Representing yourself in court?
Start with where your case is.
You don't need to know legal words to begin. Each free tool below walks you through the publicly available steps for your court, works offline, and keeps everything you enter on your own device. No account, no tracking.
Pick your court
State court: Harris County (Houston)
Eviction · small claims & debt · divorce & custody ·
protective orders · civil suits · state appeals
Open the Texas State Court Companion →
Federal court: Southern District of Texas, Houston Division
Sued in federal court · case removed to federal court ·
civil rights (§ 1983) · job discrimination after the EEOC ·
federal appeals
Open the Pro Se Workbench →
Bankruptcy court: Southern District of Texas, Houston Division
Debts you cannot pay · Chapter 7 & 13 ·
means test & exemption reference · forms checklist & timeline
Open the Bankruptcy Companion →
Facing disability access barriers in court?
A fourth tool, a private journal for documenting court access
barriers with a declaration generator, is in development
Coming soon
Not sure which court?
Look at the papers you received:
- A “Citation” naming a Harris County Justice Court, County Civil Court at Law, or District Court: use the state tool.
- A “Summons” from the “United States District Court”: use the federal tool.
- A “Notice of Removal” in a state case: your case moved to federal court — use the federal tool (it covers removal and asking to go back to state court).
- Debts you cannot pay, considering Chapter 7 or 13: use the bankruptcy tool (it starts with a which-court check of its own).
Filing a new case yourself? Most everyday matters (eviction responses, small claims, family cases) start in state court.
Free help from real people
- TexasLawHelp.org: free legal information and forms, statewide, in several languages
- TexasCourtHelp.org: the Texas courts' own guide for people without lawyers
- Harris County Law Library: free access to legal resources and self-help guides, downtown Houston
- Lone Star Legal Aid: free civil legal help if you qualify by income
- Houston Volunteer Lawyers: free legal clinics and pro bono representation
In an unsafe situation at home? The National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-7233 (call) or text START to 88788. The Quick Exit button at the top of this page leaves this site immediately.