Find Legal Help
Legal issues involving family violence, coercive control, stalking, financial abuse, divorce, custody, or protective orders can be complicated. A qualified attorney can explain how the law applies to your circumstances, discuss available options, and help you make informed decisions.
The Fooled No More Foundation provides general educational information and links to independent resources. We do not provide legal advice, recommend a particular legal strategy, predict outcomes, or vet or endorse individual attorneys.
Your experience matters
Coercive control and post-separation abuse can leave a person confused, isolated, financially destabilized, and unsure of their own judgment. Those reactions do not mean you are weak. Abuse can affect people of every gender and background, and the harm is real—even when it is not visible to others.
Strength does not always look like confrontation
Strength may mean resisting retaliation, protecting children or loved ones, documenting carefully, asking for help, or making a safety plan. Choosing not to respond with violence can require extraordinary restraint. You deserve support that takes both your safety and your experience seriously.
If you need immediate help
If you are in immediate danger, call 911 when it is safe to do so. If you suspect your device is being monitored, consider using a safer device or account before searching for legal help. Private browsing and quick-exit buttons may not erase every trace of your activity.
Choosing an attorney
The right attorney depends on your legal issue, location, finances, and personal needs. When speaking with a prospective attorney, consider asking:
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Are you licensed and in good standing in the state where my case will be handled?
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What experience do you have with family law and cases involving family violence, coercive control, stalking, financial abuse, or post-separation abuse?
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How do you approach safety concerns, privacy, and trauma-informed communication?
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Who will work on my case, and how will we communicate?
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What are your fees, retainers, billing practices, and estimated costs?
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What choices might be available in my situation, and what are the possible benefits, risks, and costs of each?
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How do you handle urgent safety issues or requests for protective orders?
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Are there legal-aid, limited-scope, or other lower-cost options that may be appropriate?
No attorney can guarantee a result. It is reasonable to seek a second opinion or choose another attorney if the relationship does not feel safe, respectful, or clear.
Preparing for a legal consultation
If it is safe to do so, gather information that may help an attorney understand your situation:
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a brief, factual timeline of important events;
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existing court orders, pleadings, notices, and hearing dates;
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relevant financial, housing, parenting, or communication records;
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names of other attorneys or parties involved;
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immediate safety concerns and preferred safe ways to contact you;
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a written list of questions and desired outcomes.
Keep records in a location and account the other person cannot access. Before recording conversations, collecting digital evidence, moving money, changing accounts, or sharing records, ask a licensed attorney or qualified advocate about applicable law and safety risks. Rules about evidence, discovery, privacy, and admissibility vary by jurisdiction and case.
National legal resources
Legal Services Corporation (LSC)
LSC funds independent nonprofit civil legal-aid organizations in every state, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. Use its search tool to locate an organization near you. Eligibility, case priorities, and availability vary by provider.
LawHelp.org
LawHelp.org provides state-by-state links to nonprofit legal-aid programs, legal-rights information, court forms, and self-help resources.
ABA Free Legal Answers
In participating states, qualifying users can submit civil legal questions online for responses from volunteer attorneys licensed in that state. This service provides brief legal information and advice; it does not guarantee ongoing representation, and availability varies.
Check availability in your state
Other places to check
Your state court website, state or local bar association, and local law-school clinics may offer self-help centers, lawyer-referral services, limited-scope representation, forms, or clinics. Confirm any attorney’s active license and disciplinary history with the appropriate licensing authority in your state.
Why this can still be difficult
Across the United States, survivors may encounter financial barriers, limited access to representation, uneven understanding of coercive control, and difficulty communicating a pattern of harm when incidents are considered separately. Laws, court procedures, and available protections vary by jurisdiction. Progress is possible, but significant gaps remain—and addressing them will require survivors, families, advocates, legal professionals, institutions, and communities working together.
Texas legal resources
The Fooled No More Foundation is based in Texas, so we are including the following state-specific resources in addition to the national options above. If your case is outside Texas, use the national directories or your state’s court and bar resources to locate help where your case will be handled.
Texas Advocacy Project
Texas Advocacy Project provides free legal and social services to survivors of dating and domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, stalking, and human trafficking across Texas.
Phone: 800-374-HOPE (4673)
Apply online through Texas Advocacy Project
TexasLawHelp.org
TexasLawHelp.org provides free legal information and a directory of organizations that may offer free or low-cost civil legal assistance.
State Bar of Texas Lawyer Referral & Information Service
The State Bar of Texas can help connect people with participating attorneys or other legal resources. The referral service is not the same as free legal aid, and fees may apply after an initial consultation.
Phone: 800-252-9690
Request a referral from the State Bar of Texas
Texas Access to Justice resources
The Texas Access to Justice Commission provides a county-based directory of civil legal-aid and community resources.
Search legal-help resources by county
Important information
Information on this page is educational and is not legal advice or a substitute for advice from a licensed attorney. Eligibility, availability, costs, and services are determined by each independent organization or provider and can change. A link does not mean that The Fooled No More Foundation endorses, supervises, or guarantees the services of that organization or professional. Please confirm current information directly with the provider.
Last reviewed: September 17, 2026