TexasLawHelp.org Launches Game-changing Pro Se Form Project

A major step toward clearer, more reliable legal forms for self-represented Texans

AUSTIN, TEXAS— Texas Legal Services Center (TLSC) is launching an ambitious new initiative to transform how legal forms are created and maintained on TexasLawHelp.org, the state’s leading online legal resource for self-represented Texans.

The Modular Pro Se Form Management Project will overhaul TexasLawHelp.org’s current form development process by introducing a modern, component-based system. The project will replace a slow, manual form-editing process with a component-based system that lets TLSC attorneys build forms from a shared library of “building blocks” — clauses, headers, signature blocks, and other elements. When the law changes, an update to a single component automatically populates across every form that uses it, dramatically reducing errors and the time required to keep forms current.

Over the website’s 20+ years online, TexasLawHelp.org has become one of the most trusted sources for accurate, user-friendly legal forms in Texas. The site welcomes over 4 million visitors and nearly 13 million page views annually. Many visitors rely on these forms to handle critical civil legal matters such as evictions, divorces, and more. These forms are often the only way low-income Texans can assert their rights in matters like divorce, custody, housing, protective orders, and public benefits. Better forms lead to more informed litigants, more efficient courts, and improved outcomes for people navigating the legal system alone.

The new system was inspired in part by the Utah Courts Forms Engine, which demonstrated the power of modular form management. TLSC will work with a software developer to design and build a customized version tailored to TexasLawHelp.org’s needs.

“By modernizing how we build and update legal forms, we’re stepping into the future at a moment when the demand for clear, trustworthy resources has never been higher. Innovation is how we meet Texans where they are,” said TLSC Executive Director, Karen Miller. “This project is our commitment to innovate boldly so people get the help they need, when they need it.”

The project promises a future in which TexasLawHelp.org can serve more Texans more efficiently. Forms will be more consistent, more accurate, and faster to update. The Modular Pro Se Form Management Project will improve reliability for users and increase confidence among legal professionals and judges that self-represented litigants can file accurate documents that reflect current law.

This critical modernization effort is supported in part by a grant from the Texas Bar Foundation. Since its inception in 1965, the Texas Bar Foundation has awarded more than $30 million in grants to law-related programs. Supported by members of the State Bar of Texas, the Texas Bar Foundation is the nation's largest charitably-funded bar foundation.

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About Texas Legal Services Center

Texas Legal Services Center is a statewide nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide high-quality legal representation, advice, advocacy, and education at no cost to underserved people across the state. With more than a dozen practice areas, our work touches almost every aspect of civil law that impacts low-income Texans. Through TexasLawHelp.org and other programs, we empower Texans with education about the legal system and processes to make informed choices about how to seek justice.

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