Legal Aid of Northwest Texas

What Legal Aid of Northwest Texas does

Legal Aid of Northwest Texas (LANWT) is a private nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization founded in December 1951 as the Fort Worth Legal Foundation and headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It provides free civil legal services to income-eligible individuals and families across 114 counties in North and West Texas, making it the fifth largest legal aid program in the United States by service volume. The organization serves a defined low-income population that cannot afford private attorneys, addressing matters including housing and eviction, family law, domestic violence, immigration, consumer issues, public benefits, disaster recovery, expunction, and driver's license restoration. Specialized programs include the Community Lawyering Center (in partnership with UNT Dallas College of Law), Community Revitalization Project, Home Preservation Project, Disaster Legal Services Unit (established 2022), Legal Aid Pro Se Assistance, Veterans Project, Legal Aid for Sexual Assault Survivors, Medical-Legal Partnership with MHMR of Tarrant County, and Path Beyond Opioids Legal Aid Project.

LANWT operates a three-layer distribution model: a centralized statewide Legal Aid Line (888-529-5277) with multi-language intake, an online application portal built on LegalServer, and 14 physical branch offices plus courthouse-adjacent LAPSA offices and community-based legal clinics. Outreach is conducted through community partnerships with domestic violence shelters, veterans organizations, homeless shelters, bar associations, and law schools, as well as through pro bono volunteer attorneys coordinated via the Equal Justice Volunteer Program (EJVP). The technology stack is non-proprietary and includes LegalServer for case management and GiveEffect for donation processing; no AI/ML capabilities or custom platform is disclosed.

The revenue model is grant- and donation-driven rather than fee-based. Primary funding comes from the federal Legal Services Corporation (LSC) and the Texas Access to Justice Foundation, with targeted grants supporting specialized programs (e.g., the 2022 LSC disaster grant for DLSU). Supplementary revenue includes individual and corporate donations processed via GiveEffect (credit/debit, ACH, PayPal, Venmo) and event-based fundraising (Women's Advocacy Awards, Builders of Justice Awards, Equal Access to Justice Campaign). As a condition of LSC funding, the organization is subject to activity restrictions under 45 CFR Part 1610 across all legal work, including non-LSC-funded matters. All services are delivered free of charge to eligible clients, so there is no pricing model in the commercial sense.

Name

Legal Aid of Northwest Texas

Legal name

Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas, Inc.

Website

https://internet.lanwt.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1951

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Legal Aid of Northwest Texas is a nonprofit civil legal aid organization providing free legal services to nearly 200 attorneys serving income-eligible individuals and families across 114 counties in North and West Texas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Aid Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (54111), Legal Services (5411), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Family & Private Client (Trusts & Estates) Law (BPAHAAAK), Employment & Labor Law (BPAHAAAD), Legal Literacy & Public Legal Education (Know Your Rights) (EDAAAFAI)

Keywords

• Civil legal aid
• Legal services
• Nonprofit legal services
• Pro bono representation
• Legal advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Worth

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices15 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Grants and Federal Funding: The organization receives federal funding through the Legal Services Corporation (LSC), as well as state-level grants from entities such as the Texas Access to Justice Foundation. Additional targeted grants support specific programs such as the Disaster Legal Services Unit (2022 LSC disaster grant) and the Path Beyond Opioids project.
2. Individual and Corporate Donations: The organization accepts tax-deductible donations from individuals and organizations via its online giving portal (GiveEffect), processing credit/debit cards, ACH, PayPal, and Venmo. The EIN is 750856086.
3. Event-Based Fundraising: The organization hosts fundraising events including Women's Advocacy Awards, Builders of Justice Awards, Trivia Night, and the Equal Access to Justice Campaign (Dallas), which support general operational funds and specific programs such as the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas provides free civil legal services—including advice, document preparation, and full representation—to income-eligible individuals and families across 114 counties in North and West Texas. Core practice areas cover family law, housing and eviction defense, consumer issues, public benefits, immigration, and disaster recovery, delivered through 14 branch offices, a statewide phone intake line, online application, and community-based legal clinics staffed by staff and volunteer attorneys.

