One of the largest legal aid nonprofits in the state is bringing in-person services back to Bexar County.
Texas RioGrande Legal Aid opened its new offices Thursday in Northwest San Antonio.
Between the COVID-19 pandemic and issues with its previous office space, officials at the nonprofit said its many attorneys had been primarily offering its free legal services virtually or offsite.
Now, the low-income San Antonio residents the organization serves will have another avenue to seek help.
“This was a long time coming. We’ve been out of the office for far too long,” said Executive Director Robert Doggett to several of TRLA’s staff on Thursday.
“The best way to get to know a client and develop a relationship is in person,” he added.
The legal aid nonprofit covers 68 counties, from El Paso to Corpus Christi, and served more than 15,000 clients last year. That includes two major metro areas: Austin and San Antonio. Bexar County is its busiest location, Doggett said.
TRLA offers civil legal aid. The state provides legal representation in criminal cases, but not in civil cases, which includes family law, foreclosure and eviction practices. That’s where TRLA steps in, using state and federal funding to help the state’s lowest income residents.
“We can’t take every case,” Doggett said. “But we try to prioritize what the community thinks we need to prioritize.”
He added that the new office on Console Road, near the intersection of Wurzbach Road and U.S. Interstate 10, would welcome potential clients.
“Many places [in Texas], we’ve been in the location for many, many years and they know where to go,” Doggett said “We’re hopeful people know where to go when they require civil legal aid.”
The new office will be open from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Julia Raney Rodriguez, TRLA’s director of client services, said virtual connections will still be available.
Since 2020, much of TRLA’s initial contact with clients has been over the phone or email, she said, though in-person services returned briefly after the pandemic.
“Clients like to reach us a number of different ways,” she said. “Having the doors open makes it clear we’re here, but we’ve always been available.”
Returning in-person services just gives clients another option, she added. Family law, domestic violence protections and evictions tend to be the most in-demand case types, Raney Rodriguez said. In some of those cases with quick deadlines and short turnarounds, like evictions, having in-person services helps attorneys and clients respond more quickly to issues.
Raney Rodriguez said the services ultimately depend on the client’s needs.
“We serve you equally no matter how you come to us,” she said.
