Star Staff Profile: Clayton Hodges
Clayton Hodges, an Arkansas native, moved to Texas in 2006 after spending 11 years as a prosecutor handling appellate cases and conducting trials. A graduate of the Bowen School of Law at the University of Arkansas-Little Rock, Clayton prosecuted an armed robbery case during his first week on the job. As an appellate lawyer, he helped make new law that extended the protection of Arkansas’ Rape Shield Law to include a victim’s HIV status.
Today his work with Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas concentrates on a much different area of the law. Leading the Consumer Practice Team, Clayton now focuses on bankruptcy, creditor debt, deceptive trade practices, and eviction defense.
“Texas is above the national average for medical debts and debts sent to collection,” he says. “Joblessness, temporary unemployment, and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic leading to a reduction in income all play a role in many clients’ issues.”
While LANWT staff engage in consumer law outreach at various community partner locations such as women’s shelters, transitional living spaces, churches, and even schools, Clayton believes there is still a need for even more outreach to help low-income individuals understand their rights.
“There is so much debt-industry propaganda that is taken for fact,” he says. “If we had more resources, we could dedicate more staff time to educating the public on their rights and, ideally, add more staff to a dedicated team.”
Outreach, he says, also means raising awareness of how Legal Aid can help those in need. “So many people just don’t know about our work,” says Clayton. “Some see us as public defenders, even though there is no right to civil legal counsel. The more we can educate the public on who we are and what we do, the better we can serve our mission to provide legal assistance to those who otherwise cannot afford it.”
Today his work with Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas concentrates on a much different area of the law. Leading the Consumer Practice Team, Clayton now focuses on bankruptcy, creditor debt, deceptive trade practices, and eviction defense.
“Texas is above the national average for medical debts and debts sent to collection,” he says. “Joblessness, temporary unemployment, and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic leading to a reduction in income all play a role in many clients’ issues.”
While LANWT staff engage in consumer law outreach at various community partner locations such as women’s shelters, transitional living spaces, churches, and even schools, Clayton believes there is still a need for even more outreach to help low-income individuals understand their rights.
“There is so much debt-industry propaganda that is taken for fact,” he says. “If we had more resources, we could dedicate more staff time to educating the public on their rights and, ideally, add more staff to a dedicated team.”
Outreach, he says, also means raising awareness of how Legal Aid can help those in need. “So many people just don’t know about our work,” says Clayton. “Some see us as public defenders, even though there is no right to civil legal counsel. The more we can educate the public on who we are and what we do, the better we can serve our mission to provide legal assistance to those who otherwise cannot afford it.”