CLIENT_SERVICES_MANUAL_May 2013 FINAL

Whether or not the case would be part of an ECI project that hasincome requirements, staff shall fill out each section of the eligibility wizard or thehardcopy intake form, including all

“Creating a New Vision for Legal and Social Justice”

CLIENT SERVICES MANUAL

EARL CARL INSTITUTE FOR LEGAL &

SOCIAL POLICY, INC.

Revised April 2013

Table of Contents

EARL CARL INSTITUTE FOR LEGAL AND SOCIAL POLICY, INC MISSION & GUIDING

PRINCIPLES 5

I INTAKE 6

Hours & Procedures 6

Conflict Checking 8

Client Information 8

Reporting Abuse 9

Abuse and Neglect of a Child 10

Neglect of a child includes 11

Abuse, Exploitation and Neglect of an Adult 10

II CLIENT-DIRECTED ADVOCACY & CONFIDENTIALITY 12

Attorney Referrals 13

Consultation 13

Identifying the Client 13

Client Preferences 14

Confidentiality 14

III PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY 15

Determination of Citizenship 17

Fee Generating Cases 17

Guidance for Determining Income Eligibility 17

IV CASE ACCEPTANCE 20

Case Acceptance Criteria 20

Ineligible and Non-Priority 21

Priority 21

Denial Letters 21

Caseloads 23

Litigation & Appeals 23

V CASE MANAGEMENT 23

Attorney Review 23

Acceptance Letters and Representation Agreements 23

Initial Contact 24

Obtaining Records 24

Regular Contact 24

Files & Documentation 25

Recording & Receiving Attorney’s Fees and Tracking Costs 27

Media Contacts Concerning Cases 27

Transfers 28

Closure 28

Withdrawal of Client Services 29

Closed File Storage 30

VI FILE & CASE REVIEWS 30

Weekly Project Meetings 30

The Case Review 31

File Review Outcome 32

VII CLIENT APPEALS & COMPLAINTS 32

Appeals 31

VIII CO-COUNSELING 35

With Outside Attorneys and Advocates 33

IX SUICIDE CALLS, THREATS & SAFETY 35

Suicide Calls 33

Threatening Calls 36

Abusive Calls 36

Insistent Visitors 37

Verbally Abusive Visitors 37

Potentially Violent Visitors or Clients 37

Additional Safety Measures 38

EARL CARL INSTITUTE FOR LEGAL AND SOCIAL POLICY, INC MISSION,

VISION & CORE BELIEFS

Our Mission:

The mission of the Institute is to identify, address, and offer solutions to legal and socialproblems that affect traditionally urban and disenfranchised communities The Institute, throughinterdisciplinary scholarship and advocacy, aims to develop the leadership, research, andadvocacy skills of law students to encourage public service and to enable the students toeffectively address problems of underserved communities

Our Vision:

The vision of the Institute is to serve as one of the nation’s preeminent centers for research andadvocacy on legal and social issues affecting underserved communities We will serve as aleading voice in promoting social justice and be recognized for excellence in our programs andthe quality of our community engagement

Our Core Beliefs:

The core beliefs of the Institute are

 to promote excellence in education using an interdisciplinary approach to create excellentfuture leaders who will advance social justice;

 to provide an effective service delivery component to address the needs of individual citizens and advance community representation;

 to contribute to public discourse by producing high quality significant research that enhances public policy discussions;

 to provide accessibility to the Institute and its programs in order to foster an environment that promotes equality for traditionally underserved populations; and

 to have a significant role in facilitating awareness that contributes to the advancement of civil rights and social justice

ECI Client Services Manual

Page 5 of 38

Purpose of this Client Services Manual:

The contents of this manual detail how client services should be provided to all ECIclients The procedures outlined here should be followed in order for ECI intakes to comply withall regulations and grant funding guidelines set out by our funding sources The procedurescontained in this manual comport with best practices guidelines for case handling, ABAStandards for the Provision of Civil Legal Aid, National Indigent Defense Standards andGuidelines, and applicable provisions for ethical and professional conduct in the delivery of legalservices

This manual applies to all ECI clinical programs including the Opal Mitchell LeeProperty Preservation & Foreclosure Defense Project (OMLPPP), the ECI Juvenile JusticeProject (JJP), and the Thurgood Marshall School of Law Innocence Project (TMSLIP)

