and consumer debt law will help close the "justice gap" and address unmet civil legal needs.
Resources and staffing constraints prevent legal aid and volunteer attorney organizations from being able to serve most people that qualify for assistance, the order said.
"Ensuring that people, regardless of their economic standing, have access to civil legal services is fundamental to the integrity of our judicial system," Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht said in a statement.