Product overview

Legal Aid of Northwest Texas is a legal services organization (not a software product company) providing free civil legal aid to low-income individuals across 114 counties in North and West Texas. The organization operates a network of branch offices offering core legal aid services, supplemented by specialized programs including the Community Lawyering Center (CLC) in partnership with UNT Dallas College of Law, Community Revitalization Project (CRP), Home Preservation Project (HPP), Disaster Legal Services Unit (DLSU), Legal Aid Pro Se Assistance (LAPSA), Veterans Project, and Legal Aid for Sexual Assault Survivors (LASSA). The portfolio also includes volunteer attorney coordination through the Equal Justice Volunteer Program (EJVP) and pro bono clinic support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Civil Legal Aid Services Free civil legal representation, advice, and document preparation for income-eligible individuals and families across 114 counties in North and West Texas. Covers family law, housing/eviction, consumer issues, public benefits, immigration, and disaster recovery.
• Community Lawyering Center (CLC) Partnership with UNT Dallas College of Law offering free civil legal help in custody, landlord-tenant, probate, and related matters; law students work side-by-side with supervising attorneys.
• Community Revitalization Project (CRP) Community lawyering initiative addressing environmental concerns, fair housing issues, discriminatory practices, and economic development in underserved communities.
• Home Preservation Project (HPP) Collaborative initiative with eviction courts and partner agencies providing holistic advocacy for housing stability, including employment discrimination defense and foreclosure prevention.
• Disaster Legal Services Unit (DLSU) Post-disaster legal assistance for low-income individuals, including FEMA appeals, insurance claims, landlord-tenant disputes, document replacement, and title issues.
• Legal Aid Pro Se Assistance (LAPSA) Limited services for self-represented (pro se) litigants to help navigate the court system; offices are strategically co-located in or adjacent to courthouses.
• Veterans Project Specialized legal services for veterans and family members in the greater Dallas-Fort Worth area, with focus on expunctions, nondisclosures, driver license restoration, VAWA petitions, U-visas, and T-visas; housed in the Fort Worth office.
• Legal Aid for Sexual Assault Survivors (LASSA) Statewide initiative providing free legal assistance—from advice to full representation—for survivors of sexual assault and sexual violence.
• Low Income Taxpayer Clinic Federal tax controversy representation before the IRS for low-income taxpayers.
• Medical-Legal Partnership (MLP) Joint partnership with My Health My Resources (MHMR) of Tarrant County providing civil legal services to low-income individuals receiving health care services, addressing housing, utilities, public benefits, and personal financial stability issues.
• Pro Bono Driver's License Restoration/State ID Project Restoration of suspended driver's licenses and replacement of state IDs for eligible clients, supported by law student volunteers from Texas A&M, SMU Dedman, and UNT College of Law.
• Pro Bono Expunction and Nondisclosure Project Criminal record expunction and nondisclosure representation for low-income clients to remove barriers to employment and housing.
• Volunteer Attorney Program / Equal Justice Volunteer Program (EJVP) Pro bono legal services coordinated through volunteer attorneys from local bar associations and law schools who interview clients at clinics, take cases for representation, or provide legal advice; matches attorney volunteers with legal aid cases across the service area.