I INTAKE Hours & Procedures

Intake will be performed by designated ECI intake staff Monday through Friday from 9a.m until 5:00 p.m Attorney staff will provide backup and emergency intake assistance whenthe designated intake staff is unavailable Intake will include sufficient information to determinethe caller’s eligibility, the nature of the problem, the caller’s goal, and whether the problem iswithin Earl Carl Institute for Legal and Social Policy, Inc priorities, following the proceduresbelow

 Intake staff will enter information directly into the computer database (“live” intake)

 When back-up staff is conducting intake and when the computer database is inoperative,

a standard hardcopy intake form will be used and information from the form later entered

in the computer database The intake forms shall be filled out completely and legibly.The intake worker shall enter the complete name, address, and phone numbers as well asthe date of birth, gender, and county of residence of the person seeking assistance If thecaller is a service provider, organization, etc., staff shall get the name of theagency/organization Whether or not the case would be part of an ECI project that hasincome requirements, staff shall fill out each section of the eligibility wizard or thehardcopy intake form, including all required income information, the independent schooldistrict (ISD) if it is a special education or student ticket case, and the TDCJ prison if thecase is an Innocence Project case Intake staff shall record in detail the information thatwill be needed by other staff to appropriately review the potential case On all intakes,staff must document any advice given or actions recommended in the computer database

 If the call is regarding an individual not eligible for ECI services or a subject not included

in ECI services, it must be answered as fully as is possible and the caller should beprovided information about other programs or resources that may be available to assisthim or her Such information must also be entered into the ECI case managementprogram If the caller meets eligibility criteria and the problem is in a priority area, thecompleted intake forms on the computer database are printed for review and approval bythe Executive Director or her designee

 Some calls may request very basic information, such as the name of a County or DistrictClerk, his/her address, and phone number, ask for basic information about the Institute,such as what the Institute does, how to access our services, intake hours, and ask for help

in an area unrelated to ECI services If appropriate a caller should be sent any relatedECI handouts and such callers should be entered into the case management program as aname card

 If the an attorney takes a call that is an intake and discusses the issue and gives advice,then the attorney should complete the appropriate intake forms and enter the informationdirectly into the computer or on a hardcopy intake form if the case management program

is not accessible at the time the intake is done

 A voicemail message will be on the ECI main line when the office is closed, and will tellthe caller (in English and Spanish) to call back during the intake hours Intake hours will

be publicized and stable

 When it is apparent that an applicant needs an interpreter for intake, whether foreignlanguage interpreters or deaf and hard of hearing interpreters, and ECI staff persons arenot available to provide this service, the ECI administrative assistant will schedule anappointment with the applicant and an interpreter to complete the intake process ECIshall hire, or solicit a volunteer interpreter Staff will use interpreters, augmentativecommunications devices, and any other means to ensure accurate and completecommunications with clients and/or potential clients with disabilities The ECI officewill maintain a resource file of interpreter services available

 The cost for these services must be approved by the Executive Director or her designeeprior to the expense being incurred

 Walk-ins will be handled by intake staff at the earliest possible time Walk-in intake will

be handled the same way as phone intake We will encourage people to do intake overthe phone or by appointment

 Mail intake will be given to intake staff and handled as a regular intake, i.e., intake willfill out an intake form and provide whatever information possible in a brief contact.When mail intake is done, the correspondence will be scanned and attached to the newlycreated client file, as a document, in the case management program

 Intake conducted during outreach events or other out-of-office events should becompleted on the Intake forms and entered into the case management program uponreturn to the ECI offices Such intake shall use the same guidelines as for in-house intake.Staff should bring a hardcopy of the income eligibility guidelines when it is anticipatedthat intakes may occur off-site In any case where the intake staff believes that a routinedelay in assignment will result in harm to the caller or the caller's legal rights, the intakeworker shall immediately bring the case to the attention of an appropriate professionalstaff person or manager, who shall handle the emergency

 When a person who has previously talked with intake staff calls again and informs intake

or reception that s/he has not yet been called back, the intake worker or receptionistshould transfer the call to the case handler, if one has been assigned, or record thefollowing information on the phone message screen of ECI’s case management program:

the caller's name and phone numbers, the date the initial intake was done, the message,and the times of day that are best for a return call The case handler assigned to the casemust return the call within 48 hours All phone calls from clients should be returnedwithin 48 hours of their receipt.

