FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 16, 2026
Media Contact:
Rebecca Johnson, Public Affairs Director
State Bar of Texas
512-427-1714, rjohnson@texasbar.com
Karina Garza, Public Relations Manager
Texas RioGrande Legal Aid
(915) 213-1532; kgarza@trla.org
Merrit Klapperich, Deputy Director of Administration
Legal Aid of Northwest Texas
(817) 339-5314; klapperichm@lanwt.org
Free legal assistance available via toll-free
hotline
For low-income individuals affected
by July flooding
AUSTIN — Free legal resources are available to low-income individuals across Texas affected by severe rains and flooding in mid-July. Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration on July 14 for 59 Texas counties; more counties could be added as rains continue.
The State Bar of Texas provides a toll-free legal hotline (800-504-7030) that connects low-income individuals affected by the disaster with local legal aid providers who can help with:
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Securing government benefits as they are made available;
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Filing life, medical, and property insurance claims;
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Addressing home repair contracts and contractors;
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Replacing wills and other essential legal documents lost or destroyed in the disaster;
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Consumer protection issues, such as price-gouging and avoiding contractor scams during rebuilding;
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Mortgage-foreclosure problems; and
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Landlord-tenant matters.
Additional disaster recovery resources are available at texaslawhelp.org and texasbar.com/disaster.
The State Bar of Texas reminds the public that in many cases it is a crime in Texas for a lawyer or someone representing a lawyer to contact a person for purposes of legal representation if the person has not first requested the communication. The contact is not illegal if the attorney is not seeking payment or has a preexisting professional-client or family relationship with the person being contacted. If you witness something you believe to be improper solicitation, or barratry, attempt to obtain the name and phone number of the person making contact and report it to local law enforcement or the State Bar of Texas Chief Disciplinary Counsel’s Office via email at CDCinfo@texasbar.com or toll free at 866-224-5999.
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The State Bar of Texas is a public corporation and an administrative agency of the judicial department of state government that provides educational programs for the legal profession and the public, administers the minimum continuing legal education program for attorneys, and manages the attorney discipline system. For more information, follow us on X and Instagram @statebaroftexas, like us on Facebook at facebook.com/statebaroftexas, or visit texasbar.com.
