Austin Bar Blog

TRLA is also seeking volunteer attorneys to assist flood survivors in all areas of the law, but particularly in the following areas:

• Probate - administrators, small estates, muniments, determinations, affidavits of heirships
• Family Law - modifications
• Insurance Law - FEMA, home, flood, renters, car
• Consumer Law - contractor scams, repair issues

To sign up as a volunteer in any of these areas, please click here.

Come hang out at AYLA's Summer Docket Call!

Date: July 17, 2025

Time: 5:30 - 7 p.m.

Location: Hold Out Brewing, 1208 W. 4th St.

Severe flooding over the July Fourth weekend devastated communities across the Texas Hill Country.

This one-hour CLE, hosted by Texas RioGrande Legal Aid in partnership with the State Bar of Texas’ Disaster Legal Task Force, will equip attorneys with the knowledge to assist survivors in navigating post-disaster legal issues.

Presenters will cover common civil legal needs after a disaster—such as housing, benefits, and contractor fraud—as well as recent changes to FEMA Individual Assistance. Attendees will also learn how to connect with legal aid efforts and support survivors through direct service or referrals.

Date: Monday, July 21, 2025

Time: 12 - 1 p.m.

Location: Zoom

Credit: 1.00 MCLE

CLE number: 174287452

Speaker: Brittanny Perrigue Gomez, disaster benefits team manager, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRLA)

Register here.

Austin Bar/AYLA member Bo Balagia's family has set up a GoFundMe to support the McCown family, whose daughter, Linnie, 8, was one of the victims of the flooding at Camp Mystic.

Judges Nicholas Chu and Guy Herman have issued a public letter regarding the Central Texas floods. Read it here.

TRLA is providing legal assistance to eligible survivors of Kerr County federal-declared floods and state-declared floods in Bandera, Bexar, Burnet, Comal, Caldwell, Gillespie, Guadalupe, Kendall, Kimble, Llano, Mason, Reeves, Travis, and Williamson counties.

FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) NOW OPEN.

Family Assistance Center 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

BT Wilson 6th Grade School

605 Tivy St. Kerville, Texas 78028

Disaster Recovery Center 8 a.m.  - 10 p.m.

First Baptist Church Gymnasium

625 Washington St. Kerville, Texas 78028

Access TRLA's disaster resources page at www.trla.org/disaster.

Survivors can seek assistance from TRLA with:

• FEMA applications or appeals (only counties in the federal disaster declaration)

• Eviction or other housing-related matters

• Probate

• Replacing documents

• Public benefits applications or assistance with complications on eligibility due to charitable donations

Eligible survivors included in the federal declaration (Kerr County) who sustained damage may also qualify for federal FEMA assistance for funeral expenses, temporary housing, transportation, home repairs, personal property loss, and other disaster-related needs.

Although FEMA has not yet opened Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) in the area, updates can be monitored at the FEMA DRC locator. Once opened, TRLA will be on-site to assist with questions and intake.

If you need legal assistance and were impacted by the Central Texas floods, call TRLA at (956) 996-8752 or (833) 329-8752, or visit trla.org/disaster. Phone lines are open Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Central Time).

After a disaster, it's often a crime in Texas for lawyers or those representing them to solicit paid legal services unless you requested contact. If this happens, note their name and number, and report it to local law enforcement or the State Bar at CDCinfo@texasbar.com or 866-224-5999.

Additional disaster recovery resources are available at Texas Law Help and the State Bar of Texas.

To help advance TRLA’s legal work across communities in Central and South Texas, visit https://www.trla.org/donate.

The LGBTQ+ Law Section of the Austin Bar cordially invites you to march in the Austin Pride Parade with us!

Wear your most color and festive attire!

Date: Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025

Time: 7:30 - 10 p.m.

Location: San Jacinto Boulevard between 12th and 15th Streets. We will share our assigned spot number once we receive it.

RSVP here.

Cocktails, Mocktails & Tall Tales is a new networking and community-building series from the LGBTQ+ Law Section. We're launching in partnership with the South Asian Bar Association for an evening of relaxed connection, great drinks, and even better conversation.

No stiff small talk here. Instead, bring the title of a book you're excited to talk about. We’ll add it to your name tag so conversations start themselves. Not sure how to break the ice? Just ask someone about their book pick. Everyone leaves with new reads and new connections.

Date: Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025 

Time: 5:30 - 7 p.m.

Location: Hilgers House, 712 W. 16th St.

RSVP here.

This CLE explores two of the most closely watched federal constitutional cases impacting the LGBTQ+ community: United States v. Skrmetti and The Woodlands Pride v. Paxton. We’ll examine how courts have evaluated challenges to laws banning gender-affirming care for transgender youth and restricting public drag performances. The session will walk through key arguments raised by plaintiffs and states, circuit-level splits, and the Supreme Court’s approach to equal protection, parental rights, and the level of scrutiny applied by the courts. Attendees will leave with a grounded understanding of where federal law stands—and where it might go—in the ongoing fight over identity, healthcare, and expression. 

Date: July 18, 2025

Time: 12 - 1 p.m.

Location: Zoom

Speaker: Brian Klosterboer, ACLU attorney

Register here.

Brian Klosterboer is a lawyer with the ACLU of Texas’s Free Speech and Pluralism and Smart Justice teams. Brian engages in impact litigation and advocacy to transform Texas’s criminal justice system, end police violence against Black and Latinx communities, and defend the rights of protesters across the state. Brian is the lead counsel in The Woodlands Pride, Inc., et al. v. Ken Paxton, et al., which secured a permanent injunction blocking Texas's drag ban after a two-day trial.

Join AYLA for the summer of service competition against other young lawyers groups to serve the community by answering questions on the Texas Free Legal Answers program. AYLA members and volunteers will team up to answer legal questions together, sip on your beverage of choice, enjoy food and friends. Attendees must bring their personal computer and sign up to be a volunteer with Texas Legal Answers before the event. Food and some beverages will be provided. More information on the Summer of Service Competition, how to answer questions on your own, and Texas Free Legal Answers can be found in this Google Drive link. 

Date: Aug. 7, 2025

Time: 5:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Location: Amini & Conant - 1204 San Antonio St. 2nd Floor

RSVP here