Conflict Checking

Once the applicant’s income information has been collected, the intake specialist mustalways check to determine that the adverse party is not already a client of ECI This is done inthe case-management system If ECI has previously provided legal assistance to someone,whom an applicant names as an opposing party or who ECI, in its legal opinion, determines is alikely opposing party, we cannot assist the applicant because of the conflict of interest whichwould result What determines whether there is a conflict depends on whether legal assistancewas actually provided to that individual named by the applicant as an adverse party and in whatcapacity the former client is involved in the applicant's situation

The fact that an opposing party turns up in the Conflict search as a former applicant doesnot mean there is a conflict If the adverse party is indeed a past or present client, the intakespecialist must decline the applicant's request for services and make the appropriate entries in thefile Explain to the applicant that ECI is prohibited by the Texas Rules of Disciplinary Procedurefrom giving advice to both parties in the same case A follow-up rejection letter should be sent tothe applicant explaining that there is a conflict and providing the applicant with the grievanceprocedure If the intake specialist has doubts about whether a conflict exists, s/he mustdocument the reasons in the Notes section of the file/case management program and ask that theITA Associate Director or the Executive Director to review it

Client Information

Once the intake specialist has determined that the applicant is eligible, the next stepbefore addressing his or her legal problem is to collect and record the basic demographicinformation needed for our records At a minimum, the following information is needed:

1 The applicant's first and last names, mailing address, city, county, zip code and

telephone number, to enable us to reach them should further information beneeded

2 The applicant's home and/or work telephone number, as applicable

3 If the applicant is married, the first and last name of his or her spouse

4 If a third party contact is calling on behalf of the applicant, his or her first and last

names, home and/or work telephone number, and relationship to the applicant Ifthe appropriate client is a minor child, separate name cards should be created forthe child and the parent and the file should be opened in the name of the child

5 Applicant’s demographics such as race, age, disability and gender This

information may be critical for future advocacy efforts and for reporting tofunders

6 Make sure the applicant has signs the general intake form If the intake is a

telephone intake, the applicant may sign the intake form at the time of their firstmeeting with the attorney assigned to the case

7 It is important that we keep records of the way applicants heard about ECI This

helps determine how, when and where new services or programs should bepublicized by ECI Intake staff should make every effort to obtain thisinformation

Reporting Abuse

Under Texas law, all persons who have cause to believe that the physical or mental health

or welfare of a child or an elderly person has been or may be adversely affected by abuse,neglect, or exploitation by any person must report the suspicion

The Texas Family Code Section 261.101 provides:

Sec.261.101 PERSONS REQUIRED TO REPORT; TIME TO REPORT.

(a) A person having cause to believe that a child's physical or mental health orwelfare has been adversely affected by abuse or neglect by any person shallimmediately make a report as provided by this subchapter

(b) If a professional has cause to believe that a child has been abused or neglected

or may be abused or neglected, or that a child is a victim of an offense underSection 21.11, Penal Code, and the professional has cause to believe that the childhas been abused as defined by Section 261.001 or 261.401, the professional shallmake a report not later than the 48th hour after the hour the professional firstsuspects that the child has been or may be abused or neglected or is a victim of anoffense under Section 21.11, Penal Code A professional may not delegate to or

rely on another person to make the report In this subsection, "professional"

means an individual who is licensed or certified by the state or who is an

employee of a facility licensed, certified, or operated by the state and who, in thenormal course of official duties or duties for which a license or certification isrequired, has direct contact with children The term includes teachers, nurses,doctors, day-care employees, employees of a clinic or health care facility thatprovides reproductive services, juvenile probation officers, and juvenile detention

or correctional officers

(c) The requirement to report under this section applies without exception to an

individual whose personal communications may otherwise be privileged, including an attorney, a member of the clergy, a medical practitioner, a social

worker, a mental health professional, and an employee of a clinic or health carefacility that provides reproductive services

(d) Unless waived in writing by the person making the report, the identity of anindividual making a report under this chapter is confidential and may be disclosedonly:

(1) as provided by Section 261.201; or

(2) to a law enforcement officer for the purposes of conducting acriminal investigation of the report.

