In 1951 and in 1966, a group of dedicated private attorneys, bar and community leaders and law school professors first opened the doors of what was then, respectively, the Fort Worth Legal Foundation and the Dallas Legal Services Project. In later years the programs became known as West Texas Legal Services and Legal Services of North Texas.

Both organizations were strongly supported and highly respected by their communities. The mission of both organizations was to ensure equal justice for people living in poverty through the provision of high quality legal representation and to further the ends of justice and improve the lives of low income people through the rule of law.

On March 1, 2003, Legal Services of North Texas was formally merged with and into West Texas Legal Services and the surviving corporation became Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas. With the merger of these two corporations Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas became the 5th largest Legal Aid program in the nation, serving 114 counties in a geographic area larger than the state of Colorado. The program is governed by a 27 volunteer member board of directors comprised of attorneys and clients who provide oversight and guidance as the program strives to meet the legal needs of over 1.5 Million eligible clients. From our main office in Fort Worth the program strives to provide the same level and quality of services to our clients whether they live in a small rural town in west Texas or one of the major metropolitan areas.