The Travis County Law Library and Self-Help Center has been renamed to the Lora Livingston Law Library and Self-Help Center. The change was celebrated with a dedication ceremony on March 31, 2026, at the Travis County Civil and Family Court Facility, where the law library is located
Judge Livingston, who retired from the 261st District Court in 2022, is a long-time supporter of self-represented litigants’ rights.
Judge Livingston first learned about the idea of establishing a self-help center for self-represented litigants while attending an American Bar Association program.
“When she got back from the conference, she bought an easel with her own money, which she set up in the middle of the first floor of the old courthouse, so the daily docket schedule could be posted in an easily accessible and visible place,” said Lisa Rush, director of the newly named law library.
The center helps individuals guide themselves through such legal matters as:
Expunctions
Small claims
Tenant-landlord issues
Wills and estate planning
Divorce
Paternity matters
Name changes
While the Center does not represent anyone, it does provide legal information to individuals, which allows them to make informed decisions,” Judge Livingston wrote in a 2022 Austin Lawyer article recounting her career. “I appreciate that so many get this information with the help of the dedicated public-interest lawyers and other professionals committed to this cause. The Self-Help Center is celebrating more than 20 years in operation, and I could not be prouder of this access-to-justice initiative.”
At the March 31 event, speakers included Geoff Burkhart, county executive for Travis County Legal Services; 201st Civil District Judge Amy Clark Meachum; Travis County Law Library Director Lisa Rush; Harriet Miers, chair of the Texas Access to Justice Commission; Ronald Flagg, president of the Legal Services Corporation; and, of course, Judge Livingston herself.
“The creation of the Travis County Self- Help Center, located in the Travis County Law Library, stands out as one of the things I am most proud of during my tenure on the bench,” Livingston wrote.