The Fort Bend County Willie Melton Law Library is pleased to offer the free Lawyer in the Library service to financially eligible, self-represented individuals.
Attorneys will be on site at the Willie Melton Law Library on Mondays and Wednesdays, from 8:30 am to 12:00 noon, for brief, one-on-one preliminary consultations on a variety of Civil legal issues. Individuals are helped on a first-come, first-served basis; appointments are not necessary.
If the attorney who is present does not have expertise in the specific area of law that is needed, they will make every effort – through the resources in the library – to answer the individual’s questions correctly.
The Lawyer in the Library program is a limited legal-advice service and should not be considered a substitute for representation. The individual may contact Lone Star Legal Aid, Earl Carl Institute, or the Fort Bend County Bar Association if they wish to hire an attorney.
The Fort Bend County Willie Melton Law Library does not provide legal representation nor advice about specific cases.
Lone Star Legal Aid
Mondays
8:30 am to 12 noon
Issues that may be addressed include:
- Family Law & family-related legal issues, such as:
- Child custody
- Child support
- Divorce
- Adoption
- Paternity
- Military/Veterans
- Foreclosure
- Landlord-Tenant issues, such as:
- Leases
- Evictions
- Utility shutoffs
- Tenants’ rights
- Other rental-related legal issues
- Disaster relief
- Employment and wage-claim issues
- Consumer Law, such as
- Contract disputes
- Warranties
- Debt collection and bankruptcy
- Wills, estate planning, probate, living wills
If the individual qualifies for legal services with Lone Star Legal Aid, follow-up consultations will be arranged for a later time.
You must be a Fort Bend County Resident to utilize this service at the Willie Melton Law Library. If you do not live in Fort Bend County, please contact the Lone Star Legal Aid office in your county.
Earl Carl Institute
Wednesdays
8:30 am to 12 noon
Earl Carl Institute (ECI) generally undertakes projects that are interdisciplinary in nature and have one of three outcomes:
- Student Development
- Public Policy Initiatives
- Community Education
ECI’s operations are primarily facilitated through its four centers:
- Center for Civil Advocacy
- Center for Criminal Justice
- Center for Government Law
- Center for Research, Writing, and Student Development
Issues that may be addressed include:
Current ECI free legal-services programs include:
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Property Preservation
-
Juvenile Justice
-
Innocence Project
To Prepare for the Lawyer in the Library Session
- Write a list of general questions for the attorney.
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If individuals wish to apply for further assistance by Lone Star Legal Aid or Earl Carl Institute, they should have their financial information available so the attorney can determine if they qualify.