In partnership with members of the Texas Coalition on Coerced Debt, including Texas Advocacy Project, Texas Council on Domestic Violence, and local partners, Texas Appleseed is launching a pilot program in Dallas and Tarrant Counties to assist victims of coerced debt by providing free, trauma-informed legal services to help survivors obtain financial relief from debts that were incurred without their knowledge or through force, threats or coercion.
Through this program, pro bono attorneys will receive training from experts in the field, learn to provide trauma-informed service, and help survivors obtain a declaratory judgment pursuant to Chapter 521 of the Texas Business and Commerce Code. By establishing the survivor as a victim of identity theft for the coerced debts, this judgment can be used to help repair credit, secure independent housing, employment, and loans.
This pilot program utilizes a cohort volunteer model — recruiting a group of attorneys from the same law firm — to build a community of support for both volunteers and clients. In-person trainings will be hosted in Dallas on April 22-23, 2024.
If you are an attorney interested in registering a cohort to volunteer, please contact Lena Martinez-Wolfinger, Pro Bono Director, at lmartinezwolfinger@texasappleseed.org.