Evelyn Garcia Lopez

The Project Evelyns project focused on improving pro se record sealing resources to low-income individuals in Harris County, Texas through an innovative, technology-driven tool. Evelyn helped users navigate Clear Your Record Harris County.org and the pro se process and she tracked and troubleshooted common barriers in navigating the site. She provided direct representation for ancillary civil legal issues to wholly remove individuals legal obstacles to employment and housing. Through case manager workshops and clinics, she also helped community organizations and pro bono attorneys assist users in completing the forms for filing. The project sought to increase the number of pro se filings for nondisclosure in Harris County and to work with courts and government entities to improve procedures for pro se filers in Harris County. There are approximately 400,000 individuals with Harris County criminal records who are eligible to have all or part of their record sealed. This Fellowship project focused on connecting with those individuals whose records prevented them from accessing housing, employment, and educational opportunities. In doing so, the project addressed the racial and economic disparities reflected in the criminal justice system. Fellowship Highlights During the two-year Fellowship, Evelyn: Managed a hotline on Clear Your Record Harris County.org to assist pro se filers and identify individuals with ancillary legal needs Provided 26 presentations on the Clear Your Record Harris County.org website to non-profit organizations, community groups, and other local agencies Developed recommendations for improvements to the website based on feedback from pro se filers Provided full representation for 152 matters, including petitioning to clear eligible criminal history and ancillary legal services, like restoring Driver License privileges, replacing immigration documentation needed to obtain employment, and advocating for restoration of a housing voucher Next Steps Evelyn will continue to serve as a Staff Attorney at Beacon Law. She will monitor the established Clear Your Record Harris County.org hotline and provide representation for record clearing legal matters and ancillary civil legal issues to help individuals solve common legal barriers to restabilization.