This obligation applies to all ECI staff, including attorneys, and is an exception toattorney-client privilege An online report must be made immediately on learning informationthat creates the suspicion A professional can make a report of abuse at the following website:

https://www.txabusehotline.org

Abuse and Neglect of a Child

Texas Family Code Section 261.001

(1) "Abuse" includes the following acts or omissions by a person:

(A) mental or emotional injury to a child that results in an observable and material impairment in the child's growth, development, or psychological functioning;

(B) causing or permitting the child to be in a situation in which the child sustains a mental or emotional injury that results in an observable and material impairment in the child's growth, development, or psychological functioning;

(C) physical injury that results in substantial harm to the child, or the genuine threat of substantial harm from physical injury to the child, including an injury that is at variance with the history or explanation given and excluding an accident or reasonable discipline

by a parent, guardian, or managing or possessory conservator that does not expose the child to a substantial risk of harm;

(D) failure to make a reasonable effort to prevent an action by another person that results

in physical injury that results in substantial harm to the child;

(E) sexual conduct harmful to a child's mental, emotional, or physical welfare, including conduct that constitutes the offense of continuous sexual abuse of young child or childrenunder Section 21.02, Penal Code, indecency with a child under Section 21.11, Penal Code, sexual assault under Section 22.011, Penal Code, or aggravated sexual assault under Section 22.021, Penal Code;

(F) failure to make a reasonable effort to prevent sexual conduct harmful to a child;

(G) compelling or encouraging the child to engage in sexual conduct as defined by Section 43.01, Penal Code, including conduct that constitutes an offense of trafficking of persons under Section 20A.02(a)(7) or (8), Penal Code, prostitution under Section

43.02(a)(2), Penal Code, or compelling prostitution under Section 43.05(a)(2), Penal

(H) causing, permitting, encouraging, engaging in, or allowing the photographing, filming, or depicting of the child if the person knew or should have known that the resulting photograph, film, or depiction of the child is obscene as defined by Section 43.21, Penal Code, or pornographic;

(I) the current use by a person of a controlled substance as defined by Chapter 481, Health and Safety Code, in a manner or to the extent that the use results in physical, mental, or emotional injury to a child;

(J) causing, expressly permitting, or encouraging a child to use a controlled substance as defined by Chapter 481, Health and Safety Code;

(K) causing, permitting, encouraging, engaging in, or allowing a sexual performance by

a child as defined by Section 43.25, Penal Code; or

(L) knowingly causing, permitting, encouraging, engaging in, or allowing a child to be trafficked in a manner punishable as an offense under Section 20A.02(a)(5), (6), (7), or (8), Penal Code, or the failure to make a reasonable effort to prevent a child from being trafficked in a manner punishable as an offense under any of those sections

(2) "Neglect" includes:

(A) the leaving of a child in a situation where the child would be exposed to a substantialrisk of physical or mental harm, without arranging for necessary care for the child, and the demonstration of an intent not to return by a parent, guardian, or managing or

possessory conservator of the child;

(B) the following acts or omissions by a person:

(i) placing a child in or failing to remove a child from a situation that a reasonable person would realize requires judgment or actions beyond the child's level of maturity, physical condition, or mental abilities and that results in bodily injury or a substantial risk of immediate harm to the child;

(ii) failing to seek, obtain, or follow through with medical care for a child, with the failure resulting in or presenting a substantial risk of death, disfigurement, or bodily injury or with the failure resulting in an observable and material

impairment to the growth, development, or functioning of the child;

(iii) the failure to provide a child with food, clothing, or shelter necessary to sustain the life or health of the child, excluding failure caused primarily by financial inability unless relief services had been offered and refused;

(iv) placing a child in or failing to remove the child from a situation in which the child would be exposed to a substantial risk of sexual conduct harmful to the child; or

(v) placing a child in or failing to remove the child from a situation in which the child would be exposed to acts or omissions that constitute abuse under

