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Services

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America Family Law Center (AFLC) strives to help people in the Justice Gap, who find themselves in some type of family law related situation, with referrals to free resources and, for clients, through its low-bono, low-cost Assisted Pro Se services.

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As a nonprofit charitable organization, America Family Law Center strives to help people resolve as many legal cases or situations as possible in a collaborative manner and without litigation or court involvement. When legal services are necessary, America Family Law Center’s Assisted Pro Se services helps pro se, self-represented litigants with unlimited legal advice, research, document review, guidance, coaching, case continuity and much more from attorneys, as well as non-legal assistance from its trained non-attorney staff, working together help the client resolve their case or situation and strive for the best possible outcome.

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America Family Law Center encourages those who have the money to hire a full-service attorney in a traditional manner to do so. America Family Law Center encourages those who qualify for and are awarded access to free legal aid assistance to use that free assistance. America Family Law Center is here to assist those pro se, self-represented litigants in family law situations who do not get free legal aid and cannot afford to pay traditional full-service attorneys thousands of dollars – these are the people in the Justice Gap.

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For Everyone – Free Family Law Resources

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America Family Law Center tries to make as many resources as possible available for free to the public. America Family Law Center originated in Texas, so many of its Texas-based resources may be more mature than in other states. Please call us. We will do whatever we can to help you.

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Click here for more information about Free Family Law Assistance.

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For Clients – Assisted Pro Se services

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In addition to the free family law assistance, America Family Law Center makes its Assisted Pro Se service available to its paid clients in good standing. These services are subject to availability and may not be available in some states. Please call us if you need assistance, and we will be happy to see if we can help you. America Family Law Center’s Assisted Pro Se service helps pro se, self-represented litigants with unlimited legal advice, research, document review, guidance, coaching, case continuity and much more from attorneys, as well as non-legal assistance from its trained non-attorney staff, working together help the client resolve their case or situation and strive for the best possible outcome.

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Being Pro Se does not require you to be a litigant in a court case. Pro Se means “on one’s own behalf.” America Family Law Center helps a lot of people resolve family law situations pro se, while avoiding an active court case.

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America Family Law Center’s Assisted Pro Se service is a flat-fee ranging from $50 to $600 for an entire year of service. The Assisted Pro Se service includes only services provided by America Family Law Center; it does not include services provided by courts, clerks, investigators, process servers, partners, affiliates, or others. One should expect that a legal case will involve costs in addition to the Assisted Pro Se service fee paid to America Family Law Center.

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America Family Law Center’s Assisted Pro Se services (or any of AFLC’s services) do NOT include drafting legal documents and do NOT include attorney representation. Many people may find that they do not need legal documents, and if needed there are many forms and other sources for legal documents. If a litigant had an attorney representing them in court they would not be pro se and by definition it would not be an Assisted Pro Se service. With the help of America Family Law Center’s Assisted Pro Se services, most legal cases are worked outside of the courtroom and resolved without a contested trial. Before engaging any Assisted Pro Se service, be sure to understand what services are included and what are not included.

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America Family Law Center has been serving clients for well over a decade, with clients residing in all 50 states. With advanced technology, America Family Law Center can provide services to people virtually, regardless of location, from the comfort and privacy of their homes via their phones. Trekking to the courthouse or law library to use a public computer kiosk that may or may not be available or working is unnecessary and wasteful, and has been outdated for many years.

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Click here for more information about Client Services Program.

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The importance of Assisted Pro Se services

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The Texas Access to Justice Commission (TAJC) defines Assisted Pro Se as “helping self-represented litigants help themselves with limited assistance from lawyers.” America Family Law Center is recognized as the largest and premier provider of Assisted Pro Se services for family law matters.

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A 2023 study conducted by the Texas Access to Justice Commission, at the request of the Supreme Court of Texas, found that “90% of the civil legal needs of low-income Texans are unmet.” And “5.2 million Texans qualify for civil legal aid.” According to state law, Texas Government Code, Sec. 51.941(e) and SCOT Misc Docket No. 98-9001, paragraph 5, a person must be “indigent” meaning they are living at or below 125 percent of the poverty level to qualify for civil legal aid. This means an individual household’s total income cannot exceed $18,225 per year based on 2023 poverty law numbers to be eligible to receive civil legal aid assistance (with some exceptions).

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The Texas Access to Justice Commission (TAJC) strongly promotes and encourages Assisted Pro Se services, as explained on its website, as an important way to address the need for civil legal services in Texas. Assisted Pro Se services are so highly encouraged and sought after, that the Texas Access to Justice Commission created a Self-Represented Litigants Committee (“SRL Committee”) focused on helping providers with Assisted Pro Se service programs, and both the Supreme Court of Texas (SCOT) through the Texas Access to Justice Foundation (TAGF) and the Office of the Attorney General of Texas provide grant funding for many Assisted Pro Se service programs. As an indication of the importance of Assisted Pro Se services, according to public records, over $23 million in public funds has been awarded to at least 18 organizations in Texas who offer some form of Assisted Pro Se service. Some Assisted Pro Se services are publicly funded and some are not.

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Some Assisted Pro Se services are paid with public funds and not by the person receiving the service; these are referred to as third-party-payer models. America Family Law Center’s more advanced Assisted Pro Se service is a direct-payer model where the individual receiving service pays a nominal fee, and no public legal aid funds are used. Third-party-payer models are too often antiquated, inefficient, and bloated with costs, resulting in fewer resources going to where it is needed: the client. America Family Law Center, using a direct-payer model, operates much more efficiently, delivering far greater service to the client. Unlike most third-party-payer models, America Family Law Center can help anyone who cannot afford a lawyer, regardless of a person’s household income or poverty status.

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There are several organizations in Texas that provide some form of Assisted Pro Se service, ranging from a simple telephone hotline all the way to the full gamet of services provided by America Family Law Center. Unfortunately, publicly funded services too often come with strings attached, excessive overhead, slow response, limitations and people sometimes comment that they receive little if any actual help but instead get referred to other resources. Some Assisted Pro Se services are publicly funded and some are not. Before engaging an Assisted Pro Se service, be sure to understand what services are included and what are not included.

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Closing the Justice Gap

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It is widely recognized that many people with family law-related matters do not have the financial means to hire an attorney or qualify to receive free (often taxpayer-paid) legal aid – referred to as the Justice Gap. America Family Law Center strives to help those in the Justice Gap by offering family law assistance. If a person has the means to hire an attorney in a traditional manner, America Family Law Center encourages them to do so. If a person qualifies for and can receive free legal aid, America Family Law Center encourages them to take advantage of it. However, for those who have a family law-related matter, cannot afford an attorney, and do not receive free legal aid, America Family Law Center may be able to help. Call now.

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