About the Initiative
The Veterans Legal Initiative was established in 2008 by the Houston Bar Association, Houston Bar Foundation and Houston Volunteer Lawyers. The program provides free legal advice and legal representation to U.S. veterans. Any veteran, or spouse of a deceased veteran, can get advice and counsel at one of the clinics offered by the VLI at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center or at one of the community clinics. Low-income veterans who need further legal representation in civil matters and meet eligibility guidelines can be assigned a pro bono attorney through the Houston Volunteer Lawyers, a public service of the Houston Bar Association. The Veterans Legal Initiative is made possible by grants from the Texas Access to Justice Foundation, the Houston Bar Foundation, and the Texas Veterans Commission.
To date, the program has served over 20,000 veterans with advice and counsel and/or legal representation. More than 400 attorneys have volunteered to assist with the Veterans’ Legal Initiative.
The VLI is now part of a coalition of bar associations in 18 Texas counties that provides free legal advice clinics and legal representation to veterans through clinics scheduled periodically in the following counties: Bell, Brazoria, Brazos, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Grimes, Hardin, Harris, Jefferson, Liberty, McLennan, Montgomery, Orange, San Jacinto, Travis, Walker and Waller.
