The Center for Civil Advocacy (CCA) was initially established as the Institute for Trial Advocacy in November 2001 and provides Thurgood Marshall law students an opportunity to gain practical experience by working with clients, lawyers and courts. The clients represented through CCA are commonly low-income individuals and families.  The CCA currently has two advocacy projects: the Opal Mitchell Lee Property Preservation Project (OMLPPP) and the OMLPPP Foreclosure Defense Clinic.

Opal Mitchell Lee Property Preservation Project

ECI launched the Opal Mitchell Lee Property Preservation Project in September 2007, funded in principal part by the Thurgood Marshall School of Law with a supporting grant from the Texas Access to Justice Foundation.  The project was established to address the legal challenges lower income people face in maintaining their real property and enhancing their wealth.

Opal Mitchell Lee Property Preservation Project- Foreclosure Defense Clinic

In November 2009, the Texas Access to Justice Foundation awarded the Institute additional funding to enhance the OMLPPP to include foreclosure defense services.   The Foreclosure Clinic was established as part of the Opal Mitchell Lee Property Preservation Program through a grant from the Texas Access to Justice Foundation.  It operates to specifically address the large number of homeowners in disadvantaged communities whose homes are at risk of foreclosure.

Juvenile Justice Project

The Institute began the “Juvenile Justice Project” in November of 2009, through a grant from the Texas Bar Foundation, to address the rising number of student ticket cases faced by students accused of school misconduct.  The project’s purpose is to provide legal representation to students in Class C Misdemeanor cases pending in Justice and Municipal Courts in Texas.