Quantifiable outcome

• The Lubbock Tenant Utility Shutoff lawsuit, handled by LANWT attorney Benjamin Gerzik, advanced to a new phase as a constitutional civil-rights matter.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• UNT Dallas College of LawcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner for the Community Lawyering Center (CLC), established in 2014. Law students work side-by-side with and under attorney supervision handling civil legal matters. CLC operates two Dallas locations (downtown and South Dallas) offering evening and weekend appointments.
• Texas Tech University School of LawmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner providing law student volunteers and clinic support to the Lubbock office. Civil and family law clinics at the law school collaborate with LANWT on case handling and volunteer attorney placement.
• Lubbock Area Bar AssociationmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVolunteer attorneys from the Lubbock Area Bar Association staff monthly intake clinics at St. John's United Methodist Church and Mae Simmons Community Center, supporting the Lubbock office's high-volume caseload across 13 counties.
• Dallas Bar AssociationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program (DVAP), which provides legal services to eligible Dallas County residents through pro bono attorney volunteers. LANWT co-manages the program with the Dallas Bar Association.
• Tarrant County Bar AssociationmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEJVP partner supporting the Fort Worth office's pro bono volunteer program. Also partners with L. Clifford Davis Legal Association and Tarrant County Family Law Bar Association.
• My Health My Resources (MHMR) of Tarrant CountymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint partner in the Medical-Legal Partnership (MLP), providing civil legal services to low-income individuals receiving health care services at MHMR. The MLP addresses housing, utilities, public benefits, and personal financial stability issues.
• Texas A&M University School of LawminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner contributing law student volunteers to the Driver License Restoration/State ID project and other pro bono initiatives.
• SMU Dedman School of LawminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner contributing law student volunteers to the Driver License Restoration/State ID project.
• University of North Texas College of LawminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner contributing law student volunteers to the Driver License Restoration/State ID project.
• Domestic Violence Shelters and OrganizationsmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerMultiple domestic violence shelters across the 114-county service area refer clients and host on-site legal clinics. Examples include One Safe Place, Genesis Women's Shelter (Dallas), Freedom House (Weatherford), Cross Timbers (Stephenville), and numerous others.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• The Legal Aid Society (NYC): The Legal Aid Society of New York City is the largest legal aid organization in the U.S. and also a major LSC grantee. Comparable in mission and LSC-funded civil legal services scope, but operates at much greater scale and includes a large criminal defense practice alongside civil work.
• Southern Poverty Law Center: Southern Poverty Law Center is a large public interest law organization operating across the Southeast with litigation, advocacy, and education programs for low-income and marginalized communities. Comparable in nonprofit public-interest legal services model but with a much broader civil rights focus.

Emerging players

• Texas Advocacy Project: Texas Advocacy Project is a statewide Texas nonprofit providing free legal services to survivors of family and dating violence. Comparable as a Texas-based civil legal aid provider serving overlapping client populations (DV survivors, family law), though with a narrower specialization than LANWT.
• Texas Legal Services Center: Texas Legal Services Center is a statewide Texas nonprofit providing legal services, support, and technology to other legal aid providers and pro se litigants. Comparable as a Texas-based legal services nonprofit that supports access-to-justice infrastructure, though with a focus on technology and support services rather than direct representation at scale.

Direct peers

• Lone Star Legal Aid: Lone Star Legal Aid is the largest LSC-funded legal aid program in Texas, serving low-income clients across southeast, east, and Gulf Coast Texas with similar civil legal aid scope (housing, family, consumer, disaster) and an overlapping funding structure. Directly comparable as a same-state, same-funder, same-eligible-client peer.
• Atlanta Legal Aid Society: Atlanta Legal Aid Society provides free civil legal services to low-income residents of metro Atlanta through multiple practice areas including housing, family, public benefits, and consumer law. Comparable as a similarly sized LSC-funded grantee operating in a large multi-county service area.
• Legal Aid Society of San Diego: Legal Aid Society of San Diego is one of the largest LSC-funded legal aid programs in California, providing free civil legal services to low-income individuals. Comparable as a similarly sized LSC grantee with multi-office distribution, multidisciplinary support staff, and similar civil practice areas.
• Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles: Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA) is one of the largest LSC-funded programs in California, serving low-income individuals across Los Angeles County with civil legal aid and community lawyering programs. Comparable in scale and multi-office service model to LANWT.
• Texas RioGrande Legal Aid: Texas RioGrande Legal Aid is the third LSC-funded legal aid program in Texas, serving a 68-county area in southwest Texas. Directly comparable as a same-state, same-funder peer with a similar community-lawyering model and civil legal aid focus on low-income Texans.
• Texas Legal Aid: Texas Legal Aid (formerly Legal Aid of Central Texas and TexasLegal.org) provides free civil legal aid to low-income Texans in central Texas. Directly comparable as another Texas legal aid organization serving similar client populations with overlapping practice areas.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCZX_JlPCnv2eV48FBq9N5Vw
• Facebookfacebook.com/Legal-Aid-of-NorthWest-Texas-215749130710
• Xx.com/lanwt

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Legal Aid of Northwest Texas