The Institute was named in honor of Professor Earl Carl, a founding faculty member of the law school. Professor Carl, blind from an early age, graduated from Fisk University before going on to earn his law degree from Yale University Law School.  He is a human symbol that people can accomplish whatever they are willing to despite all odds.  His achievements remind us that we are limited only by the barriers we chose not to overcome.

The Earl Carl Institute serves as an advocacy organization, which seeks to identify, address and offer solutions to issues that affect traditionally urban and disenfranchised communities. The Institute is specifically designed to provide resources to train Thurgood Marshall students in legal advocacy and enhance their research and writing skills. Through the students’ research, position papers and other publications, the Institute promotes civil and human rights. The Institute’s mission is to help solve the legal and social problems facing the urban community through scholarship and advocacy.

Through the services of supervising attorneys, student practitioners, volunteer attorneys, and strategic partnerships with Thurgood Marshall School of Law legal clinics, the project provides services that range from counsel and advice on property related issues to in-court representation. Our primary areas of practice clearing title to property including probate.  We also provide legal representation to individuals facing foreclosure.  We serve the general Harris County community and its contiguous counties (Brazoria, Galveston, Chambers, Liberty, Montgomery, Fort Bend, & Waller). We receive IOLTA and BCLS funds to provide legal services for low income individuals, through a grant from the Texas Access to Justice Foundation.  We are principally funded by the Thurgood Marshall School of Law and receive a limited amount of other funding. To view the types of cases we handle or  apply for legal assistance click here.

For individuals who have cases that we cannot accept we provide access to a number of self help legal forms.  To access self help legal forms click here.

To access additional legal resources click here.

Over the years the Earl Carl Institute has served many attorneys and community members through its continuing legal education seminars (CLE) and symposia.  The Earl Carl Institute recognizes that issues impacting the urban community change rapidly from day to day.  It is the mission of the Institute to educate members of the bar and the community at large on these ever evolving issues.  The Earl Carl Institute in conjunction with Thurgood Marshall School of Law offers continuing legal education courses and symposiums regarding current legal issues, featuring nationally recognized scholars and panelist, at a reasonable cost in a friendly, familiar, and welcoming atmosphere.  To see a list of past and upcoming CLE offerings and to register for these courses click here.

The Earl Carl Institute serves as an advocacy organization, which seeks to identify, address and offer solutions to issues that affect traditionally urban and disenfranchised communities. The Institute is specifically designed to provide resources to train Thurgood Marshall students in legal advocacy and enhance their research and writing skills, through the students’ research, position papers and other publications. The Institute’s mission is to enhance the ability of future leaders to advocate, educate and promote equity through research focused on social and legal policy, through an interdisciplinary approach.

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In, 2005 the Texas Legislature provided funding to four of the State’s public law schools to create litigation and public policy organizations, commonly referred to as Innocence Projects, to review and investigate wrongful convictions.

The Innocence Project at Thurgood Marshall School of Law (TMSL) was established in June 2007 as a component of the clinical curriculum, employing a full time staff attorney as well as numerous law student investigators who  review claims of actual innocence made by incarcerated inmates who have been wrongfully convicted.   The project’s dual mission is to first identify inmates who have been wrongfully convicted, provide legal assistance to them and secure their release and second to provide its law students with a fulfilling educational experience.

Each term the project accepts six to ten specially qualified students to work with an attorney experienced in criminal and post-conviction law to review and evaluate post-conviction cases for strong evidence of actual innocence and prepare appropriate cases for court action. TMSL students, under the attorney's supervision, work directly on  the project and are intricately involved in various operations of the project such as creating screening procedures, obtaining and reviewing case histories, applying screening devices, investigating facts, interviewing involved person, writing case time lines and summaries, performing case analyses, preparing written case evaluations and pleadings.

“OUR STORY” is a project undertaken by the Institute that chronicles the achievements of African American and Hispanic Texans; particularly those who have graduated from Thurgood Marshall School of Law and Texas Southern University.  The project will employ various media techniques including oral recordings, videography, photography and print to record details about the men and women who have played important roles in the history of Texas.  All information will be organized by categories including members of the Judiciary, various Political Branches, Trial Advocates, Freedom Fighters and more.  The final product will include a series of publications.  Videotaped interviews were conducted with former Texas Chief Justice Joe Greenhill, who served as the state of Texas Assistant Attorney General and argued the Sweat v. Painter case against Justice Thurgood Marshall.  Numerous other interviews have been conducted with several former and past TSU and TMSL administrators, faculty and students as well as noted political and community leaders. The project anticipates the participation and collaboration with the university, librarian, and  archivist.

The ECI Interdisciplinary Journal for Legal & Social Policy publishes papers primarily on housing, education and criminal justice issues that impact legal and social policy in the urban community.  Occasionally, additional social issues that impact the urban community may be covered within the context of papers or essays.