Subdivision (1)(E), (F), (G), (H), or (K) committed against another child; or

(C) the failure by the person responsible for a child's care, custody, or welfare to permit the child to return to the child's home without arranging for the necessary care for the child after the child has been absent from the home for any reason, including having been

in residential placement or having run away

Abuse, Exploitation and Neglect of an Adult

Abuse of an adult means the willful infliction of injury, unreasonable confinement,intimidation, or cruel punishment with resulting physical harm or pain or mental anguish or thewillful deprivation by a caretaker or one's self of goods or services which are necessary to avoidphysical harm, mental anguish, or mental illness

Exploitation of an adult means the illegal or improper act or process of a caretaker usingthe resources of an elderly or disabled person for monetary or personal benefit, profit, or gain

Neglect of an adult means the failure to provide for one's self the goods or services whichare necessary to avoid physical harm, mental anguish, or mental illness or the failure of acaretaker to provide such goods or services

For further clarification of what constitutes abuse, exploitation or neglect of an adult orhow to report abuse, exploitation or neglect, see the following link:

http://www.dfps.state.tx.us/Adult_Protection/About_Adult_Protective_Services/

II CLIENT-DIRECTED ADVOCACY & CONFIDENTIALITY

Attorney Referrals

ECI will keep a list of attorneys in the area who have expressed an interest in handlingcases that ECI is unable to handle Any attorney in good standing with the Texas State Bar iseligible to be included An attorney who wishes to be added to a referral list should complete aninterest form indicating the areas of practice for which the attorney is interested in receivingreferrals and the ECI administrative assistant will check the State Bar website to ensure that theattorney is in good standing with the bar The appropriate Associate Director will then directstaff to provide the attorney with a copy of our Attorney Referral Policy and the ECI VolunteerAttorney Orientation Packet and add the attorney’s name and contact information to the ECIattorney referral list When individuals call ECI asking for a referral to an attorney, staff willrefer them to the local and statewide private bar referral service and any pro bono referralservices, and provide the applicant with a copy of the ECI attorney referral list

Consultation

When an individual has a guardian, staff may hear a client's complaint, provide legalrights information, determine whether the client wants representation, gather information aboutthe situation and speak with the guardian Once we decide the case meets our priorities and caseacceptance criteria and is appropriate for representation, we need to determine whether the client

is a minor or has a guardian and whether he/she wants our representation If the client is a minor

or has a guardian, there are restrictions on the types of cases we can handle, and there are steps

we must follow before obtaining medical records or representing the client Generally, theguardian or parent will have to consent to the release of client records and to the legal assistanceECI provides the client

Identifying the Client

The intake specialist must be certain that they are talking to the prospective client Manytimes, family members or friends will contact ECI and state that they are calling on behalf of aperson In cases where only general legal information is requested, there is usually no problem.However, when the applicant presents a legal problem of another person on whose behalf theapplicant is contacting ECI, staff must proceed with caution

The point at which an applicant becomes a client of ECI depends on when the applicant’scase is accepted This issue will be explored in greater detail below, but we should note thatwhile we can accept an application on behalf of someone from a third party, we typically will notgive advice to the third party and will contact the potential client at the earliest possibleopportunity to ensure that the individual actually wants our assistance

Second, once the intake specialist determines that the potential client is not the personcontacting ECI, s/he she should attempt to discover whether the applicant is himself capable ofcommunicating with ECI and competent to consent to representation If this is not possible, theintake specialist must be mindful of the potential conflict if advice is given to the applicant, andshould avoid doing so

Third, in cases where more than one family member contacts ECI on behalf of anapplicant, the intake specialist must insist that the family members decide among themselveswho will be the one assigned to communicate with ECI Talking to more than one familymember or friend about an applicant's problem will lead to confusion, repetition, possiblemisunderstanding and, worst of all, a conflict of interest.

