Texas RioGrande Legal Aid provides free legal services to people who cannot afford an attorney in 68 southwestern counties, i ... ncluding the entire Texas-Mexico border. TRLA attorneys specialize in more than 45 areas of law, including family, employment, disaster assistance, landlord-tenant, housing, education, and civil rights. Now the second-largest legal aid, TRLA was initially formed in 1970 to provide legal services to poor people, primarily farmworkers, in a handful of South Texas counties. Our continuing work with mirgrant and seasonal workers now extends to all of Texas and has expanded into Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. TRLA's Public Defender Division represents poor people facing criminal charges in 14 Texas counties. read more