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Apply for Legal Services and Self Help Legal Forms and Resources
The Earl Carl Institute provides free legal services as detailed below. To apply for assistance from any of our Projects or Programs click here or go to https://earlcarlinc.org/apply-for-help. We will try to review your application promptly to determine your eligibility if income qualifications apply or if you have a type of case, we can assist you with. Once that determination is made, we will let you know if your case is accepted. If it is not accepted, we will do our best to provide you with other possible resources.
The Earl Carl Institute for Legal and Social Policy Immigration Citizenship by Naturalization Program
The ECI Immigration Community Clinic focuses on providing legal assistance to immigrants applying for U.S. Citizenship and navigating through the U.S. Naturalization Process. The Clinic is open year round and will provide legal representation to eligible individuals in reviewing his or her N-400 Application, I-912 Fee Waiver Application, and as an authorized attorney to monitoring the application process to assist with any issue that may arise.
For more information on citizenship click 10 Steps to Naturalization.
Prior to completing the intake application below, please check your eligibility for naturalization by using the USCIS Naturalization Eligbility Tool.
Our services are intended for low to moderate-income households. If you have any questions about completing this application, please do not hesitate to contact us at 713-313-1139.
OPAL MITCHELL LEE PROPERTY PRESERVATION PROJECT
The goal is to promote housing stability and to increase generational wealth through the prevention of land loss as a result of failure to plan estates, foreclosures, clouds on title to property/land, and general inheritance issues and eviction defense to ensure housing stability.
Cases we handle:
Mortgage, Homeowner Association and Tax Foreclosure Defense ~ Eviction Defense and other landlord-tenant matters (including deposit refunds and repairs and public housing) ~ Partition Suits ~ Clearing Title to Property ~ Reviewing Real Estate documents ~ Adverse Possession ~ Contracts for Deed ~ Property Tax Exemptions ~ Probate, Will and Estate Planning ~ And any other matters regarding land loss prevention ~ Non-profit Formation to promote community development or serve low income populations.
THURGOOD MARSHALL SCHOOL OF LAW INNOCENCE PROJECT
Helping the wrongfully convicted with exonerations by investigating and litigating actual innocence claims. Actual innocence means that the crime never happened or that it happened but someone else committed it and there exist new evidence to prove innocence. An applicant must have:
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Received a final conviction
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Exhausted all direct appeals
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Been convicted in Texas
Applicants must complete a Texas Prisoner Innocence Questionnaire (TPIQ). The TPIQ link can be found on the ECI website and TPIQs are also generally available in each prison library.
Innocence Project inquiries, contact: 713-313- 1161.
ECI JUVENILE JUSTICE PROJECT (JJP)
The JJP has rapidly developed into one of Texas’ premier programs assisting youth in the juvenile justice system. The JJP seeks to empower at-risk youth, provide holistic, client-centered representation, and offer solutions to legal and social problems that impede access to future achievement and success. ECI employs a holistic approach, by providing legal representation to children who are in multiple systems including the criminal justice system, disparate educational systems, the mental health system, and foster care system. Most of our clients come into the juvenile court system for incidents occurring at school.
JJP services include:
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Direct Representation in juvenile, justice of the peace and municipal courts
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Sealing of Criminal Records
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Direct Legal Representation in School Disciplinary Actions & Special Education
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Advocacy in dealing with juvenile probation, foster care, and mental health care systems
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Assistance with seeking emancipation and other legal remedies related to independent living, including securing birth certificates, social security cards, and IDs
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Homelessness advocacy for LG BTQ and aged-out foster youth as well as other traditionally disenfranchised youth groups
CLEAN SLATE COOPERATIVE (CSC)
The Clean Slate Cooperative is a collaboration with the NAACP Houston Branch. The CSC attorney locates and evaluates all criminal histories of the applicant and determines the available relief. CSC accepts all cases requiring juvenile record sealing, expunctions, and nondisclosures for individuals receiving such charges before their 25th birthday. All cases not eligible for record clearing receive an explanation of when their records might be cleared if there is a waiting period or why it was otherwise denied along with information about other service providers who might help them with barriers they face because of having a criminal record.
Policy Related Initiatives
THE BLACK GIRLS INITIATIVE (BGI)
ECI launched The Black Girls Initiative to confront the serious disparities that impact Black girls in schools, in courts, and in society; cover an array of topics, including Criminalization, Trafficking & Homelessness, School Discipline & Education Disparity, Violence & Trauma, Child Welfare and Parenting & Familial Relations as a result of adultification. The purpose of the Initiative is to change negative outcomes that Black girls are facing across multiple public systems through Awareness, Support and Policy Change. BGI’s Awareness Campaign includes publications, radio PSAs, news articles, web presence and social media. BGI’s Support Campaign will include Project MISS (Mentoring Initiative for Successful Sisters) and Black Women Inspiring our Girls. The Change Component of BGI will involve convening experts, stakeholders, community activist and system-involved youth to create policy change proposals.
Contact BGI Coordinator: 713-313-4869
SAFE & SUPPORTIVE SCHOOLS COLLABORATION (SSSC)
ECI is the lead organization in the Safe & Supportive Schools Collaboration which is comprised of representatives from Texas Appleseed, Disability Rights Texas, Children’s Defense Fund-Texas, Texans Care for Children and One Houston. The SSSC strongly opposes exclusionary school discipline practices and the criminalization of student behavior that disrupts a student’s learning and educational environment. It is the vision of the collaborative that Houston-area public school systems prioritize building and sustaining safe, supportive, and equitable school climates so all students can learn,
graduate, and live up to their full potential. The work of this Collaborative includes looking at practices in HISD and surrounding districts, including Fort Bend and Spring ISD. The SSSC uses research, publication and local and state advocacy to effect policy change. Litigation is also used when appropriate. In 2020, the SSSC launched the Counselors Not Cops Campaign to urge divesting police funding for more social services and mental health supports.
Contact SSSC Coordinator: 713-313-4869