Fourth, when the issue presented by a person contacting ECI is from a guardian, theintake specialist must be clear as to whose interests that person is representing, those of the ward

or those of the guardian ECI is not able to represent a party with a guardian unless the guardianconsents to representation

Staff will discern the client's desired outcome for our advocacy efforts in anonjudgmental manner, and our advocacy efforts will be guided by the expressed preferences ofthe client

Client Preferences

The issue we will address and the objective we will seek should be stated in theacceptance letter or representation agreement ECI pursues the objectives of our clients inaccordance with the Texas Rules of Professional Responsibility for attorneys

Confidentiality

All information we obtain from an individual who contacts us for assistance or about thatindividual in the course of investigation or representation is confidential Persons who areseeking representation are entitled to the same level of protection as clients regardingconfidentiality of communications.1 The provider’s responsibility to protect information fromdisclosure does not diminish because an applicant is not accepted as a client Confidentialitybegins with the individual’s first point of contact with ECI and it does not matter whether or notthe caller is eligible for our services or has a problem within our priorities.2

Confidential information includes but is not limited to personally identifiableinformation It also includes audio or visual recordings, photographs, or similar materials orinformation of either the client or a member of his/her family by which the identity of a clientcan be determined directly or by reference to other publicly available information

All ECI staff, volunteers, co-counsel, experts, and other contractors must maintain thesecrecy of confidential information, as required by the Texas State Bar Rules of Professional

1See Model Rules of Prof’l Conduct R 1.18 (2003) regarding Duties to a Prospective Client, which reads: “(b) Even when no client-lawyer

relationship ensues, a lawyer who has had discussions with a prospective client shall not use or reveal information learned in the consultation, except as Rule 1.9 would permit with respect to information of a former client.” ABA Standards for the Provision of Civil Legal Aid (2006), Standard 4.3 (on Protecting Client Confidences).

2 An attorney-client relationship is formed when legal advice is offered that is tailored to the specific circumstances of the client as opposed to neutral legal information offered to all persons with the same issue ABA Standards for the Provision of Civil Legal Aid (2006), Standard 3.6 (on Provision of Legal Information) ABA Model Rules of Prof’l Conduct R 1.18 (2003) affords confidentiality to prospective clients regarding the information divulged while seeking representation, even though no attorney-client relationship is established ABA Standards for the Provision of Civil Legal Aid (2006), Standard 3.5 (on Provision of Pro Se Assistance)

Conduct.3 All ECI staff, student interns, attorney and student volunteers, and other non-ECI counsel shall execute a confidentiality agreement

co-Confidential information will NOT be provided to anyone outside the organization, other

than the client, without written instructions from the client or from an attorney representing theclient If the client is a minor or has a guardian and we have accepted representation in a civilmatter through the parent or guardian, confidential information may be shared with the parent orguardian Conversely, if we have accepted representation of a minor or a ward directly andpotentially in opposition to the parent or guardian, no confidential information will be released tothe parent or guardian Attorney work-product will not be released to anyone outside theorganization A client is not entitled to our work product without the approval of the ExecutiveDirector

Information may be released to individuals hired by ECI to perform an assessment,provide expert testimony, or represent the client at the discretion of the ECI staff memberhandling the case in consultation with the appropriate Associate Director and the ExecutiveDirector

In a lawsuit, once pleadings and other documents are filed with the court clerk, theybecome part of the public record (unless they are “sealed”) However, only the ExecutiveDirector may share or permit another staff member to share any pleading or other case-relateddocument with anyone outside of the agency

Confidential information remains confidential forever It continues after the individualceases to be a client, even after the individual dies A staff member has an obligation to maintainthe confidentiality regardless of whether or not the staff member remains employed by The EarlCarl Institute for Legal and Social Policy, Inc ECI staff must sign an agreement prohibitingthem from sharing any information without approval of the Executive Director

III PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY

IOLTA & BCLS Funding

Any individual whose income is 125 percent of the federal poverty level or below iseligible to be served with Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts (IOLTA) and Basic Civil LegalServices (BCLS) dollars Each person who seeks ECI services must be questioned with regard toincome, and the appropriate information entered into the ECI case management program or onthe hardcopy intake form No attorney fees may be charged to IOLTA/BCLS clients

IOLTA funds may not be used to directly fund class action lawsuits; to directly fund

lawsuits against governmental entities, except by individuals to gain benefits authorized by

3 Lawyers generally employ assistants in their practice, including secretaries, investigators, law student interns, and paraprofessionals Such assistants act for the lawyer in rendition of the lawyer’s professional services A lawyer should give such assistants appropriate instruction and supervision concerning the ethical aspects of their employment, particularly regarding the obligation not to disclose information relating to representation of the client, and should be responsible for their work product The measures employed in supervising non-lawyers should take account of the fact that they do not have legal training and are not subject to professional discipline Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct Rule 5.03 Comment 1.

statute or regulation; to support lobbying for a candidate or issue; and may not be used in mattersthat might reasonably be expected to result in a fee from public funds or from an opposing partyunless appropriate attempts have been made to obtain representation from an attorney in privatepractice.

BCLS funds may not be used to directly or indirectly support a class action lawsuit; to

directly or indirectly support a lawsuit against a governmental entity (except by groups orindividuals to gain benefits authorized by statute or regulation), political party or candidate; todirectly or indirectly support lobbying for or against a candidate or issue; to directly or indirectlysupport abortion litigation; to directly or indirectly represent an individual who is confined to jail

or prison; to directly or indirectly provide legal services to an individual who is not legally in thiscountry unless necessary to protect the physical safety of the individual; and in matters thatmight reasonably be expected to result in a fee from public funds or from an opposing partyunless appropriate attempts have been made to obtain representation from an attorney in privatepractice

Under the provisions of the TAJF grants, the following cases will not be accepted for

assistance using TAJF funds: (see attached list for distinctions between IOLTA and BCLSfunding)

a Criminal Cases, including traffic tickets;

b Fee-generating Cases, matters that might reasonably be expected to result in a feefrom public funds or from an opposing party unless appropriate attempts have beenmade to obtain representation from an attorney in private practice Cases arereviewed to determine if they are fee generating after intake and before a case isapproved for opening for services If a case is fee generating, the individual isinformed it is not a case we can accept unless they get a minimum of threedocumented turndowns from private attorneys The individual is informed of thisprocess verbally and in writing Until said documentation is provided the case is notopened for services

c Cases where the Applicant is a non-citizen;

d Class Action Suits;

e to directly or indirectly support a lawsuit against a governmental entity (except bygroups or individuals to gain benefits authorized by statute or regulation), politicalparty or candidate;

f to directly or indirectly support lobbying for or against a candidate or issue; todirectly or indirectly support abortion litigation;

g to directly or indirectly represent an individual who is confined to jail or prison;

If the applicant describes their legal problem as a criminal matter, other than an actualinnocence claim or school ticket case, they should be told that ECI does not handle that type ofcase and that they should contact a private attorney or other pro bono criminal defense program

If an applicant is asserting an actual innocence claim, the applicant should be referred for an

intake by Innocence Project staff If an applicant is has a school ticket case, the applicant should

be referred for an intake by JJP staff

An applicant must be a United States citizen or otherwise legally in this country and theapplicant must reside in Harris County or its contiguous counties (Brazoria, Galveston,Chambers, Liberty, Montgomery, Fort Bend, & Waller) or the property at issue must be located

in one of those counties

Determination of Citizenship

In a case funded by TAJF, if the applicant qualifies in terms of legal problem, income,and conflict checking, the final eligibility requirement is citizenship TAJF requires that allclients receiving service must be citizens or eligible aliens No ineligible alien can receive TAJFfunded services Some limited exceptions exist, but most applicants must be citizens orpermanent resident aliens to qualify for our services Staff should refer to the applicant’sresponses in the citizenship section on the intake sheet to determine if client is eligible Inaddition, staff should make a copy of the client’s driver’s license or picture identification and get

a social security number or resident alien number for the file only

Fee Generating Cases

Fee-generating Cases are matters that might reasonably be expected to result in a feefrom public funds or from an opposing party Such cases will generally not be accepted as aTAJF funded case handled by ECI However, a limited exception to the prohibition may resultwhere the applicant provides written documentation, for the file, indicating that s/he madeappropriate attempts to secure representation but has been turned down by a minimum of threeattorneys in private practice Under such circumstances a case may be accepted forrepresentation at the discretion of the Executive Director or his/her delegate

If due to these restrictions, IOLTA/BCLS funds may not be used for a particular case,ECI staff may handle the case with funds from another funding source if the client and requestedservices are eligible for representation using the alternative funding source

Guidance for Determining Income Eligibility

Ask first how many individuals are in the household of the individual Next, determinewhether the annual household income is below 125 percent of the poverty level by using thecurrent income eligibility figures provided to intake staff There are no provisions to allowhousehold incomes to exceed these TAJF maximum caps and be reduced to 125% by certaindeductions

If the person requesting ECI services funded by the Texas Access to Justice Foundation(TAJF) is living in a household with others and some of the expenses of the person are shared bythe household, then all the residents of the household are counted in determining the number ofindividuals in the household, regardless of whether the person requesting ECI assistance is anadult or a child

Case Priorities

and IOLTA funds through a grant from the Texas Access to Justice Foundation (TAJF)

The priorities (or the types of cases the project accepts) are reassessed and establishedannually The project’s focus is to help economically disadvantaged communities retain andgrow wealth through the prevention of land loss The Project provides both advocacy andeducational services Through the services of supervising attorneys, student practitioners,volunteer attorneys, and strategic partnerships with Thurgood Marshall School of Law, theproject provides services that range from counsel and advice on property related issues to in-court representation

The project’s primary areas of practice are:

1 Partition of real estate

2 Small estate probate

3 Inter vivos transfers

4 Clearing title to property

5 Preventing mortgage, tax, and homeowner association foreclosures

6 Tax redemption cases

7 Property tax exemptions

8 Assistance with delinquent property tax cases

9 Other matters regarding land loss prevention

10 Consumer debt defense

11 Formation of nonprofits related to community development

HOUSTION ENDOWMENT FUNDING

The Earl Carl Institute Juvenile Justice Project is funded through a grant from theHouston Endowment, to address the rising number of student ticket cases faced by studentsaccused of school misconduct The project’s purpose is to provide legal representation tostudents in Class C Misdemeanor cases pending in Justice and Municipal Courts in Texas.Secondary purposes include education for professionals and community education regardingschool-to-prison pipeline issues, and advocacy in promoting policy changes to benefit affectedstudents

School tickets are citations issued by the administration of a child’s school or by peaceofficers when a student engages in behavior or conduct that violates a school code of conduct orstate statute The offenses are considered Class C misdemeanors, are punishable by a fine not toexceed $500, and may result in jail confinement These offenses are adjudicated as criminaloffenses in justice of the peace or municipal court

The Project provides both advocacy and educational services Specifically, servicesprovided by the project include:

1 Legal Advice & Consultation

2 Review of Student Records

3 Meeting with Parents

4 Negotiating with the School District & Prosecutors

5 In-Court Representation

6 Legal Services related Meetings to Challenge School Disciplinary ActionsThe geographic service area is generally Harris County and its contiguous counties(Brazoria, Galveston, Chambers, Liberty, Montgomery, Fort Bend, & Waller) Intake isconducted Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m and 5:00 p.m

There is no income eligibility requirement for this project and the services are providedfree of charge

TMSL FUNDING

The Thurgood Marshall School of Law funds permanent staff positions that primarilyinvolve policy work but can involve the provision of legal services Funding by TMSL does nothave eligibility requirements for potential clients Legal services funded by TMSL must beapproved by the Executive Director

INNOCENCE PROJECT STATE APPROPRIATION

The Thurgood Marshall School Innocence Project (TMSLIP) is funded through a TexasLegislature appropriation The appropriation is administered through the Texas Indigent DefenseCommission (TIDC) The grant requires that Texas Southern University operate an InnocenceProject TMSLIP provides services to convicted individuals who raise an “actual innocence”claim A claim of actual innocence may be brought by a convicted person, who has exhausted allreviews of the conviction permitted by statutory law of the State, wherein the person alleges s/he

is actually innocent of the crime because a crime did not occur or that s/he is not the individualresponsible for the crime TMSLIP investigates cases where a convicted person claims s/he isactually innocent as opposed to arguing that they should have received a lesser sentence or beenconvicted of a lesser crime

TMSLIP does not accept cases where the individual has not yet been convicted, the case

is still on appeal, the conviction occurred outside of Texas, the evidence being contested wasintroduced at the original trial or the case resulted in a death sentence

TMSLIP services are free of charge and the geographic service is the State of Texas

A convicted individual requesting service should be told to request our help bycompleting the Texas Prisoner Innocence Questionnaire, or TPIQ, which can be found in theprison library or on the ECI website in the Criminal Justice Center page at